Why athletes need rest after training.
For example, rest is physically necessary for the muscles to recover, regenerate and strengthen. For amateur athletes, increasing the number of rest days and active recovery can help maintain a better balance between home, work, and fitness goals.
Benefits of a day of rest
Rest days are crucial for athletes of all levels for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons are physiological, while others are psychological.
Promotes muscle recovery
Exercise depletes the body's energy reserves or muscle glycogen. It also causes the destruction of muscle tissue. Providing adequate muscle recovery time allows the body to " fix " both of these problems by replenishing the body's energy reserves and repairing damaged tissue.If not given enough time to support these processes, the body will break down from repeated intense exercise. This can reduce your productivity. It can also cause damage to your skeletal muscles, resulting in increased exercise soreness.
Helps to overcome adaptation
The principle of adaptation states that when we perform stressful exercises for a long time, the body adapts and becomes more efficient. It's like learning any new skill. At first it is difficult, but over time it becomes like a habit and at ease. Once you adjust to this stress, you will need even more stress to continue progressing.
But there are limits to how much stress the body can withstand before it breaks down and gets injured. Doing too much work too quickly will result in injury or muscle damage. And if you do the exercises slowly with a light weight, it will not lead to improvement. That's why personal trainers set up special programs that increase time and intensity at a planned pace and provide for rest days.
Prevents overtraining
Too little rest and too few days of recovery can lead to overtraining syndrome. It is believed that this disease occurs in about 60% of high-class athletes and 30% of non-elite endurance athletes. And if you have it, recovery can be difficult.
The consequences of overtraining are numerous. Studies have shown that this condition can increase the amount of body fat, increase the risk of dehydration, lower libido, and worsen mood.
Promotes relaxation
A rest day also gives rest to your mind and body and keeps your schedule from overflowing. Use your free day to spend more time with your family and friends. Take your usual time slot and take up a hobby.
A healthy lifestyle is based on balance. This includes finding a way to divide your time between home, work, and training. A day of rest allows you to do these other things, giving your body the time it needs to fully recover from your workouts.
What is a short-term recovery?
Short-term recovery occurs in a few hours immediately after intense exercise. It can include doing low-intensity exercises during the hitch phase of the workout, which is associated with improved performance, as well as eating the right foods and drinks, replenishing your energy and fluid reserves while optimizing protein synthesis.
What to do on a day off
There are two types of recovery that you can do on a day off: passive recovery and active recovery. Passive recovery involves a complete rejection of exercise during the day. Active recovery is when you perform low-intensity exercises, while there is a minimum load on the body. During active recovery, the body works to repair the soft tissues (muscles, tendons, and ligaments). It also helps to remove chemicals that accumulate as a result of cell activity during exercise. Examples of active recovery exercises: walking, stretching, and yoga.
Sleep is also important
Be sure to rest a lot, especially if you train a lot. One or two nights of poor sleep usually doesn't affect performance much. But constant, inadequate sleep can lead to changes in hormone levels, especially those associated with stress, muscle recovery, and mood.
Studies show that sleep deprivation can lead to increased levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), decreased activity of human growth hormone (which is important for tissue repair), and decreased glycogen synthesis.
When is it better to rest
The number of days of rest required will depend on the type and intensity of your exercise. It is recommended to plan a rest day every seven to ten days if you are engaged in high-intensity physical activity. Some training schedules include rest days more often, such as twice a week. One of these days can be used as a passive recovery day to completely free you from exercise. The other may focus on active recovery or performing light-intensity exercises.
If you follow a seasonal training program, it can include recovery days and even recovery weeks. This is called periodization and requires you to change your training programs throughout the year, adding cross-training, changing the types of training, and changing the intensity, time, and distance of the exercises.
Signs that you need a day off
Regardless of your training schedule, it's important to listen to your body. It will tell you if it needs a day off, even if it's a day when you should be exercising instead. What signs should you pay attention to?
In a survey of 605 athletes participating in competitions, the most common signs of overtraining were a general feeling of fatigue, an unexplained decrease in performance (usually lasting from one week to one month), and pain and pain in the musculoskeletal system.
If you feel nervous, moody, sleep poorly, lose your appetite, or feel depressed or stressed, it can also be a sign that you are straining too much. High levels of stress at work or at home are another reason to take a day off to give your whole body a chance to relax and recover.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I eat on my day off?
The rest day menu, which supports recovery from high-intensity exercise, includes both protein (to help muscles repair and grow) and carbohydrates (to restore used glycogen). Working with a nutritionist will help you determine the right amount of both protein and carbohydrates.
If I alternate between strength and cardio, how often should I rest?
If both strength training and cardio are high-intensity, try to do at least one day of rest every seven to ten days. Listen to your body. If he needs more rest days, schedule them.
