How Important Are Rest Days for Building Muscle
Everyone is constantly harping about how vital it is to stay active and exercise consistently. While it’s essential to be driven, it’s important to remember that more does not necessarily mean better, especially when preparing for a competition. Rest and relaxation are just as important as regular exercise to maintain general health. Recovery days are an integral component of any fitness plan. Taking breaks at regular intervals will assist one’s body in accomplishing this goal. This is necessary for development regardless of the current level of physical fitness or the sport one participates in (Martin & Grapin-Botton, 2017). If one does not give themselves time to relax and recover, they run the risk of overtraining and burnout.
One of the benefits of rest days is that it allows time for recovery. In contrast to popular belief, taking a day off to rest is not an acceptable reason to stay in bed all day and watch television. During this window, you may see the wonderful results of exercise manifesting themselves. In particular, rest is crucial for muscle development. When you exercise, you cause a minor strain on your muscles. Nevertheless, a specialized type of cell called a fibroblast repair the damage while sleeping. This encourages healing as well as the creation of new tissue, which ultimately results in increased muscle mass and strength (Martin & Grapin-Botton, 2017). In addition to this, glycogen acts as a storage for carbs that can be used at a later time by your muscles. During physical activity, glycogen stores in the body are depleted so that they can be used as a source of fuel (Martin & Grapin-Botton, 2017). Your body can rebuild these energy levels more effectively if you give it some time off before starting back at the gym.
Rest days are also important since going on rest days prevents muscle fatigue. Recovery time is necessary to avoid the fatigue that comes with exercise. Keep in mind that the glycogen stored in the muscles will be exhausted when engaging in physical exercise. If these stores are not restored, fatigue and soreness will set in throughout the muscle tissue. Even without engaging in physical activity, glycogen is necessary for proper muscle function (Martin & Grapin-Botton, 2017). The most effective antidote to fatigue is getting a full night’s sleep so that your glycogen stores may be completely restocked, which is the only way to accomplish this.
Additionally, taking a rest has the effect of improving performance. It’s tough to go about regular exercise without adequate rest. If you’re not feeling particularly driven, you might not feel like pushing yourself to do that one more rep or run that additional mile. Overtraining reduces performance even when training is hard. Deficiencies in stamina, reflexes, and agility are all possible outcomes. The opposite is true of rest. Because of the boost in stamina and resistance to tiredness, your workouts will be more productive and effective over time.
Further, rest days also reduce the risk of injury. Regular rest is essential in order to participate in physical activity without putting yourself in danger (Orlando et al., 2010). In the same way that exhaustion can make you more prone to slips, drops, and stumbles, overexertion can do the same thing. When one overtrains, they exert unneeded tension and stress on their muscles, which can lead to injury (Orlando et al., 2010). As the likelihood of overuse injuries increases, additional recovery time will be required.
In conclusion, rest days are important for muscle growth. However, a rest day does not entail just sitting and lazing around. On rest days, one can engage in a low-impact workout such as Yoga or walking. Low-impact activities are an excellent way to stay active without overworking your body. Additionally, they improve the overall experience of working out.
References
Orlando, C., Levitan, E., Mittleman, M., Steele, R., & Shrier, I. (2010). The effect of rest days on injury rates. Scandinavian Journal Of Medicine &Amp; Science In Sports, 21(6), e64-e71. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2010.01152.x
Martin, D., & Grapin-Botton, A. (2017). The Importance of REST for Development and Function of Beta Cells. Frontiers In Cell And Developmental Biology, 5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2017.00012
