How important is rest?

[Fit_Star]

Hi Cathe,

I was just wondering your thoughts on rest between workouts. I noticed in the monthly rotations it is not uncommon to see back to back same muscle group exercises. For example, 2 leg workouts in a row. Is this enough rest for proper muscle development and strength building? I have heard many opinions on resting between workouts and I was wondering what your opinion is on best practice. Is it on an individual basis or is there a science behind it? I workout 6 days a weeek, but I am thinking rest might help me achieve more. I am in the fitness modeling industry, so my body is really my tool to success. Your videos have helped me achieve a lot, and I am always looking to push myself, but I do not want to risk injury or proper development. Please let meknow your thoughts when you have time. Thanks for everything!!

 

[twosquared]

This is a really good question. I'm new to all this and have been trying to learn/figure out which workouts to purchase. From this site I do see a lot about resting muscles for 48 hours between workouts, but then when I look at the rotations, I see back to back workouts.
Today I did muscle endurance, from fittv. I know this is condensed, and I don't do the weight load Cathe does, but I'm not hurting at all, well okay my bi's are flexing a bit.
I was going to do all cardio tomorrow, can I do weights as well if I would like?

I hope someone can enlighten me further regarding this.

Cathe - we need a comprehensive workout book - by holiday time please!!!
(lol)

Thanks much!!!!

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Fit Star! It is a combination of an individual thing and a bit of science behind it. But my best advice is to always listen to your body and being that you said you think rest might help you achieve more, I say go with your gut.

Generally speaking, on heavy strength training workouts, more rest is needed between muscle groups. On light endurance training workouts, less rest is needed.

Where the individual thing comes in is based on your fitness level and how sore your body is on a given day. For example, a newcomer could get sore from a day of a light leg training or even a cardio (ie: running) workout. The next day, their legs could be sore to the touch. In this case, that person should not workout their legs on the following day. However, somebody who runs a lot would most likely not be sore from a workout like that and they could work their legs the next day with a cardio or weight workout.

The tricky part comes with knowing your body and its limits. Sometimes doing a couple of workouts back to back pushes you past a plateau, but done too frequently can lead to overtraining if a rest day is not offered at the proper time. So again, if you feel rest might do you good....you're probably right!