In order to fully achieve results you must allow your body to rest rather just work. Without rest your body and mind will falter.  Your body needs fuel, rest, positive messages, and care.  When you do rest you are not only resting your muscles, allowing them to grow stronger, but you are also resting your mind. You’ll want to develop a high degree of mind involvement, as this will further increase your confidence level.  So mindful recovery is needed, and will be one of the most important aspects of any worth while fitness program.

The Day After-Rest Days

Of course you will have days of rest in between workout days.  If you are a beginner, I would caution you from exercising 6 days in a row, because you think the more exercise the better and quicker results will be. 

This is faulty thinking because your body needs rest.  When you lift weights you are breaking down tissue and rebuilding tissue stronger.  When you do this your body needs to rest to fully benefit from the rebuild.  By not resting, your body will be in a constant state of breakdown and will never have the opportunity to become rebuilt.

You do not actually become fitter on the days that you push yourself.  Improvement comes during your rest, after the days when you push hard.  The benefits of stressing the body come during recovery.  On off days your body can repair itself. 

Beginners should take at least two days off during the week.  For instance, you as a beginner will work out Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and will have a rest on Tuesday and Thursday. 

On Saturday and Sunday the beginner will consider doing a light workout just to keep the muscles maintained and for cardiovascular benefits.

A more advanced person will alternate days of heavy workouts and days of light workouts.  The light workouts could be on the resting day, but since they are advanced in their habits they will often train more often.

A complete day off is still important, so even people in the advanced bracket should take the rest seriously. 

On your resting days you need to practice patience.  If you are unhappy with your results just keep in mind that they are coming.  Do not exercise on your day off.  You may do stretching or participate in other activities, but no direct weight training. 

By breaking your routine and schedule, you will do more harm than good.  By being patient and allowing your body to create the results when it is ready, you are essentially recognizing that your body will develop as it sees fit…Literally!

In a nut-shell, do not rush recovery because you will realize a decrease in results and could very easily to more harm than good.

Keep Going!

James Villepigue CSCS