If you’re working on looking and feeling your best, you’ve come to the right place.
Oftentimes, people start by seeking out the best workout program to get results. Which is a great thing to consider! However, when you're looking for the best routine, it should factor in more than just workouts.
After all, earning the best results goes beyond what you're doing in your workouts. Yes, your workouts play a big role, but so does nutrition.
On top of that, training every day is generally not going to help you earn the best results possible. Rest and recovery are important! This is true if you want to get stronger, build muscle, lean out, feel better, and anything in between.
That's why the best workout programs incorporate rest days. Rest days are a great way to help your body bounce back, repair, and get ready to perform again!
But, what else makes rest days so important? Do rest days really play a role in earning results? Keep reading, and you'll get these answers and more!
Why Are Rest Days Important? The Benefits of Rest Days
I know we often hear that we should be taking no days off and training hard.
While I would agree that training hard is important, I also think training smart is important too. Part of that means making sure your body is getting plenty of time to recover and actually get the benefits of exercise!
If you're trying to get the most out of resistance training, or really any form of training, rest days will be necessary. In a way, they can be just as important as your training days.
But, why is this?
Don't get me wrong ... You still need to train, and train hard. But what you do in your workouts is just prepping your body to make adaptations to the stress you put it through.
Take resistance training as a prime example. During the workout, you are breaking down muscle and ideally giving your body a new stimulus to overcome.
Through your nutrition, recovery, and rest days ... You are giving your body the time and nutrients it needs to build this muscle back, and build it back bigger and stronger!
But, let's dive into the specific benefits of rest days so you know exactly why they can be so important.
Repair And/Or Build Muscle
If you don't give your muscles enough time to repair, you won't be able to make progress. Rest days can be a great way to give your body the short hiatus it needs to recover and repair.
Now, can you get adequate muscle recovery without a "rest day". Yes, you can. In fact, a lot of training programs will separate your training days by muscle groups. This can give these muscle groups the recovery they need before you train them again.
However, at the same time, a rest day can guarantee you are getting adequate rest. In addition to that, there is another benefit to a dedicated rest day that goes hand in hand with muscle recovery.
Can Allow Your Central Nervous System To Recover
Have you ever hit a workout and felt absolutely beat afterward? I’m talking about the workouts where you can’t get yourself to stand up, focus, or do much of anything.
This is describing a workout that is very hard on your central nervous system. If you're not sure what that means, allow me to explain.
Your central nervous system is your brain and your spinal cord. But wait ... What does that have anything to do with working out or rest days? Well, when you work out, you are actually taxing your brain and spine. Plus, both of them play a role in everything that goes on in your body!
When you train too much and don't give your body the rest it needs, your performance may stall or decrease. This could be a telltale sign that your central nervous system needs some rest.
This is where a rest day could be beneficial! Because even if you aren't training the same muscle groups every day, your central nervous system will always be involved.
Supports Quality Sleep
Exercising is an excellent way to improve the quality of your sleep. I think most of us probably already know this. However, rest days can actually be helpful too.
You may be thinking, "How the heck does that work? Well, when you work out, your body produces hormones. Two of these hormones are adrenaline and cortisol.
If your body overproduces either of these hormones, they can make it more difficult to get good sleep. With a structured rest day, these hormones can be better balanced.
So, again, too much exercise without rest can work against you. This is just another way rest days can help support your goals.
When Should You Take A Rest Day?
Yes, working out too much can eventually limit the results you see. Yes, resting too much can also have an impact on the results you see. So, what's the balance you should look for?
When are rest days necessary and when are they not? How many rest days should you take?
Truthfully, in a lot of these scenarios it depends on two things in particular:
1. Your Fitness Level
For those of you who are new on your journey, it’s okay to take a couple more rest days. For those of you who are seasoned gym-goers, you might not need as many!
No matter how experienced you are, I usually encourage people to get in three to five days of resistance training a week. Listen to your body and see how it goes.
2. Intensity and Duration of Workouts
If you are someone who works out with more intensity than the average person, then it’s likely that you’ll take rest days more often.
The higher the intensity of your workouts, the more often you may need a rest day.
No matter the case, I am always going to recommend a rest day to everyone. Heck, I’d even say at least one to two rest days is best for most. Personally, I end up taking 1-2 a week.
Signs That You May Need A Rest Day
If you need a rest day, normally your body will let you know. So, make sure you look out for these signs!
While they can vary from person to person, it's likely you'll experience one of these things.
Constant Pain/Soreness
Being sore is not a bad thing by any means. However, there is a difference between some soreness here and there vs chronic soreness.
If your body is aching and desperate for rest, it would be best to listen!
You will thank yourself. Your body will thank you. You will be rested, recovered, and ready to get back to it in no time.
Feeling Sluggish
If you find yourself overly tired or exhausted, this could be another sign. It's one thing to feel tired from time to time ... It's another thing to be lower on energy than normal and feeling run down.
This could be your sign to take a rest day pronto! Who knows, you may feel immensely better the very next day!
You Are Injured
If you get injured, it would definitely be time to take a rest day.
In some cases, working out while injured can slow down the recovery process. The last thing you want is to drag out an injury for longer than you have to.
With that being said, I encourage you to exercise in any way that is approved by your doctor to progress as much as you can!
What To Do On A Rest Day?
Now, what should you do on rest days? Should you just sink into your couch and pop on your favorite show?
When I talk about rest days, I am rarely talking about not getting any kind of movement. You don't have to lounge around to "recover".
For my rest days, I have found the most success in feeling and recovering the best with some sort of movement. This would be considered active recovery, and you have a lot of options.
Regardless of what you choose to do, it should be low impact and low intensity. By that I mean it shouldn't be physically taxing or hard on your joints!
Walking, jogging, yoga, hiking, and swimming can all be good options.
Rest Days Are Only One Piece of The Puzzle
Rest days are important parts of any workout program. Just understand that there’s no reason to NOT take advantage of them.
No matter what your goals are, there will be a time and a place for rest days.
So, what are your goals? Because while rest days will play a role in reaching them, so will your workouts and nutrition. This is where things can get really challenging.
With how many different programs, diets, and advice you can find on the internet ... It can be really tough to know what to do or where to start. Plus, how can you know whether you are doing the right thing for YOU and YOUR goals?
That's where we can help. In fact, we even created the ultimate all-in-one tool to help you earn great results. This tool is the 1st Phorm App, and it's designed to simplify the process of reaching your health and fitness goals. Inside the 1st Phorm App, you'll get access to:
• A certified personal trainer and nutrition coach (sometimes a dietitian) to coach you every day in the app
• A custom nutrition plan and an easy way to log your food to stay on track
• 5x per week live streams about nutrition, training, and supplementation
• A full library of workout programs catered to your goals
• Activity and step-counting software
• Progress tracking and body metrics to make sure you get the results you're after
Ready to earn the results you've always been after? Get started now! Download the 1st Phorm App, and I promise you won't be disappointed.
If you have any questions or need help in the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out! We have a full team of NASM Certified Personal Trainers and Nutrition Coaches right here in St. Louis, Missouri. Just give us a call at 1-800-409-9732 or send us an email at CustomerService@1stPhorm.com any day from 6 AM to 10 PM Central.
