How important are rest days?

BenWhayman

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So, I've been hitting the gym 6 days a week and have been absolutely loving it. Is there any reason I can't go everyday? Or are rest days vitally important? I know it's important to get plenty of rest for recovery but if possible I would love to be able to go everyday
 
So, I've been hitting the gym 6 days a week and have been absolutely loving it. Is there any reason I can't go everyday? Or are rest days vitally important? I know it's important to get plenty of rest for recovery but if possible I would love to be able to go everyday

it depends how hard you work. if all you do is lift a pink 5lb dumbell 5 times then sure, go seven days a week. But if you are working at high intensity, and doing MMA classes as well rest days are vital as they are when you grow. They also allow your connective tissues to recover
 
What kind of workout are you doing? Some workout plans need rest days and some don't.
 
it depends how hard you work. if all you do is lift a pink 5lb dumbell 5 times then sure, go seven days a week. But if you are working at high intensity, and doing MMA classes as well rest days are vital as they are when you grow. They also allow your connective tissues to recover

What kind of workout are you doing? Some workout plans need rest days and some don't.

I'm doing a 3 day split, 6 days a week currently. Unfortunately, am not doing MMA at the moment due to time concerns (exams, study).

Monday/Thursday:
Bench press 5x5
Skull crushers 3x10
Incline press 5x5
Dips 3xfail
Chest flies 3x10
Tricep rope extensions 3x10

Tuesday/Friday:
Squats 5x5
Alternate bicep curl 3x10
Leg extension 4x10
Leg curl 4x10
Preacher curl 3x10
Leg press 3x10
Chin ups 3xfail

Wednesday/Saturday:
Deadlift 5x5
Overhead press 5x5
Bentover row 5x5
DB shoulder press 5x5
DB row 3x10
Lat pulldown 3x10
Chin ups 3xfail
 
That is a truly shit lifting routine.
 
Why? I do a major, compound lift every session.
Oh yeah. As long as you do a major compound lift every session, nothing else matters. Forgot about that magical rule.
 
Someone says they work out 6 days a week and then you guys are surprised he has a shit program? oh sherdog :D :p
 
can i get in on this bandwagon?

TS you ducking fool! your clearly overtraining... GAWD!
This is wot ya wanna do.
Monday - Deadlift 1 rep max, then walk out the gym.
Tuesday - Squat 1 rep max, then crawl out the gym.
Wednesday - off .. eat a horse.
Thursday - Bench - 1 rep max, Then walk out the gym
Friday - Overhead Press - 1 rep max.

Dont forget too chalk up too, and spend atleast 15 mins mentally prepareing yourself. Fuck the warm up, and shout "By the power of greyskull!" . And post on here every time you set a personal best.
 
I try to squat heavy everyday but your connective tissues do need to recover - muscle scoreness is fine but when the pain is centered at a joint not a good idea, active recovery days are always good.

It is a shame because I seem to get the best gains with high frequency lifting, but you still have to keep volume in check or you end up getting injured or just spinning your tires because you're constantly training in an overtrained state.

Honestly I'm a big fan of 5/3/1 if you're doing a lot of sport specific training
 
Rest is important. Whether or not that comes in the form of a dedicated rest day is up to you and your work capacity. There is no such thing as "too much" or "not enough" rest--it's all contingent upon the lifter's needs.

That said, this is very likely overkill, especially in the massive amount of higher-intensity work you're doing weekly.
 
can i get in on this bandwagon?

TS you ducking fool! your clearly overtraining... GAWD!
This is wot ya wanna do.
Monday - Deadlift 1 rep max, then walk out the gym.
Tuesday - Squat 1 rep max, then crawl out the gym.
Wednesday - off .. eat a horse.
Thursday - Bench - 1 rep max, Then walk out the gym
Friday - Overhead Press - 1 rep max.

Dont forget too chalk up too, and spend atleast 15 mins mentally prepareing yourself. Fuck the warm up, and shout "By the power of greyskull!" . And post on here every time you set a personal best.

Not sure if serious, butthurt dweller misrepresenting prevailing S&C viewpoints through sarcasm, or just plain sarcastic.
 
can i get in on this bandwagon?

TS you ducking fool! your clearly overtraining... GAWD!
This is wot ya wanna do.
Monday - Deadlift 1 rep max, then walk out the gym.
Tuesday - Squat 1 rep max, then crawl out the gym.
Wednesday - off .. eat a horse.
Thursday - Bench - 1 rep max, Then walk out the gym
Friday - Overhead Press - 1 rep max.

Dont forget too chalk up too, and spend atleast 15 mins mentally prepareing yourself. Fuck the warm up, and shout "By the power of greyskull!" . And post on here every time you set a personal best.

the-jimmies-rustle-softly.jpg
 
The majority of the exercises you are doing aren't bad per se but doing 6-7 per session and lifting 6 days/week is. If you want to be in the gym 6 days/week you have to be more intelligent about your programming, for example varying the intensity throughout the week and allowing for more days between similar lifts.

My opinion is that most people are better off going with a tried and true lifting program while educating themselves and then later you can tweak existing programs or build your own. Right now you don't seem to have the knowledge to build your own program and why try to reinvent the wheel?
 
I lift 531 changing assistance work every 3 sessions. I was doing 3-4 days per week for a year. But I really haven't been doing much conditioning. I have an achilles injury and I can't really do any running/sprinting now. I also sit at a desk most of the day and I sit on my couch most of the night minus 60-90 mins at the gym lifting. So I decided to up to 5-6 days lifting per week to help lean out and burn more calories and I feel like I recover just as well as 3-4 training days since most of my daily life is resting physically.
 
Stop doing chinups to failure. Research which rep range you'd like to utilize and use weight/gravitron.

Put more than 0 days between your squats and deadlifts if you're doing them heavy enough to fall into the 4-6 rep range. Especially if you're doing 5 sets. Take care of your back.

It's good to see you have ample time to hit the gym during the week. Research a few of the programs on the FAQ, find out what rest/work/diet works best for your specific interests. (Myofibrillar/Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy, aerobic/anaerobic conditioning, pure strength, limit strength, etc)
 

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