Rest Days = Gains
We all know training is vital for building muscle, getting stronger, and becoming more athletic. Because of that, most people obsess over their training and seek ways to work out more frequently and push themselves more.
But what if we were to tell you that real results come from recovery? Sure, your training is important, but your rest days bring the gains.
Let’s discuss why that is.
Why Training Non-Stop Is Not The Answer
Have you ever heard the saying, “Stimulate, don’t annihilate.”? It means you should push yourself to some degree and create a stimulus without overtraining.
Prevailing wisdom suggests that more is better, but that isn’t always the case. Doing more work will lead to better results, but that is only up to a point, and there is such as thing as too much.
Training non-stop is a common practice, especially among new and enthusiastic trainees, but spending too much time at the gym means your body doesn’t get as much time for recovery.
The longer you maintain that unsustainable pace, the more stress you build up and the worse you feel. Your performance takes a hit, progress stalls, you start feeling worse, your sleep suffers, and you lose the motivation to keep going. These are all classic symptoms of overtraining.
What Makes Rest Days So Important?
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Muscle Recovery
The first reason for taking rest days is to give your muscles enough time to recover.
On average, a muscle will need 36 to 48 hours to recover after training. How long you need will depend on your training experience, your training, and how big the muscle is. For example, a relatively small muscle group like the deltoids (shoulders) will typically recover quicker than a large one like the quadriceps.
Adequate recovery is necessary because your body must first repair the damage before the muscle grows and strengthens.
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Optimal Progress
The second reason for having recovery days is to ensure optimal progress. As discussed earlier, training non-stop leads to stress accumulation that impairs your performance, well-being, and overall energy levels.
Rest days provide a much-needed break, allowing you to stay motivated and push yourself hard each time you’re at the gym.
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Injury Prevention
The third huge reason for having rest days is to reduce the injury risk. Just as non-stop training impacts your energy levels and well-being, it affects the various tissues in your body.
Training stresses your muscles, bones, joints, and connective tissues (ligaments and tendons). Having rest days allows your body to repair the damage and prevent it from growing into an injury.
Recovery also allows you to train more productively and maintain good technique, which is vital for your safety.
The Bottom Line
Prevailing wisdom suggests that more training leads to better results, but that isn’t always the case.
Progress comes from recovery, and rest days are essential to any good training plan.
Getting enough rest allows you to perform better, make quicker progress, and stay injury-free in the long run. Plus, recovery days give you a psychological break from the gym, allowing you to return with motivation and enthusiasm.
At ENZED Fitness we have different classes, targeting different muscle groups on different days are designed to achieve optimal results.
