Rest days, recovery days, lazy days no matter what you call them are important for improving fitness and performance and yet many people over look them and continue performing hard, intense exercise day after day without allowing the body to recuperate in between. I am one of those people.
When my rest days come around more often than not, I talk myself into working out anyway. I try my best to only target areas only once a week but I'm finding out that mixing strength training and Insanity means I need to rest more than I would like. This week I've been forced to sit out one day already thanks to sore muscles and it's looking like today will be another rest day as well. The guilt of not working out is almost unbearable. Overcoming that guilt is one of the most difficult things I am learning to overcome. So I'm writing this post today, not just to inform others of the need to take a break but also to remind myself of why it is so important.
Recovery is important for two major reasons. The first, it gives your body time to adapt to the stress of a new routine which helps you avoid muscle fatigue and pain. Second, it gives your body a chance to repair the tissues that are torn when you work the muscles and gives your body time to replenish the energy stores that are depleted during exercise. If you're not allowing your body to recover between workouts your muscles will never grow and the physique you are working so hard to achieve wont ever come to fruition. In terms of muscle size, this is more important for body builders however it's still especially important to give the muscles time to repair, weather you're working for size and definition or just general weight loss.
Believe it or not, rest is required to get results like this!
As with everything in the fitness and health world there is no 'one size fits all' approach to rest days. The number of rest days will depend on what your goals are and how intense you are training. The general rule of thumb is give each muscle group a week of rest between targeted workouts. For example, while I do the cardio intense Insanity 6 days a week, I have been focusing on strength training 3 times a week with one day set aside for each 'section': upper body, lower body and abs. This way I'm getting the muscle building benefits of strength training while still getting my 'fix' of Insanity.
A good way to practice rest days is to do light to moderate cardio on the days you aren't actively strength training an area. That way you are still burning calories and keeping up with your program while allowing the muscles to recover. Playing sports with your kids or taking your best furry friend for a walk also count as great rest day 'workouts'. Also, be sure to schedule in a day to focus only on stretching. You can achieve this by having a yoga day or performing a workout such as StretchX from the P90X program.
Yoga is another great R&R activity.
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