Why Rest Days?
Why do I need a rest day?
Rest days are so important for your health and your workout routine (this is one of the reasons why I do not have any classes on Sundays). I find that a good amount of people don’t understand the importance of rest days and how rest days actually help you to achieve better results. Skipping rest days could lead to overtraining syndrome, fatigue, lack of muscle growth, and injury.
Throughout my football career, I saw multiple teammates develop overtraining syndrome resulting in their bodies shutting down. I remember anytime a teammate developed overtraining syndrome he was out for at least four weeks. The trainers told me that it’s almost like they had mono. What causes this? How do we prevent it? What are the best practices for your workout routine? Keep reading, Siwicki Fit Fam!
Overtraining Syndrome
Overtraining Syndrome is a condition that occurs when you work out too much or too hard without giving the body enough time to rest.
OS usually occurs in elite athletes training for a competition or event where they put forth full effort and forget to rest. Why am I focusing on this with my Siwicki Fit Fam? You are all athletes! You train so hard and I push you during classes to train even harder. However, your body does need a rest. Taking regular breaks allows your body to recover and repair. It’s a critical part of progress, regardless of your fitness level.
Why Rest Days are Esstential
MUSCLE GROWTH
Rest is essential for muscle growth.
Exercise creates microscopic tears in your muscle tissue. But during rest, cells called fibroblasts repair it. This helps the tissue heal and grow, resulting in stronger muscles.
Also, your muscles store carbohydrates in the form of glycogen. During exercise, your body breaks down glycogen to fuel your workout. Rest gives your body time to replenish these energy stores before your next workout.
REDUCES RISK OF INJURY
When your body is overworked, you’ll be more likely to fall out of form, drop a weight, or take a wrong step.
Overtraining also exposes your muscles to repetitive stress and strain. This increases the risk of overuse injuries, forcing you to take more rest days than planned.
IMPROVES PERFORMANCE
When you don’t get enough rest, it can be hard to do your normal routine, let alone challenge yourself. For example, you might be less motivated to do an extra rep or find the energy for just one more burpee!
Overtraining decreases your performance. You may experience reduced endurance, slow reaction times, and poor agility.
Rest has the opposite effect. It increases energy and prevents fatigue, which prepares your body for consistently successful workouts.
SUPPORTS BETTER SLEEP
While regular exercise can improve your sleep, taking rest days is also helpful.
Physical activity increases energy-boosting hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Constant exercise, however, overproduces these hormones. You’ll have a hard time getting quality sleep, which only worsens fatigue and exhaustion.
Rest can help you get better sleep by letting your hormones return to a normal, balanced state.
How do I schedule my rest days?
Cardio Typically, rest days aren’t necessary for light cardio (walking). But if you’re doing moderate or vigorous aerobic activity, rest days are essential. It’s recommended to take a rest day every three to five days. You can also have an active rest day by doing a light workout, like gentle stretching.
Running I know some of my Siwicki Fit Fam is a fan of long distance running. Running too much too soon can lead to fatigue and overuse injuries. On the other days, let yourself rest or do different activities (like Strength workouts). Your other workouts should involve muscles you don’t use while running.
Weight Training Weight training, incorporate rest days by allowing yourself the next day to do a different type of workout (cardio). After exercising specific muscle groups, let it rest for one day. This gives your muscles a chance to repair and heal.
Weight Loss Rest allows your muscles to rebuild and grow. And when you have more muscle, you’ll burn more calories at rest. That’s because muscle burns more energy than fat. When you feel refreshed, you’ll be more likely to stick to your exercise routine.
I create my program so you all get a mix of cardio and strength with a rest day on Sunday. I am so excited for our stretch classes that are right around the corner! Remember team, those Sunday rest days are essential. More than anything, I want to keep my Siwicki Fit Fam healthy. If you have any questions about this, please let me know. Always here for you guys.
