How many days of rest between workouts?
When you’re laser-focused on your fitness goals, it’s not uncommon to let “rest days” sink to the bottom of your priority list. But recovery is just as integral to physical health as the workouts themselves—they help build strength, improve performance, and reduce the risk of injury.
So, how many days of rest between workouts does it take to experience these benefits?
Ideally, you’ll have 48 to 72 hours of rest between training days. If you love high-intensity workouts, the American Council on Exercise recommends at least 1 full, passive rest day every 7 to 10 days.
Below, we explain how rest days work to fuel future workouts and what you can do to help your body bounce back (and build) even better.
Because Rest Days help fuel future workouts
Whether you’re new to fitness or a five-star athlete, rest days and recovery periods can make you break down instantly and long-term physical health. While you’re taking it easy, your body is hard at work – at the molecular level – making the necessary repairs to meet your next workout.
Specifically, rest days promote:
- Muscle recovery and growth – During periods of exercise, your muscle fibers are “torn” by physical stress. When you take time to rest after your workout, those tears have time to heal and grow, creating even stronger muscle tissue. In sports science, this process is known as muscle hypertrophy.
- Glycogen replenishment – Glycogen is the main substance your body uses to fuel workouts. Vigorous workouts deplete your stores, which are in your muscles and liver. Rest days — aided by a high-carb post-workout meal — allow your body to replenish its stores. This facilitates muscle recovery and growth and helps you avoid muscle fatigue.
- Hormonal balance – From a physical point of view, your body sees exercise as a type of stress. As a result, cortisol (the stress hormone) tends to rise during workouts. If you do intense or frequent workouts, rest days help prevent you from entering a catabolic state: when your body may begin to break down muscle, instead of repairing it. Rest also allows the endocrine system to normalize, potentially reducing the risk of developing hormonal imbalances.
On a macro level, rest days help you avoid overtraining, which can leave you feeling mentally and physically exhausted after the gym. By treating rest days as a critical component—rather than the enemy—of your regimen, you’re likely to see stronger, more sustainable results from the effort you put in while you’re active.
Understanding Active vs. Passive Recovery
Different types of workouts may require different types of recovery periods. For example, you may not need a full rest day if your preference is gentle yoga.
Rest days are most critical for those doing high-intensity or endurance training, where muscle hypertrophy is more likely to occur. For this reason, it is important to distinguish between “active” and “passive” recovery time:
- Active recovery it may include low-impact exercise to maintain circulation and tone your muscles. Active recovery days could include exercises such as:
- Fast walking
- Swimming
- Yoga
- Stretching
- Passive recovery includes No exercise — a state of complete physical rest. This is ideal if you do high intensity training, especially regularly. These days, feel free to tackle reading, doing your favorite hobby, or just relaxing on the couch as your workout for the day. Enjoy it!
Don’t forget post-workout recovery
Rest days are important, but you can support your recovery even more by taking a few simple steps right after your workouts.
Here’s what you can do to support your body as you go through this recovery period:
- Cool – Before you leave the gym, make sure you fit in at least 10 minutes of downward movement. Low-intensity exercise helps bring your heart rate and blood pressure back to baseline.
- Stretch – Stretching helps reduce muscle soreness and promotes flexibility. It is thought that stretching combined with periods of relaxation may help prevent your muscles from becoming stiff and sore down the line.
- Hydrate – If you do it right, you are likely to lose a lot of moisture while exercising. Some people can lose up to 2 liters of fluid (and salt) per hour of high-intensity exercise. Ideally, adults will drink 16 to 24 oz. water or post-workout sports drinks.
- Fuel up – Post-workout snacks help replenish glycogen stores and promote muscle recovery and growth. The ideal post-workout meal can depend on the type of workout you’ve done, as well as your individual needs. To simplify things, carbohydrates are great for recovery, while proteins help repair and grow muscles.
Create holistic health at Chuze Fitness
Once you’ve taken some time off your feet, rededicate yourself to your workouts at Chuze Fitness. With one of the best value memberships you’ll find, you can enjoy access to premium, clean gym equipment, countless group classes and even a cinema where you can work out while having fun. Need childcare? Chuze Fitness has that too. Please note that this service is not available at every Chuze Fitness, be sure to check your local Chuze’s location page.
Break out of the routine and take your next best step with one free 7 day pass today.
Sources:
Healthline. Are rest days important for exercise?
https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/rest-day#benefits
NCBI. Effects of different test rest intervals on the reproducibility of the 10-repetition maximal load test: A pilot study with recreational resistance-trained men. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6719818/
Healthline. Muscle hypertrophy and your training.
The runner’s world. Cortisol and exercise: What you need to know.
https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/health/mental-health/a60125903/cortisol-and-exercise/
It fits very well. Why you need rest and recovery after exercise.
Mayo Clinic. Aerobic exercise: How to warm up and cool down. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20045517
Johns Hopkins Medicine. Sports and Hydration for Athletes: Q&A with a Dietitian.
Reviewed by:
Ani is the VP of Fitness at Chuze Fitness and oversees the group fitness and group training departments. He has had a 25+ year career in club management, personal training, group exercise and instructor training. Annie lives with her husband and son in San Diego, California and loves hot yoga, snowboarding and all things wellness.
