Rest days are a crucial part of your fitness journey. If you don’t take enough time to rest between workouts, your body doesn’t have enough time to recover and build muscle.
Even the most passionate fitness enthusiasts need days off to see results, so if you aren’t getting what you want out of your workouts, the problem might lie in how you spend your days off.
Andrew Demetre, Charleston fitness expert, recommends these tips to capitalize on your rest day to return to the gym in full force.
Today’s Your Growth Day, Not a Rest Day
If you’re struggling to sit still on your rest days, a simple tweak to your mindset can help. Start thinking about your rest days as days when your body focuses on building muscle, replenishing glycogen stores, and allowing the nervous system to reset. The better rested you are, the higher your body will perform the next time you hit the gym.
The average person should avoid training more than four days a week. This schedule leaves plenty of breathing room for resting. However, avoid falling into the trap of doing more than one day off in a row — this is when the quality of your workouts can start to suffer.
Invest in Growth with the Right Diet
To reap all the benefits from your rest day, you want to continue consuming the same amount of carbs you usually would on your workout days. You may want to reduce your intake slightly if you’re trying to burn fat. But for anyone bulking up, you want to fuel your body; keep your caloric intake steady.
Quality carbs aren’t the only source of muscle-building resources you’ll need. It would be best if you still aimed to consume plenty of proteins on your rest days. You could even argue that increasing your protein slightly takes more advantage of the anabolic state.
Anabolism is when the body synthesizes proteins to help build muscle. Since your body is already primed for recovery, upping your protein intake on rest days hastens the process and can give you fuller, stronger muscles.
If You Want to Go Harder, Hit the Brakes
It’s not only unhealthy to never take a day off and continually push your body to its limitations without rest, but it also works against everything known about building muscle. If you want to see progress, you have to take a growth day. Once you do, you can return ready to perform your best, and your body will be happy to support you.
About Andrew Demetre
Andrew Demetre, a Charleston health coach, physical trainer, and bodybuilder, used his passion to propel him forward during the pandemic by helping his clients achieve their fitness goals at home.
Demetre continues to use this model to offer his clients greater comfort while they work out, no matter where they live, while still pushing them to be their best selves. By instilling the importance of determination and physical fitness, Demetre helps his clients achieve their fitness-related goals in an approachable way.
