How necessary is it to take an off day from working out?
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Anonymous
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I've been going consistently for a while, with the goal of losing weight, relieving stress (or anger!), and feeling more energized. So far I'm doing pretty well on all three counts!
I usually end up going 5 days in a row, then taking a day off, but I've heard mixed views that this is too much (maybe do 3 days in a row and a day off), and to have 2 or so days off from the gym per week. This is difficult, as I'm starting to feel crappy and antsy on days I don't work out. How much is too much? |
Anonymous
| OP again. Just to add, I'm normally at the gym for about an hour each time I'm there. Some days a little less (45 mins), some days a little more (rarely over 1.5 hours) |
Anonymous
| I take every 6th day off...more and I get "out of it", less I dont build muscle. |
Anonymous
| Five days is okay as long as you give different parts of your body a rest. So maybe every other day doing aerobics and the other two days weight training. Take at least one day off completely from the gym. But you can do something outside of the gym (eg regular walking, leisure bike ride, etc) on the seventh day if you want. |
Anonymous
| I think for most normal people it's fine as long as you are varying your workout somewhat. It's more of an issue of you are doing something really intense like crossfit or training for marathon. But if you're just lifting some weights and running on the treadmill or elliptical for 30-45 mins, no big deal at all. And there's also a big benefit to going every day , because it become a daily routine and easier to keep up with than every other day. |
Anonymous
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When you start looking like Kelly Ripa; otherwise, there's absolutely nothing wrong working out 5 days a week.
If you are lifting heavy weights regularly you may want to "deload" from time to time to let the muscles repair and grow, but if it's mostly cardio than no need to deload. |
Anonymous
| Fine as long as you do it right. And the length of time isn't as important as what you're working out and the intensity. |
Anonymous
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For me is just depends on how much sleep I'm getting. If I'm getting a solid 8hrs of sleep a night, I can work out 7 days a week and be fine (normally that will look like 3 days heavy lifting, 4 days running).
I do not work out if I start to get poor sleep and run on fumes. If that happens (which is at least 1-2xs a week) then I take the day off. So for me, it all boils down to sleep. |
Anonymous
| You can work out every day if you vary your workout. You shouldn't lift weights every day -- you should lift hard every 2 or 3 days. It's fine to do cardio, yoga, pilates, etc. every day or on the days you don't lift. |
Anonymous
| Agree totally with pp. Just don't do weights every single day. Otherwise, you can workout every single day by alternating what activities you do. |
Anonymous
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I work out nearly every day. And by "nearly every day", I mean that I've missed 3 days this year. I like exercising. If I really don't feel well or I'm injured (which is rare), I take a rest day. If I feel fine and have time to work out, which I usually do, I work out. If I'm rushed or not feeling totally 100%, I'll just jump on the arc trainer for 30 minutes and call it a day. I never feel worse after a workout; if I did, I'd take more days off.
I make sure I don't do the same thing on back-to-back days, though. I lift every other day. I run on the days I'm not lifting, rarely 2 days in a row. This way, my muscles have a chance to recover. I do yoga a couple times a week to stretch out from the lifting and running. |
Anonymous
Me too. I never schedule a rest day, I just end up taking them if I am sick or if something comes up and I can't get to the gym (which is rare, but like, on vacation). I do cardio every day and lift a few times a week. |