06 May Why Rest Days Are Just As Important As Training
Why Rest Days Are Just As Important As Training
When you're working hard to reach your health and fitness goals and you’re seeing great results from your training program, it can be easy to think that more is better and taking a rest day will set you back.
The truth is though, scheduling in active rest days will actually help you stay motivated, without injury and you will keep getting fitter, faster and stronger.
When you train, especially high intensity, like plyometrics, running and resistance training, the muscle fibre breaks down causing microscopic tears (that’s why your muscles hurt 12 - 48 hours after a session). Rest days allow the body to adapt to stress and gives the muscles, nerves, bones and connective tissue the time it needs to heal and rebuild (this is when the magic happens & you get fitter and stronger).
Everybody is different and over-training can look very different from person-to-person. Inadequate rest can lead to overtraining syndrome which commonly occurs in fitness enthusiasts when they train beyond their body’s ability to recover. People who are over training will often experience decreased performance, fatigue, altered hormonal states, poor sleep patterns, decreased immunity, loss of appetite, & mood swings.
Incorporating active rest days into your weekly training schedule with fun activities that you really enjoy - yoga walking, paddle boarding, bike riding - not only gives your body a chance to recover but is also really important for mental health.
So what is the ideal amount of exercise? Well this will vary person-to-person and there are many factors to take into consideration - the intensity of the training, the total volume of your weekly workouts, your training experience & your age - can all be factors when it comes to the exact amount of recovery needs.
It’s far better to decrease your training volume and take active rest days and then concentrate on really making your training sessions count by being able to turn up and put in 100% effort.
Always listen to your body, it will tell you what it needs!
