Take A Day Off

When you take a day or two off of the gym do you feel guilty? I used to. Sometimes life gets in the way and other things become more important.

What is important to know that without proper rest between your sweat sessions, all your training can be worthless. When you rest you give your body the rest it needs and allow yourself to repair and renew. If you train continuously, you actually run the risk of becoming weaker or burning yourself out.

How do you know if you are over-training?  If you have any of the following I suggest you take some time off from your workouts:  headaches, loss of appetite, disturbed sleep patterns and an inability to perform the way you once did. If you are training hard on a regular basis and notice any of these symptoms, it’s your body’s way of telling you that you are failing to take enough time off between workouts.

What you do in between your workouts is super important. When you train your muscles with heavy weights it causes the proteins within them to degrade and break down. When you rest, additional proteins are used to rebuild the muscle fiber.

The take away? Build 1-2 days of rest into your workout plan. 6 days a week is way more than enough. 4-5 is ideal, 3 minimum.