Rest Days

ChasingSweatandTears
ChasingSweatandTears Posts: 504 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all! For the past 30 days I have consistently worked out anywhere from 45 - 60 minutes a day, 6 times a week and I just added strength training last week. This level of activity is brand new for me I'm sad to say, I would always start strong and then fizzle out, not for a solid month though and I thought I could lose weight just doing 30 minutes 3 times a week, eating at the same calorie level as usual. Ha. So of course, I wouldn't see progress and then get discouraged. I also had no energy at the time so it was tough to stick with.
Well this time things are different because I've taken drastic measures to make them different :) My energy problems have been corrected for the most part, and my quest for fitness is a lifetime one, not a short term solution. It's about health this time, not just weight. I'm on a mission to reduce my body fat by 12% and be STRONG.
That being said I am extremely uncomfortable taking "rest days". Even one a week. As in days where I don't do anything, not even cardio, but I refuel and recharge my batteries.
Do most of you fitness junkies (which is my goal to be able to say I am one!) take complete rest days, or just have light days?
I really pushed my limits on the weights yesterday and I also did 60 minutes of cardio. I felt rather tired today so I figured, I've worked out 5 days this week and it's time for a rest. I can usually make it through 5 before I start to notice a little fatigue. At least that seems to be the pattern this month.
Just wondering if any of you can give me some encouragement about yes, taking rest days, or offer any advice about still working out just taking it easier. I've always been pretty good about nutrition, but fitness is still a new area for me, so if I sound like an idiot, please be kind :)

Replies

  • ChasingSweatandTears
    ChasingSweatandTears Posts: 504 Member
    .
  • masterofktulu
    masterofktulu Posts: 151 Member
    I work out 5 days a week and take 2 days off. Honestly, enjoy them. Your body needs time to repair and rest days do just that! Relax and know you worked hard all week! And depending on how often and heavy you lift you may do more damage to yourself than good. The body needs to recharge and rebuild what muscle has been used. If you are going nuts I would honestly suggest a nice walk, maybe throw a ball with someone, or even power clean the house!

    I hope it helps and I felt the same way when I started. I wanted to see results right away and figured if I worked out all the time took no rest I would achieve it easier. Turns out it was not the case and I was really hurting my body.
  • aksunshine
    aksunshine Posts: 62 Member
    I take one rest day a week. If something happens with my schedule and I have two. That's fine, but I do make myself rest one day for recovery :)
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Hi all! For the past 30 days I have consistently worked out anywhere from 45 - 60 minutes a day, 6 times a week and I just added strength training last week. This level of activity is brand new for me I'm sad to say, I would always start strong and then fizzle out, not for a solid month though and I thought I could lose weight just doing 30 minutes 3 times a week, eating at the same calorie level as usual. Ha. So of course, I wouldn't see progress and then get discouraged. I also had no energy at the time so it was tough to stick with.
    Well this time things are different because I've taken drastic measures to make them different :) My energy problems have been corrected for the most part, and my quest for fitness is a lifetime one, not a short term solution. It's about health this time, not just weight. I'm on a mission to reduce my body fat by 12% and be STRONG.
    That being said I am extremely uncomfortable taking "rest days". Even one a week. As in days where I don't do anything, not even cardio, but I refuel and recharge my batteries.
    Do most of you fitness junkies (which is my goal to be able to say I am one!) take complete rest days, or just have light days?
    I really pushed my limits on the weights yesterday and I also did 60 minutes of cardio. I felt rather tired today so I figured, I've worked out 5 days this week and it's time for a rest. I can usually make it through 5 before I start to notice a little fatigue. At least that seems to be the pattern this month.
    Just wondering if any of you can give me some encouragement about yes, taking rest days, or offer any advice about still working out just taking it easier. I've always been pretty good about nutrition, but fitness is still a new area for me, so if I sound like an idiot, please be kind :)

    You could probably keep it at 6 days, if you made 2 days cardio workouts in the recovery zone HR.
    This is the zone that uses about as much fat for energy as you can get working out, isn't much of a stress to the body but does release some growth hormones, and gets blood flow to the muscle. So still somewhat recovery as you'll get.

