Now that you’ve been working out, you already know how hard it is to keep up the pace without a break. Your body becomes tired and the muscles ache.  You certainly need to catch a break and allow your body to recover. The recovery period is the amount of time you take between one workout session and the next commonly known as the Rest day. Depending on your workout schedule, we recommend at least one or two rest days in a work out week. The workout intensity also determines how often you should rest. For example if you are doing high intensity workouts like weight lifting, you will need more rest days than a person doing less intense workouts.

Then why do you need the rest and recovery period?

• Muscle repair and growth. As you work out, muscles are exposed to tremendous stress and damage. The rest and recovery period allows repair and rebuilding of muscles. This will build more strength and give you more resilience.
• Energy restoration. Exercise consumes a lot of energy and depletes energy stores. The higher the intensity, the higher the energy depletion. Having a rest day allows you to replenish the energy stores for optimal performance in your next work out.
• Recover vital body minerals and elements. Vitamins, calcium, magnesium and other mineral components are consumed as you work out. Should your body go without having these elements restored, the body will be rendered incapable to perform to its full potential.
• Mental refreshment. The exhaustion as you work out has a huge toll on your mental performance. In order for you to remain focused and motivated towards your fitness goals, include a rest and recovery period in your workout plan.
• Prevention of overuse injuries such as tendinitis or stress fractures. Rest gives your body time to heal.

It is one thing to have a workout plan and it’s another having your plan workout. Your journey to a successful workout routine begins with having a rest and recovery plan.