Do I need a rest day? Please help :)

kirsty736
kirsty736 Posts: 65
in Fitness and Exercise
So I started working out pretty hard this week and I'm really loving being back in the swing of things and pushing myself. Do I need to take one day off a week? I've read in some fitness articles that I should but I wanted some real life opinions. I'd be happy to at least do a class/go for a swim but I don't want to f**k up if I'm supposed to take a recovery day. All comments appreciated folks :)

Replies

  • amberaz
    amberaz Posts: 328 Member
    Rest when you feel like you need to, don't rest if you don't feel like you need it. It's different for everybody
  • TXGirl821
    TXGirl821 Posts: 115
    I think if you're doing weights, rest days are necessary between weight days, but I'm pretty sure doing a little cardio every day isn't bad if you aren't exhausted.
  • Perfectdiamonds1
    Perfectdiamonds1 Posts: 347 Member
    I usually have two rest day. One mid week (Wed.) and Sunday. You body will love you for the rest. I had to learn that the hard way.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I think it's a good idea to have a rest day if you are exercising intensely.
    It doesn't mean that you have to do nothing that day, but changing things around so your are walking or swimming or doing a lower intensity exercise seems like a smart idea. You are putting your muscles and joints under lots of stress when you exercise, especially if you have just started out (or started again) so giving them time to heal and recover makes sense to me.
  • emnk5308
    emnk5308 Posts: 736
    You should be active Every day! =) But that doesn't mean you need a hard work out every day. You do need to let muscles heal.
  • arc918
    arc918 Posts: 2,037 Member
    You can rest when you're dead!
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
    It's up to you. Listen to your body. I'll tell you what, I went over 90 days without a rest day not that long ago. Just recently started taking them again, and even then I have to do like yoga or stretching. I did not realize how sore my body was until i did though, so i don't mind the yoga all that much lol.

    So I would say yes, take one, cuz you don't wanna feel it all at once lol
  • Jishmeister
    Jishmeister Posts: 108
    I think it depends on what kind of workouts you do. If it's intense, then yes, a day off will allow your muscles and body to heal. If you don't feel like you need a day off, then you need to exercise harder. ;]
  • lucylou9701
    lucylou9701 Posts: 194
    bump*
    wondering the same thing.... I am really sore and have been since tuesday but I always take my rest day on Sunday so just waiting for Sunday now LOL if i am sore should I rest or should I work through it? is the soreness just my body getting stronger?
  • dawnnikki13
    dawnnikki13 Posts: 1
    Resting is an important part of a consistent training schedule. I have read that it is actually after your workout that your body is building your muscles. Also rest will keep you from injuring yourself. Rest can be done in different ways. You can mix up your workouts each day so different parts of your body are being used, it could be where you change your intensity level, or it could simply be taking a day off from working out. I usually have 2 days of the week where I don't do any planned workout and my workouts tend to be varied from swimming, jogging, yoga, tabata exercises, and weight lifting. Rest also helps me be motivated and keep consistent in my workouts because lets face it, unless you are a professional athlete it is hard to keep the motivation going and the "rest days" feel like a reward. It's great that you are motivated and don't want to rest but I highly suggest to rest if you want to keep the momentum going and make working out a part of your lifestyle. Check out this article for more information. http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sampleworkouts/a/RestandRecovery.htm
  • kirsty736
    kirsty736 Posts: 65
    Thanks everyone!
  • Kara_xxx
    Kara_xxx Posts: 635 Member
    It depends on your training.

    At the moment I'm just mincing around... a bit of pick and mix "something every day"... basically a combo of spin classes, weights, running, swimming, hiking, pilates etc... I could happily do that without planned rest days without risk of overuse or fatigue.

    However when I was Ironman training and had a training load of 15+ hours a week, rest days were essential to aid recovery.

Categories