Bodybuilding Series: Entry X; Rest Days
In this entry to the "Bodybuilding Series" we are going to discuss the necessity of rest days and how they effect your over success inside and outside of the gym. There are also many health benefits you receive by taking the time to recover and heal. It is very important to understand why your body needs the rest as well as the cons behind over training. Let's dive into all these things now.
Misunderstood.
I am a firm believer in taking "rest days". What exactly is a rest day in my book? Generally, it is not what you have in mind. On rest days, I recommend doing all your maintenance work. For example, If you found that your lower back has been tight during the week or your shoulder has been bothering you, take your rest day to address these problem areas by working with your range of motion, stretching, and myofascial release. These are all things that the average gym goer neglects. I cannot stress the importance of these things. By taking the time to do your maintenance work, you are ensuring that you are able to work the proper range of motion which allows for optimal muscle activation while also decreasing your risk of injury.
Be Efficient.
Make sure you are efficient and effective with your rest days. Plan your routine just like you do your workouts. For example, on a rest day I may work to focus on my squat technique and lower body mobility. I would plan dynamic stretches for my quads, glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, etc. before I put the bar on my back. I would then perform light weight squats or possibly even squats with a PVC pipe. This is a day you can use to deload and "get back to the basics". If you find yourself unable to perform movements with or without pain, you need days like this to fix technique and form issues before you injure yourself or cause any further damage. We always stress the importance of planning before it always goes back to your why. Be efficient on your rest days in order to continue your pursuit towards your ultimate goal!
Refeeding on Rest Days
Refeeding is a very powerful technique used by many to encourage a healthy metabolism, build lean muscle, and promote fat loss. Refeed days and cheat days are two completely different things. The idea behind refeeding is centered around the hormone Leptin. Find out more about leptin here. Leptin regulates hunger, food intake, and energy levels. When you are dieting hard or participate in intermittent fasting, chances are that your leptin levels have taken a hit. Leptin levels also signify your metabolic rate. When you stay on a calorie deficient diet for long periods of time, your metabolism naturally lowers to deal with the low amount of energy (food) that is available for use. This also means your leptin levels drop as well. As a result, you lose little to no body fat. Refeeding days are meant to boost your leptin levels back to normal which jump starts your metabolism again so you can burn more excess fat and not muscle. On a normal cheat day, it is understood that you can eat whatever you want for one meal or the whole day. A refeed day, you will want to focus you meal or meals on high glycemic index foods (carb dense) with a calorie moderate to high calorie surplus based on your eating regime and how long you have been dieting. The high glycemic index foods will boost your blood glucose levels which will in turn trigger your body to release more leptin. This is a great strategy for rest days as you body can use the calorie surplus to help build more muscle.
Rest to Grow.
It is no secret. Your body needs time to recover from your workouts! Not only your muscles, but also your joints and your mind. I do believe you must earn your rest days, but if you have, take them! Do not neglect these days where you can focus on tight, beat up muscles. Do the maintenance work and reap the benefits of being strong, functional, and ripped. No matter your fitness level or if you believe you need it or not, do you maintenance work and rest. The stretching and foam rolling will break built-up scar tissue in your muscles from the week allowing you to break them down and grow stronger again.
Sleep and Drink
Drinking water is extremely important every day. On your rest day is no different. It will keep your fluids in check while also naturally detoxing your body after breaking up all the scar tissue. In my opinion, the best result of drinking an adequate amount of water is the loss of excess water weight. Your body no longer needs to hold on to the extra! To that end, do not forget to sleep! Another amazing way to not only neglect your rest days but also your overall progress is to not sleep at least 6.5-7 hours every night. Your body needs the sleep to release its natural growth hormone which repairs muscles, enhances mood, and helps regulate metabolic rate. You do not grow in the gym, you grow in your sleep.
No Days OFF
A rest day does not mean a day off. As mentioned above, be efficient in your rest days. Further address those imbalances, stretch, foam roll, use an ice bath, work on mobility, focus on proper technique, the list goes on. Just do something! Taking the day off and cheating is the recipe for disaster. Do not watch all your hard work go down the drain from one extreme cheat day. Remember that those cheats add up. Even a small cheat meal/day where you eat 850 calories more than you usually do adds up to an extra pound of body weight by the end of the month. I sound like a marriage counselor but THINK BEFORE YOU CHEAT!
Working around injuries? Need some simple coaching on the specifics, contact me at mattbeard@newavecoaching.com or comment below. I will be happy to answer any questions!
Bodybuilding Series Notes
- We have published a sample bodybuilding week workout split. These are workouts on a 5-day split so you will have an idea of what a weeks exercise regime will look like as well as give you ideas of new exercises to try in your program!
- After the 5-day split workouts, we will finish the series with the Importance of Rest Days and the final entry GAINS!
- First workout will be legs, followed by chest, back, shoulders, and core.
Stay tuned with more to come!
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