Getting great results from your training requires striking a balance between exertion and recovery – it can be tricky! Let’s review some guidelines of when to take a rest day (and when not to).
A rest day means you’re not training or doing anything more intense than a walk, stretching, some light yoga, or similar. You’re letting your body recover and consolidate your recent training into gains.
When NOT to take a rest day:
- You just don’t feel like working out today (and other excuses). Get your butt to the gym.
- You are training 4 days or fewer per week. You’re already getting 3 rest days per week; when in doubt, you can probably keep training.
- You have a sprained wrist and the workout today has push-ups in it. Your coach will modify the workout for you so it doesn’t impact your injury.
- You have a training plan in place and today is a training day, but you’re on the fence because you pushed hard the last couple days and you’re getting pretty sore. Follow your plan and remember that you can still show up and get some exercise in, dial down the intensity meter, scale the workout, or focus on technique with lighter weight.
When TO take a rest day:
- You have a training plan with 1-3 rest days per week and it’s your designated rest day. Follow your plan even if you feel like you’re ready to crush a workout. Overuse, injuries, and burnout can be sneaky and not obvious until after it has happened.
- You are feeling run down or burned out from recent training. You don’t have a plan in place but your recent training has left you unable to bring a good performance to the workout today. It’s time to take a rest day.
- You’re training 5+ days per week. If you already got your 5 training days in this week, when in doubt you can take a rest day – you earned it and your body probably needs it if you were achieving high intensity in your training sessions.
These are general guidelines – figuring out the right balance of training and rest for you and your goals is a process of trial and error. The process goes much faster when you have a coach who is measuring your progress toward your specific goals and adjusting your plan for you as needed based on their years of experience.
At CrossFit Reverb your membership includes quarterly Goal Review check-ins and body composition analysis with a coach to review your progress and adjust your training and nutrition plan as needed!
Dean
info@crossfitreverb.net