Having a dedicated rest day each week is a common practice for many people. However, some may wonder if taking a full day off from work and exercise is really necessary. This article will examine the pros and cons of taking a weekly rest day and provide recommendations on whether it should be part of your routine.
What is a rest day?
A rest day, also called a recovery day, is a full 24-hour period where you abstain from work, training, and strenuous activity in order to allow your body and mind to recover. The goal is to give your muscles, joints, nervous system, and other physiological systems a chance to adapt to the stress of regular workouts and bounce back stronger.
For athletes and people who exercise frequently, rest days are considered an essential component of an overall training program. They provide the body the necessary downtime it needs between intense workout sessions in order to repair itself. Without adequate rest, the body cannot fully recover and will struggle to get stronger and fitter.
Potential benefits of taking a rest day
Here are some of the key evidence-based benefits of incorporating a rest or recovery day into your weekly schedule:
Promotes muscle repair and growth
Exercise causes microscopic tears and damage to muscle fibers. Rest days provide the body the time it needs to repair this damage. Muscle protein synthesis can increase by as much as 50% during the 24-48 hour recovery period after a workout.1 This repair and rebuilding process ultimately leads to increased muscle size and strength over time.
Allows the body to replenish energy
A good workout depletes the muscles’ glycogen stores, which provide energy for exercise. Rest days allow these glycogen stores to be replenished, providing the fuel needed for your next bout of exercise.2 Continuously training without rest can lead to glycogen depletion and fatigue.
Reduces risk of overtraining and injury
Overtraining occurs when the body is not given adequate time to recover between training sessions. This can lead to decreased performance, fatigue, loss of motivation, and increased injury risk. Scheduling rest days helps avoid overtraining by giving the body a chance to adapt to exercise stress.
Improves focus and concentration
Just as physically demanding jobs require a break, mentally demanding jobs require rest too. Rest days give your central nervous system a break and can help improve cognitive function, memory, focus, and concentration.3
Enhances sleep quality
While exercise is proven to help sleep, overly fatiguing exercise can impair sleep quality. Rest days enhance sleep by allowing the body to fully recover from intense training. Quality sleep supports muscle repair, focus, hormonal balance, immune function, and much more.
Potential drawbacks of rest days
While rest days offer many benefits, there are also some potential drawbacks to consider:
Loss of exercise consistency and routine
Taking an entire day off exercise can disrupt your workout regime and make it harder to stick to a regular schedule. Failure to maintain consistency can negatively impact fitness levels over time.
Possible post-exercise muscle soreness
Some people experience delayed onset muscle soreness 24-48 hours after intense exercise. Sitting idle on a rest day may exacerbate muscle stiffness and soreness.
Increased risk of unhealthy behaviors
Rest days could provide more opportunity for unhealthy temptations and behaviors like eating junk food, binge-watching TV, drinking alcohol, and having bad sleep habits.
Loss of the mood benefits from exercise
Exercise provides both short and long-term mood boosts. Taking a day off may negatively impact mood, energy levels, and focus for some individuals.
Who needs a dedicated rest day?
Here are some signs that indicate you should strongly consider scheduling in a rest day each week:
- You engage in endurance, strength, or high intensity exercise most days of the week
- You often feel very fatigued
- You experience chronic muscle soreness
- Your athletic performance is stagnating or declining
- You struggle to sleep well and recover from workouts
- You frequently get sick or injured
Those who follow a rigorous training schedule are most likely to benefit from a set rest day. A sedentary person taking a day off from walking their dog likely does not require a dedicated rest day.
How to schedule your rest day
Here are some tips on how to best plan your weekly rest day:
Choose your lowest-priority day
Consider your work and personal obligations and pick the day you are likely to miss the least by taking off from exercise. This may be a weekend day or midweek day.
Avoid scheduling rest days back-to-back
Consecutive rest days can disrupt your exercise momentum. Limit them to 1 or 2 days in a row at most.
Take rest days after high-intensity sessions
The body needs more time to recover from high intensity interval training or heavy strength workouts. Schedule rest days following very demanding exercise sessions.
Use active recovery when needed
If you are very sore or fatigued, take a full rest day. If you just need a light recovery, try low-intensity active recovery activities like walking, yoga, or cycling.
Avoid prolonged sedentary time
Minimize sitting around all day on rest days. Take regular standing and walking breaks even if you forego exercise.
| Workout Day | Rest Day |
|---|---|
| High intensity training session | Full day off from exercise |
| Moderate intensity resistance training | Active recovery day |
| High volume endurance workout | Full rest day |
Making the most of your rest day
Here are some tips to optimize your rest day so you can recover effectively:
Hydrate and refuel
Drink plenty of fluids and focus on high quality nutrition to replenish glycogen stores and provide your muscles with nutrients.
Prioritize sleep
Go to bed early enough to allow your body to get sufficient deep, restorative sleep. Turn off screens an hour before bed.
Engage in light activity
Take a leisurely walk, do some light stretching or foam rolling. This promotes blood flow without overexertion.
Pamper your body
Use your rest day to get a massage, take an ice bath, or engage in other recovery strategies.
Avoid stressful activities
Minimize work, household chores and other obligations. Do relaxing, low-key activities instead.
Check on recovery
Monitor your resting heart rate, sleep, muscle soreness and energy levels to gauge if your body is recovering properly.
FAQs
Should I avoid all exercise on a rest day?
Complete rest from training is ideal after intense exercise bouts or if recovering from injury. However, very light activity like walking, stretching or yoga can aid recovery on some rest days.
Can I strength train 6-7 days a week without rest?
For most people, taking at least 1 full rest day a week is recommended when strength training frequently. Consecutive training days without rest increases injury risk.
Should I take rest days when training for a race?
Yes, scheduled rest from running is important even during race training. Optimal recovery will help you get fitter and stronger without burnout or overuse injuries.
Can I do different muscle groups each day without rest?
Working different muscle groups like push vs pull or upper vs lower body will still fatiguing. It is best to take 1-2 rest days a week from strength training.
The bottom line
A weekly rest day offers many benefits that can enhance exercise performance and recovery. However, skipping exercise for an entire day may not suit everyone’s preferences or goals.
Try experimenting to find your optimal recovery schedule. This may involve complete rest days, active recovery days, reduced frequency or reduced intensity training days. Listen to your body and find the schedule that leaves you feeling rejuvenated while still making consistent progress.