Have you ever felt like you are setting yourself back by taking a rest day? You may have even felt guilty for skipping a workout because your body was too tired. Well I am here to tell you that, in some instances, a rest day may be more beneficial to you than struggling through a workout. Rest and recovery are so important in your exercise routine. Both sleep and days off from exercise are necessary for optimal muscle growth, increased energy levels, and prevention of burnout and injury.
Optimal Muscle Growth
In my previous blog (what makes your muscles grow), I address the importance of rest. To review, strength training causes microscopic tears in your muscles, and these tears need rest and recovery to repair and grow stronger. Without rest, this would not happen.
Increased Energy Levels
During strength training, your body depletes your glycogen (stored glucose) stores in the muscle to use as fuel for your body. The harder you workout, the more energy you use. Glycogen depletion causes fatigue and exhaustion. After exercise, your glycogen stores must be replenished. Full repletion may take up to 24 hours which is why rest and ingesting carbohydrates post workout are critical for increased energy levels!
Preventing Burnout & Reducing Injuries
Taking at least one day off of intense exercise per week is suggested to prevent burnout. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. This can include exercising. Take at least 1-4 days per week to recharge and recover. The more intense your exercise, the more rest days you should take. Also, if you are just beginning exercise you should take 3-5 rest days per week. Your rest days don’t have to be completely sedentary. You can go for a light walk or spend some time stretching or foam rolling.
Stretching is important to incorporate into your recovery routine because it allows your muscles to decompress and lengthen. Stretching increases your ability to move through a range of motion and therefore decreases your change of injury. Next time you take a rest day, realize that you are actually propelling yourself forward rather than setting yourself back.
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