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How Many Rest Days a Week to Build Muscle? Hitting a plateau is no less than a nightmare. You hit the gym every day but see no muscle gains. It’s when you need to slow down.
If you want your muscles to grow, drop those dumbbells, rest for a few days and then watch the gains. That said, read below about how many rest days a week you need to build muscles.
Keep reading to know more.
- How Many Days to Rest a Week For Different Workouts
- What to Do On Rest Days?
- Benefits of Rest For Muscle Growth
Table of Contents
How Many Rest Days a Week to Build Muscle
Fitness fanatics strongly agree with resting twice a week after an intense workout. However, the number of rest days varies between people and their workout levels. If you’re involved in more intense training than usual, consider resting for a long. Skipping the rest days will result in wear and tear of muscles, and eventually, you’ll hit a plateau.
Related: How can I make my strength training more effective?
How Many Days to Rest a Week For Different Workouts
You must be here after thoroughly researching the importance of rest days. So, let’s delve into the guide below.
1. Rest Days For Cardio
Cardio is an excellent aerobic exercise and helps you maintain weight, ward off illness, gain strength, improve heart health, and much more.
When you do cardio workouts, oxygen flow, and blood supply increase to muscles. This removes lactic acid and toxins from the muscles and helps you make gains.
Swimming, cycling, running, walking, and jogging are cardio types. Resting is unnecessary if you do a low-impact cardio activity like light jogging or walking.
If you perform intense workouts, you will need to rest more frequently. Let’s put it this way; Hit the recommended limit for a cardio exercise which is 150-300 minutes for moderate activity and 75-150 minutes for HIIT training.
Once you achieve the targetted minutes, you can rest on the remaining days to help recover your tired muscles.
2. Rest For Weight Loss
There’s a misconception that more workouts = weight loss which is not valid. The more you overtrain, the more you’re prone to getting no results.
You end up damaging your muscles and feel tired while working out. This is why rest is essential for a workout. Depending on the intensity of the training, you can rest 2 to 3 days a week.
Resting muscles would help them grow; the more muscles you grow, the more they will help burn calories.
3. Rest For Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding requires the movement of different muscles. Working on various muscles without rest causes wear and tear and builds lactic acid.
Those who prefer rest over intense training gain more muscle growth. It’s because your body recovers more when at rest.
Bodybuilding requires creating balance in the body, which you can achieve by working on each muscle group. How so?
Assign each body part day, such as Monday can be a chest day, Tuesday a leg day, and so on. To recover fast, incorporate one or two rest days after working on a specific muscle group.
4. Rest For Novice Gym Goers
You must rest for 2 to 3 days each week if you’re a beginner. You will begin by doing low-impact workouts and slightly shift to high-impact activities. Once you complete a six-week target, then you can decrease your rest days.
Related: Top 10 Best Bodybuilding Exercises
What to Do On Rest Days?
Consider reading the tips below to know what to do on rest days.
Low-Impact Workouts: Low-impact workouts on rest days can help you stay active and in motion. Even though your body will be at rest, if you want, you can still do the following workouts.
- Slow dance
- Light jogging w
- Walking
- Running etc
Eat Well: Resting along with eating healthy helps repair your muscles quickly. You should add both macro and micro-nutrients to your diet. They include;
- Protein: Protein intake from chicken, meat, fish, and other sources will keep you full as it takes more time to digest. You can also enjoy protein-based drinks and enjoy!
- Carbs: Carbs will help replenish glycogen stores, and in return, you will have enough energy to recover muscles.
- Vitamins & Minerals: Various fruits and vegetables contain vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that help muscle recovery.
Yoga: Practicing different forms of yoga will keep you active, happy, and healthy. Doing yoga for 10-15 minutes will be enough!
Benefits of Rest For Muscle Growth
Take a look at the benefits below.
Muscle Recovery: Working out uses glycogen in your body. When you rest and consume carbs, it replenishes glycogen in your body and helps in muscle recovery.
Prevents Injury: Putting constant stress on the muscle can cause injuries. So, resting can make you strong and prevent you from injuries.
Improves Mental Health: Overtraining affects your muscles and the central nervous system. Taking sufficient rest will keep your CNS healthy and happy.
Improves Sleep: Your body produces energy-boosting hormones, i.e., adrenaline and cortisol. When you work out more than needed, your body releases an abnormal amount of these hormones, making it difficult to sleep. Therefore, resting will balance these two hormones and improve your sleep.
Related: How To Lose Weight While Working From Home?
Potential Dangers of Over Exercising
Overtraining will do the following things to your body.
- Improper sleep
- Fatigue
- Decreased range of motion
- Severe depression and mood swings
- Getting more injuries
People Also Ask
- Is two rest days a week too much?
Rest on one or two days each week. Plan one to two weekly rest days for optimum performance and to accomplish your goals as safely and efficiently as possible.
- Do muscles grow more on rest days?
A rest/growth day helps you gain muscle, replace your glycogen stores more quickly, and allow your nervous system to return to its best functioning. As a result, you’ll grow more rapidly and perform better the next time you go to the gym.
- Is working out six days a week too much?
Several people can function well with a five- or six-day workweek while working for one muscle group at a time. You can visit the gym more frequently if you’d like; be careful not to overwork your muscles. They require a break.
