Do You Really Need to Add Rest Days to Your Workouts?

Rest days are a standard part of training programs, but they are not the only way to avoid fatigue. Contrary to what beginners are advised, you don’t always need a rest day after every day of exercise, and you can even train seven days a week if you want. But once you start breaking the rules, you’ll have to put in extra effort to ensure you’re getting enough recovery, even if it doesn’t come in the form of rest.

Recovery is important (whether it comes in the form of “rest days” or not)

Most strength training programs either work the entire body and you rest the next day, or split up the workouts so that each muscle group gets a rest day—for example, resting your arms on leg day. The idea is to let each muscle recover from a workout before you ask it to do it again, and rest days are an effective way to make sure you have time to recover.

But not every action works this way. Runners, for example, often run every day and may only have one or two true rest days per week (or, for some, zero). But in this pattern, they will alternate days of hard running (such as speed work, hills or long runs) with easier runs that feel less challenging on the body. Easy running days may not be considered “rest” days, but for the experienced runner they are considered recovery time.

Other sports may fall somewhere in the middle, but no one expects to work every part of their body to the point of exhaustion every day. Even when elite athletes perform workouts every day that seem killer to us, it is because our “heavy” is their “light.” You can bet that their coaches have enough simple workouts in their schedule to keep an athlete’s progress at the desired level with minimal risk of injury.

Whatever your schedule, rest days or easy days will help us keep up. Running too hard if you’re not used to it can lead to tendonitis and other overuse injuries. And too much exercise of any kind can lead to a syndrome called overtraining , in which your body can develop flu-like symptoms and have disrupted sleep because it simply can’t handle the demands you place on it.

There’s nothing magical about a one-day getaway

One day of rest after a hard workout is not the only way to protect yourself from overtraining. However, there are several reasons why this is a good rule of thumb:

• Rest every other day means that only half of your days will be devoted to hard training. The other half will be rest days or easier days so that the schedule allows you to control the overall intensity of the workout.

• The shift schedule is easy to follow . You don’t have to ask yourself if your recovery work is easy enough or remember which exercises work which muscles. You just stay home unless it’s a training day and you know you’re on the right track.

• It’s mentally easier to continue a workout when you enjoy it. Hard workouts aren’t always fun, and you may have to psych yourself up to try something really challenging. It’s okay if you don’t feel like it every day. A few easier, more relaxing days will help you stick to your schedule.

• A daily routine with rest days is easier to plan in your life . People who work out six days a week have to adapt those workouts to everything going on in their lives. Having a few rest days each week means you’ll have more time for work, school, family, hobbies, and anything else that competes for those time slots.

If you can achieve these goals with a different schedule, feel free to do so. If you enjoy all workouts, even the hard ones, gradually add more hard days to your schedule. If you’re happy with it, keep doing it! But if you feel pain or fatigue, listen to your body and return to rest days.

Recovery does not necessarily mean complete rest

Some people prefer the term “recovery” to “rest” days because complete rest is not necessarily your goal. After all, bringing a fork to your mouth is similar to doing bicep curls, so if you just went through a day of heavy arm work, won’t you be able to eat? Obviously, some activity is acceptable on a rest or recovery day.

Here you will have to calibrate your own sense of effort. If you’re new to training and just completed a day of heavy squats, a five-mile bike ride is probably not the best choice for the next day. But if you bike five miles to work every day, you can continue to do so even on your “rest” days.

When I did push-ups every day for 30 days , some people suggested that I was setting myself up for injury by not taking rest days. But as I wrote in this article, I was very careful in increasing my fitness. Several sets of push-ups every day became my new norm, and for me it was no more tiring than riding a bike for a cyclist. Sometimes I would try a harder type of push-up or do more reps than usual; but I compensated for those hard days with, you guessed it, easier days that are closer to my baseline level of effort.

As you learn your strengths and limitations, you can also adjust your workout schedule to what works for you. This may mean that you only take one or two days off per week, or it may mean that you do very hard workouts and then lie still for a few days. If you generally get enough exercise and don’t have any pain or injury, you’re probably fine. Now let me ask some specific questions that I know typically come up in these discussions?

Can I walk or do cardio on rest days?

Yes, if this is your basic activity level. If you always go for a walk after dinner, you don’t have to skip it just because it’s a day off. If you want to start adding cardio to your rest days, make sure you’re recovering well from everything you’re already doing. Feel free to gradually add extra cardio or other light movement. I also have this guide to help you figure out what to do on your rest days .

How do I know when I need a day off?

If you can’t differentiate between feeling lazy and needing a rest day, ask yourself: Do I want to skip a workout or do I need to skip a workout? If you feel like you need a day of rest, you probably do. You can take a rest day if you feel unwell, unusually tired or busy. Training is just training. It can wait.

If you ask yourself this question and decide that you just don’t want to exercise, consider rescheduling your workout to another day or time. Or, if there really is no reason to skip class, go to the workout anyway. Every time I feel like this, I always feel better and glad I finished the workout.

But if you’re asking yourself this question quite often, you should probably reconsider your workout routine and make sure it’s actually right for you. Days of rest (or recovery) should be preventive in nature. They won’t let you get too tired.

Do I need rest days if I am not in pain?

Believe it or not, being sore has nothing to do with getting better . You may recover well but feel little pain, or vice versa. When choosing a new exercise program, I would advise sticking to your planned recovery days. After two weeks, you can add extra work on your recovery days while you are still feeling well.

What happens if I don’t take a day off?

You may feel a little more tired in your next workout. Over time, if you don’t take rest days, you may find yourself lifting less weight or performing poorly. You may notice other effects on your health, such as poor sleep.

But then again, maybe you’ll be okay. As we said above, rest days are not magic, they are just a tool in the toolbox. If you exercise every day, but the overall volume of work is within your body’s capabilities, you can recover just fine and this will become your new normal. However, pay attention to how you feel and add rest days back if you feel you need them.

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