Resting between and after workouts can be a common mistake. Many people believe that resting will slow down muscle growth. This is not true. It’s actually the opposite! Resting between sets and taking full days off from the gym can actually help you build muscle. Here’s how.
What is the benefit of resting?
You may be surprised at how much your body benefits from resting between sets and after high-intensity workouts. Rest has many advantages.
- Allow your body to recover. Each time you exercise, small tears appear in the muscles. Rest will help the tears to heal, and they’ll grow.
- Reducing the risk of injury. If you continuously strain your muscles without giving them a chance to rest, they may tear or damage excessively, increasing the risk of both long-term and short-term injuries.
- Improves energy and performance. With rest, your body will experience an increase in power.
“RECOVERY is a return to READINESS. It’s all of the things that our BODY and MIND need to get going again. “RECOVERY IS AT ITS BASICS RELAXATION.”
CHRISTIE ASCHWANDEN, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST IN SPORTS
Do you sleep too much or not enough?
It is important to find the right balance between too much and not enough rest. Resting too much can make your workouts useless, as your muscles will have released the tension. However, sleeping tooo little will cause your muscles to become fatigued, and you will not be able to exercise at your maximum capacity.
It is impossible to find the ideal resting time. However, depending on what you want to achieve, there are a few recommended options that will help you see results.
These are only suggestions. You can adjust the rest intervals to your preference. Listen to your body to determine if you have given it the time needed to recover.
What will happen if you do not rest?
Mental and physical exhaustion can result from not taking a rest day between intense workouts. This, over time, could lead to long-term injuries.
While exercising, the body uses up its main fuel sources of carbohydrates (glycogen) and fluids. The body will use other energy sources, like protein, to replace the carbohydrates that are not available. If protein is the primary fuel source, it can slow the growth of muscles as there’s not enough left to repair.
Do you need to take a day off?
You may need a day of rest if you experience any of these signs.
- Excessively sore muscles. It’s normal to feel sore after working out, but if the pain persists and shows no signs of healing, it could mean you’ve pushed yourself too hard and that your muscles are still not fully healed from an earlier workout.
- Fatigue Resting for an extra day is better than starting a new exercise routine if you are extremely fatigued.
- Joint Pain: Just like sore muscles, you should avoid exercising if your joints feel abnormally painful. This will reduce the chance of injury. Overworking your joints can lead to long-term injury and arthritis.
- Emotional Changes: An imbalance between serotonin, cortisol, and other hormones can affect an individual’s mood and lead to grumpiness.
What to do on a rest day
Resting doesn’t necessarily mean lying in bed all day. It will hinder your progress, and the whole purpose of the rest day becomes counterproductive.
You can rest and relax by doing the following:
- Walking around the neighborhood or in a park nearby: Go for a stroll. You can go on a light jog if you want to challenge yourself. This activity should take you 30-45 minutes.
- Stretching and foam rolling: While stretching can help you improve your flexibility, it will also speed up recovery. By targeting specific muscles with foam rolling, you can reduce muscle soreness from previous workouts.
- Exercises: Yoga can help you to improve your flexibility and lengthen your muscles, as well as your body control. It also increases the safety of lifts, as you are better able to control your body weight and your posture.
- Swimming If you can access a swimming pool, it is an excellent low-impact exercise. The weightlessness of the water allows your body to relax your joints. Water pressure promotes the circulation of blood in the muscles and other parts of your body, which speeds up healing.
- Eat well: During rest days, it is important to consume foods that promote muscle recovery. This will fuel your body and help you prepare for the next workout. We recommend the following foods:
- Pasta, Quinoa, and other complex carbohydrate products
- Fruits and vegetables
- Citrus fruits, green beans, carrots, and berries
Staying hydrated is important for ensuring that all nutrients reach your entire body.
You can plan your weekly meals while exercising to make sure you have enough nutrition and protein to fuel your workouts.