    Put the rest day then after your hardest strength training day.

    You'll find the strength training improve, and your harder workout days can truly be harder.

    Or else you'll get burnout. Unless you are not eating at a deficit trying to lose weight, then you can fool with things more, and just work out smarter.

    So what is the purpose of the exercise? That may help in what is best approach too.

    Because you could just plan on doing everything mediocre, not stressful at all, just kind of going through the motions, and getting some improvement from the exercise.

    But usually people exercise because they want body improvements. And to see the best improvements, you do need rest and recovery.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    My problem I get into, because I have a real problem going too intense, hence my advice that I struggle to follow.

    I love to push it. The feeling, the speed, the pace (not running pace, biking), ect.

    Here's what I did for 4 weeks that burned 3.4 lbs of muscle away. And this was NET eating 400 above my BMR everyday.

    Spin class - 1 hr - always at upper range of HR, made it lactate threshold no matter what the focus was - 800 cal.
    Jog/Walk - 1 hr - supposed recovery, usually kept upping the pace, but bad plantar at least held back some.
    Weights - 45 min - low volume, high weight, 9 lifts upper/lower.
    Spin - 1 hr - always avg HR in lactate threshold. At least usually a matter of interval type, hills, down, flat, but still high HR.
    Jog/Walk - 1 hrgee why am i tired at this point. was recovery at this point.
    Weights - 45 min - usually matched previous weight, but many times a tad tired for some reason.
    Rest day.

    So I could do the math on how many carbs I got in my diet, how many carbs I burned in that exercise. And by the end of the week, I had tapped out glucose stores and was using muscle. Just about 510 cal worth each week, usually at the end.
    I even knew that was possible, but thought my calorie intake was enough to stop it. Nope.

    Spin is now interval type, really going back to recovery zone before going back up again.
    Jog/Walk is totally in recovery zone HR.
    Rest day - Skipped weight lifting.
    Road Bike - 2 hr now - last 2 rides speed increased to 17.8 and 18.3 for first rides of season. Great having rest day before.
    Jog/Walk and upper weights - recovery zone cardio
    Lower weights and swim.
    Rest day.

    I personally love the speed ability on the bike, hence taking rest day before that to be stronger. But the extra day also has made the weights stronger. And the 2 runs are recovery totally, can't go that fast, so totally used for muscle recovery.
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
    Rest ?

    I went to catholic school, head teacher(priest) always said

    "God made the world in six days and on the seventh he rested, you are not god, you don;t get a rest"
  • runawaybishop
    runawaybishop Posts: 7
    I'm on a mission to reduce my body fat by 12% and be STRONG.
    That being said I am extremely uncomfortable taking "rest days".
    Resting muscle groups is absolutely essential for strength training. You need to take a full day off any strength training to allow recovery and rebuilding generally. Not doing this will hamper your progress. Cardio is fine though, do it on your rest days if you wish.

    You can also consider splits whereby you work out alternative muscle groups. This will allow you to do 4/5/6/7 days of strength depending on how you split it. A basic 4 day split might go something like this:

    Monday: chest and arms
    Tue: rest or cardio
    Wed: legs
    Thur: shoulders
    Fri: rest or cardio
    Sat: back and abs
    Sun: rest or cardio
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Recovery days are, IMO, a must but that doesn't necessarily mean sitting on the couch watching TV. As long as you keep the intensity low enough you can walk, bike, swim etc, it's called active recovery.
  • poledancing_ninja
    poledancing_ninja Posts: 271
    If you feel uncomfortable taking a rest day, try taking up yoga on a day you need to relax, you can unwind and stretch out all your siezed up work muscles and still build your core and flexibility. Plus you'll sleep like a babe
  • ChasingSweatandTears
    ChasingSweatandTears Posts: 504 Member
    I'm on a mission to reduce my body fat by 12% and be STRONG.
    That being said I am extremely uncomfortable taking "rest days".
    Resting muscle groups is absolutely essential for strength training. You need to take a full day off any strength training to allow recovery and rebuilding generally. Not doing this will hamper your progress. Cardio is fine though, do it on your rest days if you wish.

