I was shooting the breeze with my trainer a couple of weeks ago between sets and we got on the topic of the importance of “rest days”. And yes, I have a personal trainer… he’s able to see what I suck at and get me better, whereas I tend to design programs for myself around the exercises I like and am good at. In other words, I work on what he refers to as “mirror muscles” and he helps me train the ones you can’t see but are just as, if not more, important. Either way… rest days. We were both in agreement that they were necessary. Why are they necessary you ask?

The body does not grow during workouts. Workouts create the stimulus for which the body can grow. This is done with adequate sleep (deep, REM sleep creates a state in which growth hormone is highest) and proper NUTRITION.

After about a 90 second rest, I was back to front squats and the subject wasnt really discussed much after that. But after I got home, I got to thinking about it more. What exactly specifies a “rest day”? When should they be taken? How often? What about people who are two-a-dayers? What intensity and duration justifies resting?

I think we all to often overlook these questions. And I’m afraid that some people use it as an “out”. For example, “Well, I ran 3 miles on Monday and did pilates yesterday so I’m pretty good for this week. I NEED REST.” And the truth is, for many people just starting out, that may be the case. But for most of us, I don’t think so. I’ve mentioned before that I like the “break a sweat everyday” theory that has been made famous by Matthew McConaughey because it gets you moving everyday to at least some extent.

The Take Home Message here is: Resting is important for gains and health, but not exercising enough will make resting useless. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. If you are truly exhausted, irritable, overly sore, or in pain… by all means, REST. But ask yourself this first: Do I really need the rest or am I just being lazy?

*thanks for getting me back on track Joey