Working out on rest days?

[Yayayayayaya]

I’m doing icf 5x5 so every other day is a rest day. I’m only about a month in so my weights arent heavy and my workouts end quite early. was thinking maybe doing some curls or something on the rest days could benefit me while im still lifting light weights. advice?

[DCSpartan]

you still need to recover. Do something else physical - cardio, kickboxing, basketball, etc.

[supramax]

I’m doing icf 5x5 so every other day is a rest day. I’m only about a month in so my weights arent heavy and my workouts end quite early. was thinking maybe doing some curls or something on the rest days could benefit me while im still lifting light weights. advice?

What DC said. I do cardio and various forms of stretching and mobility exercises on my 'rest' days... and sometimes, I do nothing.

P.S. I always walk the dog several times each day, though.

[sooby]

I’m doing icf 5x5 so every other day is a rest day. I’m only about a month in so my weights arent heavy and my workouts end quite early. was thinking maybe doing some curls or something on the rest days could benefit me while im still lifting light weights. advice?

it probably wouldn't benefit you to do extra curls and may in fact hinder you, do something else that is actually beneficial like some rowing, swimming, martial art, sprints, etc.

[Yayayayayaya]

you still need to recover. Do something else physical - cardio, kickboxing, basketball, etc.

really want to avoid cardio as i’m already a walking skeleton lol

[supramax]

really want to avoid cardio as i’m already a walking skeleton lol

Not to worry. You have to do a lot of cardio to lose a little bit of weight.

[air2fakie]

really want to avoid cardio as i’m already a walking skeleton lol

Curl some food into your mouth on your rest days.

[paulinkansas]

really want to avoid cardio as i’m already a walking skeleton lol

Do turkey leg lifts. You hold a turkey leg in each hand and lift it to your mouth. Take a bite, lower, and repeat with the other hand. If that sounds like too much, start with chicken leg lifts. Same thing, but with a chicken leg. When you graduate from turkey leg lifts, you can do ostrich leg lifts.

[Yayayayayaya]

Do turkey leg lifts. You hold a turkey leg in each hand and lift it to your mouth. Take a bite, lower, and repeat with the other hand. If that sounds like too much, start with chicken leg lifts. Same thing, but with a chicken leg. When you graduate from turkey leg lifts, you can do ostrich leg lifts.

ive been doing something similar recently

[William2018]

A number of bodybuilders recommend ab training every day. Keeps me busy when the cooker is on, or there's something on tv worth watching.


Athlean-X recommends 7 days per week for ab training.

[LifterWest]

You are only a month in! Wait till the weights get heavy. Right now, after 12 weeks of a novice routine, I couldn't recover even over the weekend and I took a week long deload break.

[HomeGym70]

I wouldn’t recommend messing with a lifting program by throwing in additional, heavy lifts on your rest days.

Active recovery days are good, but not to the point that they’re breaking down muscles that should be rebuilding at that time.

Cardio, sports, stretching, kayaking, hiking, and physical activities like cutting firewood or doing landscape work are all good.

I usually lift light weights on my recovery days. I will do one set each of a ton of different exercises and nowhere near failure. Just enough to stretch and get the blood flowing to the muscles. Just for me personally, I’d rather spend 30 minutes doing easy weights than 5 minutes on a treadmill.

[sowilson]

rename your rest days as "active rest". So, skills work, pickup basketball, ride a bike, play some volleyball, etc. You can also do GPP work (be sensible), body movement, and possibly some directed exercises (band work for the feet, neck work, stuff like that).