In a world that sometimes feels saturated with people running marathons and chasing impressive PBs, it can be easy to be pressured into doing more exercise – especially when we know staying active is linked with better mental health and a reduced risk of chronic conditions like stroke, heart disease, and cancer.
Equally, you might find that, if you’re on a roll with an exercise plan, the last thing you want to do is take a rest day or week off from training, not wanting to lose momentum.
However, research suggests that more isn’t always better when it comes to exercise, which is why a successful fitness programme isn’t complete without rest days.
With that said, we’ll explore six reasons why rest days are important for health and how to make them as effective as possible.
6 benefits of rest days
1. Rest days allow your body to recover
The main reason for regular rest days is to allow yourself to rest and recover, physically and mentally.
In the same way that sleep deprivation can leave you feeling drowsy, fatigued, and irritable, a lack of recovery in between workouts can negatively impact everything from stress and energy levels to motivation and injury risk, which we’ll explore further throughout this article.
2. Rest days may help improve performance
It’s easy to assume that progress is made during exercise, but it’s actually when we rest that the magic happens, so time out is just as important.
Exercise causes microscopic tears to develop in muscle tissue. According to experts, these tears are what allow us to build strength and improve performance because during rest, the body begins adding protein to muscle fibres to repair them, making them thicker, stronger, and more resilient to training. This is why you might feel slightly sore for a few days after a tough workout and why, when practised over time, strength training can lead to increased muscle mass.
A lack of physical rest can also affect energy levels and make it difficult to stick to a routine, let alone push yourself and chase personal bests. If you’re feeling sore, fatigued, and burnt out, you’re less likely to run another mile or perform an extra rep in the gym. And, even if you do, research has consistently linked overtraining with negative performance outcomes, including reduced strength, endurance, agility, and slower reaction times.
3. Rest days may reduce muscle soreness
Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is a type of muscle pain that begins after you’ve exercised, particularly at high intensity. It typically starts a day or two after a workout and often feels like muscle tightness and tenderness.
Anyone can experience DOMS, but they’re especially common if you haven’t worked out in a while or try a new exercise that your body isn’t used to. While it’s sometimes assumed that DOMS are the only sign of a good workout, experts explain that this isn’t true. Rather, DOMS are a sign that the body is adapting
If you experience DOMS, it’s important to allow your body to rest and repair itself. This also allows the body time to flush out waste products, such as lactic acid (which builds up during intense exercise) and replenish energy stores. Trying to push past the pain may leave you feeling more sore and burnt out than before.
There’s evidence that active rest, such as gentle walking and exercise like yoga, may be most beneficial for DOMS, while being sedentary can cause you to feel more stiff.
4. Rest days can help reduce the risk of injury and illness
Research has linked continuous exercise without enough rest with an increased risk of overuse injuries, such as stress fractures, sprained ankles, and tendinitis, and you’re more likely to feel run-down.
There’s also a condition known as overtraining syndrome (OTS), which happens when the central nervous system becomes stressed after training hard without enough rest.
According to experts, signs of OTS can include fatigue, extreme muscle soreness, illness, and mood swings. You might also notice that your training progress has plateaued.
5. Rest days may keep you motivated
One of the most important – yet most overlooked – aspects of any fitness routine is consistency. While motivation is often high at the start of a new workout plan, it can dwindle over time, making long-term commitment one of the greatest barriers to regular exercise.
Progress in the fitness world is made by sustainably moving towards your goals, one step at a time. This is much more effective than going all-in for a little while, then feeling burnt out and in need of a big break. Creating an enjoyable routine is especially important when aiming to make exercise part of your lifestyle.
Therefore, scheduling regular rest days, even if you don’t feel like you completely need them at the time, is key for improving and maintaining focus, motivation, reducing stress, and overall mental wellbeing.
Overtraining to the point of burnout not only increases the risk of being physically unable to train for a while, but your mood and motivation are likely to take a beating, too.
6. Rest days may support healthy sleep
Exercising regularly is linked with better sleep, partly because it helps regulate our circadian rhythm and hormone levels. That said, balance is key, as studies suggest that being overactive may have the opposite effect.
When we exercise, production of energy-boosting hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline, increases. So, overexercising without rest can lead to consistently high levels of these hormones, which can impact sleep.
For example, in this study, high cortisol levels were found to disrupt sleep, affecting duration, quality, and making it more difficult to fall asleep. More generally, multiple studies have noted a link between high cortisol levels and insomnia.
What makes rest days most effective?
Contrary to popular belief, rest days don’t have to mean sitting on the sofa all day. In fact, research suggests that, in many cases, engaging in active recovery may be more effective than total rest.
Active recovery typically involves low-intensity movement, such as gentle walking, stretching, swimming, or yoga. According to research, active recovery can improve blood flow, reduce muscle soreness, and speed up the removal of metabolic waste, including lactic acid. Staying active can also help prevent joint stiffness.
Plus, some people find that active recovery helps prevent lethargy, low mood, and guilt associated with rest days. Even 10 minutes of walking outside has been found to improve mood and alertness.
If you’re unsure what type of exercise constitutes active recovery, experts recommend low-intensity movement around 30-50% of your maximum heart rate. That said, it’s important to take total rest if you’re injured, extremely tired, or after intense exercise sessions. Remember, your body knows best, so if you feel you need to rest, it’s important to do so.
To further support recovery, you might like to consider including massage or other body work, such as foam rolling, on your rest days. Check out our article, 10 health benefits of massage, to learn more.
How often should you take rest days?
There’s no one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to how often you should take a rest day. This is because several factors, such as the type of exercise you do and your fitness level, play a role.
According to experts, rest days aren’t typically needed for forms of light cardio, such as leisurely walking or cycling. Most people will be able to do light exercise every day, unless advised otherwise by their doctor.
However, if you’re doing moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise, it’s essential to take rest days. According to the NHS, adults are advised to do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity per week. You can also do a combination of moderate and vigorous exercise.
It can be helpful to plan rest days in accordance with these guidelines. For example, you could do a vigorous 50-minute cardio session on three days and plan your rest days around them. If you do a particularly long or intense workout, you might benefit from taking an extra rest day.
That said, rest days for certain forms of exercise, such as running and weight training, may require more careful planning. We’ll explore these below.
Running
While running is a form of cardio, it usually requires a different approach to rest days, largely because it places a lot of stress on the body.
If you’re a beginner, experts recommend starting with three runs per week. Running too much too soon can cause fatigue and lead to overuse injuries. On other days, it’s important to allow yourself to rest and avoid workouts that use the same muscles as running.
Rest days are even more important when it comes to longer-term goals, such as marathon training. Check out our guide to preparing for your first marathon to learn more.
Weight training
According to experts, the most effective way to incorporate rest days when weight training is to rotate which muscles you’re using during workouts.
For example, after exercising a specific muscle group, allow them to heal and repair over one to two days. An easy way to do this is to plan workouts that target specific muscle groups. For example, legs on Monday, and back on Tuesday.
Check out Men’s Health’s guide to rest days for your workout plan for more tips.
Final thoughts…
When you feel motivated to exercise, scheduling regular rest days can feel counterproductive – even frustrating. However, research shows that rest is essential for performance, health, and maintaining motivation.
For further reading, head over to our fitness and exercise section. Here, you’ll find information on everything from home workouts to strength, balance, and flexibility.
Do you have any other tips that you’d like to share? We’d be interested to hear from you in the comments below.
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