Last week we talked INTENSITY. To make your muscles grow, lift heavy enough to make them say, “Whoa!” (around 70-85% of your max) and aim for 6-12 reps. Give them 1-2 minutes to sip their “muscle margarita” between sets, so they stay fired up but not too tired!
Now, let’s talk rest and recovery (…um YES PLEASE!). I am going to keep this simple… YOU NEED REST DAYS. Respectfully, the “Team ‘No Days Off’ ” people are full of shit. Yes, you need to move your body daily in a gentle way, but high intensity exercises and lifting (the sort you need to get results) should NOT be done 6-7 days a week and is not productive.
Your muscles need 24-48 hours to chill out after a tough workout because that’s when they rebuild and get stronger—like a mini spa day for them. If you hit them with high-intensity exercise every day, it’s like never letting them finish their “spa treatment”—they get grumpy, tired, and more likely to throw a fit (aka get injured). Let them relax, and they’ll thank you by coming back stronger!
If you do high-intensity exercise 6-7 days a week, your muscles will eventually stage a rebellion! Instead of getting stronger, they’ll get tired, cranky, and start throwing tantrums in the form of injuries and burnout. It’s like trying to party every night—eventually, even the toughest muscles need a break, or they’ll just stop showing up!
What’s worse is that too much high intensity/heavy exercise can not only wreak havoc on your muscular growth but it can really EFF up other aspects of your life! If you do high-intensity exercise 6-7 days a week, your body might start acting like a tired toddler on a sugar crash! Your energy levels tank, sleep becomes a mess, and your immune system waves the white flag, making you more likely to get sick. Plus, you’ll feel like you’re running on fumes, chugging coffee just to survive the day—your body might love a challenge, but even it doesn’t want to be stuck in beast mode 24/7!
You can definitely do workouts a couple days in a row, but you DO need to take 1-2 days off in between to get results. On those days off you could do a light jog or walk, yoga, and/or some sort of low impact and less intense exercise.
Some formats people like are 2 on one off, 2 on. or alternating strength and zone 2 (easy) cardio. I personally like to do 4 days strength and mix in some running and yoga, but take those rest days to move your body in away you love and don’t go ham!
Next week…we are talking about lifestyle habits outside the gym:). I got some good pointers for ya so stay tuned!
