How many days of rest between workouts?
When you’re laser-focused on your fitness goals, it’s not unusual to let “rest days” sink to the bottom of your priority list. But recovery is as integral to physical health as the workouts themselves – they help build strength, improve performance, and reduce the risk of injury.
So, how many days of rest between workouts are needed to experience these benefits?
Ideally, get between 48 and 72 hours of rest between training days. If you enjoy high-intensity training, the American Council on Exercise recommends at least 1 day of full passive rest every 7 to 10 days.
Below, we explain how rest days work to boost future workouts and what you can do to help your body recover (and build) even better.
Because rest days help fuel future workouts
Whether you’re new to fitness or a five-star athlete, rest days and recovery periods can make or break your run. and long-term physical health. While you’re taking it easy, your body is hard at work – on a molecular level – making the necessary repairs to accommodate your next workout.
In particular, rest days promote:
- Muscle repair and growth – During periods of exertion, your muscle fibers receive “micro-tears” from physical stress. When you take time to rest after training, these tears have time to heal and grow, creating an even stronger muscle tissue. In sports science, this process is known as muscle hypertrophy.
- Glycogen replenishment – Glycogen is the main substance that your body uses to fuel training. Intense training sessions deplete your reserves, which are found in your muscles and liver. Rest days, aided by a post-workout meal rich in carbohydrates, allow your body to replenish its stores. This facilitates muscle repair and growth and helps you avoid muscle fatigue.
- hormonal balance – Physically speaking, your body sees exercise as a type of stress. As a result, cortisol (the stress hormone) tends to increase during training sessions. If you engage in intense or frequent training, rest days help prevent you from entering a catabolic state: when your body can begin to break down muscle, rather than repair it. Rest also allows your endocrine system to even out, potentially reducing your risk of developing hormonal imbalances.
On a macro level, rest days help avoid overtraining, which can cause you to feel mentally and physically burnt out after gym time. By treating rest days as a critical component—rather than an enemy—of your regimen, you can see stronger, more sustainable results from the effort you put in while active.
Understand active vs. passive recovery
Different types of workouts may require different types of recovery periods. For example, you may not need a full rest day if your favorite exercise is gentle yoga.
Rest days are more crucial for those who engage in high-intensity or resistance training, where muscle hypertrophy is more likely to occur. Therefore, it is important to make a distinction between “active” and “passive” recovery time:
- Active recovery it can include low-stress exercise to maintain circulation and tone your muscles. Active recovery days may incorporate exercises such as:
- Quick walk
- Swimming
- Yoga
- Stretching
- Passive recovery includes No exercise – a complete state of physical rest. This is ideal if you engage in high-intensity training, especially regularly. These days, feel free to read, do your favorite hobby, or simply lounging on the sofa as your workout for the day. Enjoy it!
Don’t forget Post-Workout Recovery
Rest days are important, but you can support your recovery even more by taking some simple steps right after your training sessions.
Here’s what you can do to support your body as it transitions to that recovery period:
- Cool down – Before you leave the gym, make sure you put in at least 10 minutes of wind movement. Low-intensity exercises help bring your heart rate and blood pressure back to baseline.
- Stretch – Stretching helps limit muscle pain and promotes flexibility. It is thought that stretching in conjunction with cool down periods can help prevent your muscles from becoming stiff and sore down the line.
- Hydrate – If you do well, you are likely to lose a lot of moisture while you exercise. Some people can leave up to 2 quarts of fluid (and salt) per hour of high intensity training. Ideally, adults drink 16 to 24 oz. of water or sports drinks after working out.
- Fuels – Post-workout snacks help restore glycogen stores and promote muscle repair and growth. Your ideal post-workout meal may depend on the type of workout you did, as well as your individual needs. To simplify things, carbs are great for recovery, while protein helps with muscle repair and growth.
Build Holistic Health at Chuze Fitness
Once you’ve taken some time off your feet, indulge in your workouts at Chuze Fitness. With one of the highest value memberships you’ll find, you can enjoy access to premium clean gym equipment, countless group classes, and even a movie theater where you can train while being entertained. Do you need babysitting? Chuze Fitness has this too. Please note that this service is not available at every Chuze Fitness, be sure to check the location page of your local Chuze.
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Sources:
Healthline. Are rest days important for exercise?
https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/rest-day#benefits
NCBI. Effects of Different Test Rest Intervals on the Reproducibility of the 10 Repetition Maximum Load Test: A Pilot Study with Recreationally Resistance Trained Men. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6719818/
Healthline. Muscle hypertrophy and your training.
https://www.healthline.com/health/muscular-hypertrophy#definition
The world of runners. Cortisol and exercise: what you need to know.
https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/health/mental-health/a60125903/cortisol-and-exercise/
Very good shape. Because you need rest and recovery after exercise. https://www.verywellfit.com/the-benefits-of-rest-and-recovery-after-exercise-3120575
Mayo Clinic. Aerobic exercise: How to cool down and cool down. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20045517
Johns Hopkins Medicine. Sports and hydration for athletes: Q&A with a dietitian.
Reviewed by:
Ani is the Vice President of Fitness at Chuze Fitness and oversees the group fitness and team training departments. He has had a career spanning over 25 years in club management, personal training, group exercise and instructor training. Ani lives with her husband and son in San Diego, CA and loves hot yoga, snowboarding and all things wellness.
