Necessary Rest?

TinaC · 10-20-2007, 01:12 AM

I have heard several ladies on the forums say that they take a few days to a week off the gym every couple months...How common is this? I am currently on a plateau and it scares me a little when I take my ONE day of rest, not to mention a whole week..I am always nervous that I will gain back some of what I have worked so hard to lose.
My question is how successful is taking a few days off the gym in aiding in breaking plateaus? I change up my workout routine often, so I don't think that is the problem. But I have to wake up at 3:30 AM to be able to get in my gym time, so I may not be getting the sleep my body needs. Any thoughts or experiences on the topic?

twinnett · 10-20-2007, 01:53 AM

Rest is essential to gaining muscle! At least one full day a week..I take about 5 days off of the gyms every 8-10 wks and never gain weight or lose strength....come back feeling rested and ready to go!

Net1 · 10-20-2007, 03:21 AM

The body needs days off to repair muscle fibers that are broken down during heavy lifting - this is pretty simply how muscle grows in size. I personally have switched to taking 3 days off during my week for rest (previously 2) and have seen really good results. I also take a week off every few months for additional recovery - my body lets me know when it is time (I stop seeing gains for a little while and feel overly tired typically).
Net

imperfectly_lou · 10-20-2007, 04:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinnett

Rest is essential to gaining muscle! At least one full day a week..I take about 5 days off of the gyms every 8-10 wks and never gain weight or lose strength....come back feeling rested and ready to go!

Bump to this - you are basically shooting yourself in the foot by not taking at least one rest day a week

Scarl3tbutt3rfly · 10-20-2007, 08:36 AM

On this one day of rest. Do you still do cardio? or do nothing at all? Just curious. I usually take one day off, but other than usual busy day, dont do any formal workout.

gfundaro · 10-20-2007, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scarl3tbutt3rfly

On this one day of rest. Do you still do cardio? or do nothing at all? Just curious. I usually take one day off, but other than usual busy day, dont do any formal workout.

Absolutely nothing. Cardio is still a workout, just not resistance training. But it still places stress on your cns and muscles, so it's not a rest day if you do cardio.

OP, you need to address your fear of rest. There's NO reason to fear it, especially just one day out of the week. You can't lose fat overnight; you can't gain it either (I'm not talking about micro-ounces hehe). Going without rest is a ticket to burnout, injury, and extended time off due to physical problems rather than choice.

TinaC · 10-20-2007, 09:53 AM

Thanks for the replies.
It doesn't scare me too much with my one day of rest when I know that I have really pushed myself the rest of the week. It just bothers me when my schedule gets screwed up and my day off ends up turning into 2 days off..or 1 rest day and several half-ass workout days. But, I know that my body needs rest days... I just wondered how affective it is to take several days off in a row to let your body rest and possibly jump-start fat-loss again? I havent had more than 1 complete day of rest in a row in several month and I think I may need it....