    You can also consider splits whereby you work out alternative muscle groups. This will allow you to do 4/5/6/7 days of strength depending on how you split it. A basic 4 day split might go something like this:

    Monday: chest and arms
    Tue: rest or cardio
    Wed: legs
    Thur: shoulders
    Fri: rest or cardio
    Sat: back and abs
    Sun: rest or cardio

    Oh yeah that much I know! :) I never work my muscles two days in a row. I've been doing full body training twice a week and high intensity cardio the other days.
  • ChasingSweatandTears
    ChasingSweatandTears Posts: 504 Member
    My problem I get into, because I have a real problem going too intense, hence my advice that I struggle to follow.

    I love to push it. The feeling, the speed, the pace (not running pace, biking), ect.

    Here's what I did for 4 weeks that burned 3.4 lbs of muscle away. And this was NET eating 400 above my BMR everyday.

    Spin class - 1 hr - always at upper range of HR, made it lactate threshold no matter what the focus was - 800 cal.
    Jog/Walk - 1 hr - supposed recovery, usually kept upping the pace, but bad plantar at least held back some.
    Weights - 45 min - low volume, high weight, 9 lifts upper/lower.
    Spin - 1 hr - always avg HR in lactate threshold. At least usually a matter of interval type, hills, down, flat, but still high HR.
    Jog/Walk - 1 hrgee why am i tired at this point. was recovery at this point.
    Weights - 45 min - usually matched previous weight, but many times a tad tired for some reason.
    Rest day.

    So I could do the math on how many carbs I got in my diet, how many carbs I burned in that exercise. And by the end of the week, I had tapped out glucose stores and was using muscle. Just about 510 cal worth each week, usually at the end.
    I even knew that was possible, but thought my calorie intake was enough to stop it. Nope.

    Spin is now interval type, really going back to recovery zone before going back up again.
    Jog/Walk is totally in recovery zone HR.
    Rest day - Skipped weight lifting.
    Road Bike - 2 hr now - last 2 rides speed increased to 17.8 and 18.3 for first rides of season. Great having rest day before.
    Jog/Walk and upper weights - recovery zone cardio
    Lower weights and swim.
    Rest day.

    I personally love the speed ability on the bike, hence taking rest day before that to be stronger. But the extra day also has made the weights stronger. And the 2 runs are recovery totally, can't go that fast, so totally used for muscle recovery.

    Thank you for your advice! I definitely don't want to lose muscle :( I have a hard time staying in recovery zone which I believe at my age of 35 is 111? I just feel like I'm not working hard enough but I think I will try to dial down the intensity some or keep my hiit days limited to 2. My goal is definitely body improvement, not just weight. So far I have lost a little under a pound a week, but my body fat % has also dropped so I'm hoping that's a good sign!
  • sarahrichards81
    sarahrichards81 Posts: 79
    Hi

    I take what I like to call 'active rest days'. These are days when I'm not necessarily doing a workout or going to the gym but I still do something that gets me moving.

    Sometimes it can be going for a nice long but gentle walk, other days I might do some hardcore cleaning (and I mean hardcore, where I sweat buckets and really go for it) etc etc. I don't log these are activity (feels like cheating to do that, but each to their own) and I don't do it on a specific day because my schedule is so changeable, but it tends to be about every 7-8 days.

    Not saying that this is what you should do but I find that it helps to recharge my body a bit but still means I don't feel like a lazy cow sitting on my butt all day.

    Sarah
  • ChasingSweatandTears
    ChasingSweatandTears Posts: 504 Member
    I work out 5 days a week and take 2 days off. Honestly, enjoy them. Your body needs time to repair and rest days do just that! Relax and know you worked hard all week! And depending on how often and heavy you lift you may do more damage to yourself than good. The body needs to recharge and rebuild what muscle has been used. If you are going nuts I would honestly suggest a nice walk, maybe throw a ball with someone, or even power clean the house!

    I hope it helps and I felt the same way when I started. I wanted to see results right away and figured if I worked out all the time took no rest I would achieve it easier. Turns out it was not the case and I was really hurting my body.

    Thanks! Yeah, it's hard to slow down when you're excited about getting back to being active again!

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