160601 - CrossFit | Wednesdays with Hannah P.

The Importance of Rest Days

Do you even rest, bro? Rest days are something that aren’t talked about a ton in fitness, but they are just as important as work out days! Both extremes are not healthy- all rest days and no work out days, or all work out days and no rest days. Working too much does not allow your body to rest and recover. Resting too much does not allow you to build strength and endurance. However, there is a happy medium.

Figuring out your happy medium is a matter of listening to your body. Like so many other things, everyone is unique. Just like the same nutrition plan will not work for everyone, the same work/rest cycle will not work for everyone. (Psst- if you need help figuring out where to start planning your work/rest cycle, ask Coach Michael!)

This applies to so many things, but for me, the way to tell if I need a rest day is by checking in with my body. Am I truly fatigued? Fatigue or exhaustion is a sign to me that I need to take a day off. If I’m just a little sore, that’s ok to work out. If I feel totally fine or have lots of energy, then that’s definitely a sign to get in a work out. 

So what is a rest day? For many of us high intensity athletes, we give our workouts our all. For me, a rest day is no exercise other than walking. No running, no bodyweight work, no skill work, no cardio, and no strength work. Perhaps I might do some restorative yoga (not the intense work out kind of yoga). You’ll have to figure out what works for you and your body and what allows you to recover.

WOD
"Nancy"
5 rounds
400m run
15 overhead squats 95/65