Rest Days

Aw, rest days. Some people love 'em , some people hate 'em. And some people just don't do them.

So what's the optimal way of resting to optimize muscle growth and performance?

Do you need a rest day or a few?

If so, what is the most optimal way to recover from a hard training session?

Let's find out!

Let's start off with saying that technically you can train everyday if you are keeping track of your intensity level but you should take rest days.

Why should you take rest days?

Working out not only impacts your muscles it also impacts your:

-Joints

-Nervous System

-Tendons

-Ligaments

And if you aren't careful in managing your workout intensity by not taking rest days it can lead to overtraining syndrome.

Overtraining syndrome is when an individual doesn't recover adequately after intense training, which in turn can lead to fatigue, less than optimal performance and injury.

To avoid this a rest day is definitely advised.

But how many days should you rest from a workout?

1 rest day is a must (every 7-10 days) , while 2-3 can be utilized, depending on several factors, such as training type (cardio or weight lifting), experience,

intensity levels and genetic factors.

If you're a beginner to exercise, giving yourself 2-3 rest days may be what's best for you.

If you're experienced, 1 day may be enough time.

Is there an optimal way to recover after a grueling training session?

DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) is common after a hard training session, especially amongst individuals who are just starting or restarting training.

DOMS can decrease athletic performance by:

• Joint Propeioception

• Decreased Joint Range of Motion

• Increased Risk of Injury

• Decreased Strength and Power

Two popular ways to mitigate the effects of DOMS is:

-Foam Rolling

-Massage

A Foam Roller is budget friendly and can be performed at home or at a gym setting.

Some of the benefits are:

• Increased Sprint Speed

• Dynamic Strength Endurance

• Reduction in DOMS

Rest Days will not only allow your body a chance to recover from a workout, it will also allow your body to come back in better shape than it was before.

Intense workouts affect both your muscles and your nervous system, by giving your body and mind a chance to regenerate with active recovery (foam rolling, stretching, massage, nutrition), you will be ready to maintain that same level of intensity once your next workout session is scheduled!

References

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Bishop, P.A., Jones, E., & Woods, A.K. 2008. Recovery from training: a brief review. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22 (3), 1015–1024.

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Menzies, P., et al. 2010. Blood lactate clearance during active recovery after an intense running bout depends on the intensity of the active recovery. Journal of Sports Science, 28 (9), 975–982.

NASM (National Association of Sports Medicine). 2017. McGill, E.A., & Montel, I.N. (editors). NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training (5th ed). Burlington, MA: Jones and Barlett Learning.

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Guo J., Li L., Gong Y., Zhu R., Xu J., Zou J., et al.. (2017). Massage alleviates delayed onset muscle soreness after strenuous exercise: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Physiol. 8:747. 10.3389/fphys.2017.00747 [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

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