Do you take a rest day?

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3LittleMonkeyMom
3LittleMonkeyMom Posts: 259
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm doing Chalean Extreme program, and today is one of my 2 rest days.
I didn't fully rest on the first....I did some zumba wii, but have heard that if you don't take a rest day you can hurt your body.
So...I am resting.


Do you take rest days? How often?
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Replies

  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    I took a rest day yesterday, as my thighs were BURNING from 30 day shred. Also it's my TOM so that adds more pain and cramps :(
  • Tat2dDom624
    Tat2dDom624 Posts: 1,226 Member
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    I've had two already this week (tuesday and today). Tuesday i had intentions of going to my TKD class, but changed my mind when i got home from work. Today i was going to workout, but i went to class last night and really broke a sweat, so i figured i wouldn't push it. I am going to class tonight and tomorrow though, but maybe tomorrow i'll just hop on the treadmill for 30 minutes since tomorrow night's class should be just review for my belt test on Saturday.
  • bacamacho
    bacamacho Posts: 306 Member
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    I rest the muscles that I'm training. At the moment I'm training for a running distance so on rest days I do upper body stuff. Tomorrow is my rest day so I'm going to go for a swim. The water feels so awesome on tired muscles.
  • sarafil
    sarafil Posts: 506 Member
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    Yes, I take rest days, typically two per week. I am training for a half marathon, and I think rest days are extremely important for preventing injury!
  • Bealach_Bug
    Bealach_Bug Posts: 52
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    My rest day is usually a Monday or Tuesday. The other (alternate) weekdays are a mix of cardio/circuits and weights. Weekends are a stretch class on Saturdays and a core stability class on the Swiss ball on Sunday (so kind of rest days)
  • ZyheeMoongazer
    ZyheeMoongazer Posts: 343 Member
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    From what I understand if you are just building up your endurance that rest days are needed to prevent injuries by over working your muscles. As your body gets stronger and adapts to your new athletic you, you will need rest days less often.

    For example, some runners run everyday rain or shine. They didn't start out doing this of course, they built up to it.

    I like to alternate work out days and rest days. That doesn't mean I sit on my butt all day of course. I may still take a slow walk or do yoga. For me rest means not running/workout out at high intensity.
  • blonde71
    blonde71 Posts: 955 Member
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    Yes, absolutely. Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday are mine.
  • Heather_Rider
    Heather_Rider Posts: 1,159 Member
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    I run on the elliptical and Saturdays & sundays are my rest days, unless i just totally feel like crap on Sunday, then i do a short run. "no pain no gain" is a load of crap because if you HURT, you are damaging your muscles, and then you are too sore to workout again for a few days.. so it does nothing for you!

    Even God took a day of rest! ;)
  • Adsnwfld
    Adsnwfld Posts: 262 Member
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    Sometimes. I know I should but on some "rest" days I just do something less intense like going for a bike ride with my kids. In the past I have pushed too hard and really hurt my progress (along with my body)
  • dtenzie
    dtenzie Posts: 24
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    I take a rest day whenever my body calls for it. Like many of us, we do a lot of Beachbody workouts. As a Beachbody coach my customers sometimes get a little down when they miss a day or two. I always tell them this is a marathon and not a 90 day sprint. Most will miss days. Heck I do it all the time :).
  • drgndancer
    drgndancer Posts: 426 Member
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    "Streak" runners who never take rest days are actually pretty uncommon (they exist of course, one guy I recently read about has logged at least a mile every day for the last 44 years). Mostly even very high end athletes take at least one day a week to rest. Muscles are built during recovery periods.
  • Shelbert79
    Shelbert79 Posts: 517 Member
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    Once a week, I'm afraid to take more than that because then my rest days turn into a week and then I feel like I'm starting over.
  • vtachycardia
    vtachycardia Posts: 374
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    I used to take rest days when I was doing specific strength training, but now I do 45 minutes hard circuit plus HIIT plus tabata finish with 15 minutes cool down, warm up, dynamic stretching and static stretching per day. Sometimes I do morning and evening sessions but that would be max 3 times per week for a total of 10 hours per week. Hardly a lot of exercise in the grand scheme of things like professional cycling or working in a coal mine or on a forced labour camp in Siberia in Stalin's times.
  • stuckinsecond
    stuckinsecond Posts: 39
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    Hmmm... No. Unless sick or visibly fatigued. Deliberatly drop the intensity on the weekends however.
  • athensguy
    athensguy Posts: 550
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    I'm doing a marathon training plan by Pfitzinger, and it has no rest days built in, though there are 3 or so recovery days per week where I run more slowly.
  • Steve_Runs
    Steve_Runs Posts: 443 Member
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    yes, and today is IT!!!!
  • _TastySnoBalls_
    _TastySnoBalls_ Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Absolutely!! I almost messed up right shoulder and worsened my knees by not taking a rest day.
  • KatM2014
    KatM2014 Posts: 263 Member
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    Yep, every Sunday (unless I'm away hillwalking for the weekend, them I just have to suck it up :p)
  • kjjunior
    kjjunior Posts: 14
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    Yes! I'm considering take a rest day today or at least doing low impact exercise, walking at a moderate pace on the treadmill. The past 2 weeks I've been working out everyday, power walking, incline walking, running, swimming, very often a combination of those. Last night, and especially this morning, I woke up and my left leg hurt from my calve up into my hamstring.
    If you don't take a rest day it is likely that you can hurt yourself.
  • iLose2Gain
    iLose2Gain Posts: 138 Member
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    Once a week, I'm afraid to take more than that because then my rest days turn into a week and then I feel like I'm starting over.

    ME TOO! LOL On my "rest" days, I do yoga or stretches to make sure it doesn't turn into a week! My official rest day is Sunday. I sleep in & everything :smile:

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