We can get carried away when we get motivated and are at the heart of a great workout plan. But we can’t forget the importance of rest days between workouts.
Working out the same muscle groups day in and day out sounds like it would produce some phenomenal results. However, your muscles need time to recuperate to make the most of your hard work.
Finding the right balance of workout days and rest days can be a bit of an art, and it depends on how much you currently exercise.
The Benefits of Rest Days
Finding the proper time to allow your muscles to recuperate properly is as important as exercising properly. And it is important to first define what proper rest is. A proper rest day does not mean that you should be completely sedentary. Rather, you should devote your rest days to helping your muscles recover, including providing proper blood flow to your tired muscles.
Blood circulation provides your muscle tissue with nutrients, which in turn help your muscles recover from your workout. The best way to provide proper blood circulation is by staying active with small activities like a 20-minute walk, always taking the stairs when possible, and increasing your heart rate.
We find it beneficial to refer to these rest days simply as “Non-training days.” Setting up the expectation that these rest periods are not simply crash-on-the-couch days makes it easier to stay active.
Finding the Right Balance
Finding the perfect balance between training and non-training days should be determined on an individual level.
The first step in striking a successful balance between your workouts and your rest periods is to create workouts that work for you. If you’re extremely sore after a sweat sesh for multiple days, you are working out too hard. You want to leave your workouts feeling a minor level of soreness. Chances are that pushing yourself too hard on a previous workout will hinder your ability to perform well in the gym at your next workout.
Once you’ve designed a workout plan that works for you, it is important to set up a functional rest schedule. A good rule of thumb is that if you sufficiently challenge your muscles in the gym, your body requires between 1-2 days of rest to make the most of your workout.
These rules are by no means universal, and every person’s capabilities are different. They are simply to help you figure out what is best for you.🙂
