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How many days to rest between workouts?
When you’re focused on your fitness goals, it’s not uncommon to let “rest days” fall to the bottom of your priority list. But recovery is as integral to physical health as the sport itself—they help build strength, hone performance, and reduce the risk of injury.
So, how many rest days do you need between workouts to experience these benefits?
Ideally, you should have 48 to 72 hours of rest between training days. If you enjoy high-intensity exercise, the American Council on Exercise recommends at least 1 complete passive rest day every 7 to 10 days.
Below, we’ll explain how a rest day can provide energy for future exercise and help your body recover (and recover) better.
Why rest days help fuel future exercise
Whether you’re a fitness novice or a five-star athlete, rest days and recovery periods can determine your immediate performance and Long term good health. When you relax, your body is hard at work on a molecular level, making necessary repairs to adapt to your next workout.
Specifically, rest days can promote:
- Muscle repair and growth – During exercise, your muscle fibers develop “micro-tears” due to physical stress. When you take time to rest after training, these tears have time to heal and grow, producing stronger muscle tissue. In exercise science, this process is called muscle hypertrophy.
- Supplement glycogen – Glycogen is the body’s main substance that provides energy for exercise. High-intensity training depletes your reserves located in your muscles and liver. Rest days – with the help of a carbohydrate-rich meal after exercise – allow your body to replenish its stores. This aids muscle repair and growth and helps you avoid muscle fatigue.
- hormonal balance – Physically, your body experiences exercise as a form of stress. Therefore, cortisol (the stress hormone) tends to rise during training. If you exercise strenuously or frequently, rest days can help prevent you from getting into catabolic state: When your body starts breaking down muscle instead of repairing it. Rest also balances your endocrine system, potentially reducing the risk of hormonal imbalances.
On a macro level, rest days can help you avoid overtraining, which can cause you to feel physically and mentally exhausted after a workout. By treating rest days as an important part of your regimen (rather than the enemy), you’re likely to see stronger, more sustainable results from the efforts you put in when you’re active.
Understand active recovery vs. passive recovery
Different types of exercise may require different types of recovery periods. For example, if your favorite exercise is gentle yoga, you may not need a full rest day.
Rest days are most important for those who perform high-intensity or endurance training, where muscle hypertrophy is most likely to occur. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between “active” and “passive” recovery times:
- Active recovery Low-stress exercises can be included to maintain circulation and strengthen muscles. Active recovery days can include the following exercises:
- Go quickly
- swim
- Yoga
- stretching exercise
- passive recovery include No Movement – a state of complete rest of the body. This is ideal if you do high-intensity training, especially regular training. On these days, feel free to include reading, doing your favorite hobby, or just lying on the couch as part of your day’s exercise. Savor it carefully!
Don’t forget to recover after exercise
Rest days are important, but taking some simple steps after training can better support your recovery.
Here are some things you can do to support your body as you transition into recovery:
- cool down – Always do at least 10 minutes of cool-down exercise before leaving the gym. Low-intensity exercise can help return your heart rate and blood pressure to baseline.
- tension – Stretching helps limit muscle soreness and improves flexibility. It is thought that stretching combined with a relaxation period may help prevent progressive muscle stiffness and soreness.
- Hydrate – If you do it correctly, you can lose a lot of water while exercising. Some people lose up to 2 quarts of fluid (and salt) per hour during high-intensity training. Ideally, adults should drink 16 to 24 ounces. Drink water or a sports drink after exercise.
- come on – Post-workout snacks help replenish glycogen stores and promote muscle repair and growth. Your ideal post-workout meal may depend on the type of exercise you do and your personal needs. Simply put, carbs are ideal for recovery, while protein aids in muscle repair and growth.
Achieve total health at Chuze Fitness
Once you’ve taken some time off, get back into it at Chuze Fitness. With one of the best value memberships you’ll find, you’ll have access to high-quality, clean fitness equipment, countless group classes, and even train while having fun. Need childcare? Chuze Fitness also has this. Please note that not all Chuze Fitness locations offer this service, so be sure to check your local Chuze location page.
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Source:
Healthline. Are rest days important for exercise?
https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/rest-day#benefits
National Cancer Center. Effects of varying test-rest intervals on repeatability of a 10-repetition maximal load test: a pilot study in men undergoing recreational resistance training. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6719818/
Healthline. Muscle hypertrophy and your exercise.
https://www.healthline.com/health/muscular-hypertropy#definition
Runner’s World. Cortisol and exercise: What you need to know.
https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/health/mental-health/a60125903/cortisol-and-exercise/
Fits perfectly. Why you need rest and recovery after exercise. https://www.verywellfit.com/the-benefits-of-rest-and-recovery-after-exercise-3120575
Mayo Clinic. Aerobics: How to warm up and cool down. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-deep/exercise/art-20045517
Johns Hopkins Medicine. Exercise and Hydration for Athletes: Q&A with a Nutritionist.
Reviewed by:
Ani is the Vice President of Fitness at Chuze Fitness, where she oversees the group fitness and team training departments. She has a career spanning over 25 years in club management, personal training, group exercise and coaching training. Ani lives in San Diego, CA with her husband and son and loves hot yoga, snowboarding, and all things healthy.
