The Importance of Rest Days

Strength training involves breaking down muscle fibers through load (the weight of resistance) and volume (the number of repetitions performed). When things break, they require fixing. When your body is at rest, it uses protein and other nutrients from food to rebuild your muscle. Often, it rebuilds stronger than before, which is how a lean and toned physique is achieved over time. 

The key phrase in the above is “when your body is at rest.” Your body is only able to repair and rebuild when it’s at rest. The majority of this process happens when you sleep, which is why it’s important to get around seven hours of sleep each night. However, resting only while you sleep isn’t quite enough. For optimal recovery, a muscle requires forty-eight, and in some cases, even seventy-two hours away from the gym. 

Completing total body workouts every day can result in symptoms of overtraining, including but not limited to muscle strain, injury, and burnout. It is for this reason that many people follow what is called “training splits,” in which a different muscle or movement is focused on each day of the week. Even then, a full rest day per week is recommended for optimal recovery, both physically and mentally. 

Without adequate rest, you are adding stress to a muscle that is already stressed and is not yet ready to perform at its best. So, it is important to give your body rest when it is giving you the signals. 

Are you using rest as a tool or as an excuse?

You now know you want to be sure to give your body adequate rest to avoid overtraining and injury. However, you also don’t want to let yourself off the hook every time you feel a bit sluggish. Sometimes, it’s a workout that can help to bring you some energy and turn your day around! 

But how can you determine if your body needs rest or if it needs a little push?

Your alarm goes off, and you think about how great it would feel to hit snooze. You yawn at your desk, and you start imagining the comfort of going straight home to your couch with your favorite show. The weather outside is dreary, and you just feel a little off. Overall, you’re lacking motivation. 

If it has been a day or two since your last workout, it’s a safe bet that your body is probably ready for a workout. If you got decent sleep the night before, are hydrated, and have eaten regular meals, your body is probably ready for a workout. If your muscles aren’t tender to the touch or feeling strained, your body is probably ready for a workout. 

By giving into that, “I really just don’t feel like it,” mindset again and again, you’re most likely using rest as an excuse, which might interfere with your goals. 

You just worked out yesterday, and your muscles are feeling it. Even getting up from a chair makes you wince. You’ve had a stretch of days that you’ve worked out with moderate to high intensity, and you feel fatigued - not in a yawny way, but in a, “The thought of walking up one flight of stairs sounds exhausting,” way. You know today’s workout involves more squats, and the thought of squatting - a movement you typically enjoy - fills you with dread. 

By allowing yourself a day or two of recovery, you’re using rest as a tool that will help you to return to your next workout better and stronger. 

Finding the happy medium

Many people commonly live on either side of the spectrum: either working out when they shouldn’t because of the guilt and shame brought on by a rest day, or skipping a workout when they could use the movement but just don’t feel like it.

Finding the happy medium takes time, and it also takes honesty. It’s important to reflect and ask yourself:

Is this workout going to benefit me or possibly harm me?

Is this workout going to contribute to or take away from my energy level? 

Would a rest day serve me better or worse? 

One of the best ways to test the waters and help yourself decide is to set a timer for ten minutes, begin to warm up, and see how everything feels. If your muscles need a break, you’ll feel too depleted to continue. If the warm up helps you to loosen up and the increased blood flow has you feeling good, then keep going! You’ve already got ten minutes down, anyway! 

The most important thing is to remove the burden of guilt, shame, or stress for taking a rest day when you know deep down that it will serve you best. Exercise is a great tool for stress management, mental health, increased energy, better sleep, and weight loss. 

Another great tool for all of the above is rest. 

Interested in learning more about a custom program designed especially for you to help you both workout and rest optimally? Click here to schedule your complimentary consultation!