How many days should I rest after exercising?

One of the most common doubts for those who start doing physical activity seriously is how many days they should rest after exercising during the week.

Motivation drives us to want to exercise every day, and the most common thought is that the more we do, the better. However, this is not always the case. In fact, it can become counterproductive.

In this article, we want to answer whether it is good to rest a day after exercising. That is, whether it is advisable to alternate a day of exercise with rest or not, and what is the best way to design our exercise and rest routine. Keep reading to learn more!

Why it is essential to rest after exercising

If you want to achieve good performance and excellent results when doing an exercise routine, it is essential to take rest into account. This will allow your body to regenerate from the effort it has been subjected to.

Besides adapting and being prepared for the next training session, regularly resting the worked muscle groups reduces the risk of injury.

Every time you perform an activity, some of your body's tissues wear down in order to build new ones to face the activity that will take place in the next session.

When rest is not paid attention to, it is possible that what is commonly known as overtraining — and technically as rhabdomyolysis — exists. This occurs when the body does not have the necessary margin to rest or when you do not eat properly and do not give the tissues the nutrients they need.

Exactly what happens is that the fibers of the skeletal muscles begin to dissolve, which causes a large amount of myoglobin to be released. This reaches the kidneys through the blood and can cause serious damage such as acute renal failure.

Besides these serious health problems, overtraining can lead to muscle mass loss, achieving the opposite effect.

On the other hand, keep in mind that doing a lot of exercise does not always help you burn fat, in case you do moderate aerobic activity. The body, as the smartest machine that exists, can go on the defensive and avoid burning calories to help prevent the efforts we are subjecting it to.

In fact, there are several studies pointing in this same direction and indicating that when physical activity exceeds moderate levels, energy consumption does not increase but stabilizes. 

Signs that your body is suffering from overtraining

It is important to rest one day after exercising or maybe more than one day — depending on each case and the intensity at which you work —.

This will prevent serious problems such as overheating or rhabdomyolysis that can cause significant damage. Some such as acute renal failure, vomiting, confusion state, and even multiorgan failure.

One way to detect rhabdomyolysis is to observe the color of the urine. If it has acquired a dark brown color, it is important that you see a doctor urgently. 

Now, before reaching this point, the body usually sends other types of signals such as joint deterioration, which mainly causes pain in shoulders and knees.

Of course, it is not always a prior sign of overtraining, as there are high-impact activities that can cause inflammation without being linked to more serious problems — it is important that you observe your body and pay attention to it —.

Also, excessive exercise, along with poor nutrition, can also lead to the accumulation of free radicals and the appearance of constant fatigue.

In any case, these are the most prominent signs that may indicate if we are facing possible overtraining:

• Prolonged muscle pain.
• You are not progressing as you should.
• Frequent injuries and illnesses.
• Insomnia.
• Psychic alterations and mood changes.
• Generalized fatigue.
• Altered vital signs.
• Insatiable thirst.

Is it good to rest one day after intense exercise?

As explained above, after a hard day of training it is necessary to rest to be able to perform at 100% the next day. Many experts say it is preferable to rest one day. 

Rest is the key to training. The recommended rest time can vary from person to person; when working on muscle building, it is advisable to leave between 24 and 48 hours between training sessions. This is the minimum time estimated for muscles to achieve proper recovery — and to alternate rest with exercise —.

The type of exercise you are doing and your goal also influence. In general terms, it is important to keep the following guidelines in mind:

• If you do muscular fitness training and toning: Keep in mind that you should not train every day. The most recommended is to do 4 sessions per week with two active rest days and one day off from exercise. That is, it is good to rest three days from the gym and exercise in general per week.
• If you do aerobic fitness exercises to lose weight: In that case, it is advisable to have one active rest day between two training sessions and another for total rest. As in the previous case, it is good to rest three days from the gym.

As you can see, it is good to rest three days from the gym so that your body recovers properly, to improve your performance in the next session, and to avoid problems related to excessive exercise.

Benefits of resting from exercise

In summary, it is important to rest one day after exercising or more, and these are the benefits of doing it correctly:

• You will perform at 100% the next training day.
• You prevent overtraining.
• You prevent the body from entering defensive mode.
• You prevent joint deterioration and intense pain in them.
• You avoid constant fatigue.
• You will achieve your goals faster.
• Your body will work properly.