3500: How and When To Take a Break from Working Out and When is the Best Time to Take a Rest Day from Exercise

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[00:01:22] Welcome back to another special Friday edition of Optimal Health Daily, where I answer your questions. On the other days, I read health and fitness blogs to you, kind of like an audiobook. As I always say, I want this to be a place where you can learn about the truth, where we can break through some of those myths about health and wellness, and allow you to hopefully get the latest and most valid information. So, let's hear today's question and start optimizing your life.

[00:01:52] Hi, Dr. Neal Malik. Love the podcast. Keep up the great work. My question is about the most optimal time during the week to take a rest day. I like to run three days per week and lift weights three days per week, alternating the running and the lifting days. Run days include one speed day on the track, relatively easy pace day, three to five miles, and a long run day about six to ten miles. Weight lifting days include a circuit training day, low weight, high reps with very little rest between each lift. Another day doing moderate weight, medium reps with one to two minutes rest between each sets.

[00:02:21] And one strength training day doing four to five sets of each exercise using heavy weight, low reps, and longer rest between sets. If I were going to take one day off per week after which workout would make the most sense from a physiological perspective to optimize gains. Thanks. Hi, Travis. Thank you for your comments and your kind words. I'm so glad you find this show useful. With regards to your routine, I was impressed with how balanced it already is.

[00:02:47] It sounds like you're regularly exercising six days a week with quite a bit of variety. In my experience, most folks show up to the gym without a plan at all. They walk in, look around, find a machine that's empty, and park themselves there while they play on their phone. Instead of concentrating on the moves that they're doing, they're concentrating on their game of Tetris or wordscapes. I know your question was about rest days specifically, but I have one recommendation.

[00:03:13] Again, I can tell that you've given your workouts quite a bit of thought and have planned them out quite nicely by mixing both high volume and strength training along with different cardio intensities. If you end up hitting a plateau or getting bored at any point, you can consider incorporating days where you only work one body part. Let's say shoulders are your weak spot. Wait, shoulders aren't your weak spot? Just mine, according to some unnamed family members?

[00:03:39] Well, whatever. If they do become a weak spot for you, you could take a day and just target your shoulders. Or a variation on that would be one lift days where you perform one movement until you can't anymore. Ideally, make this a safe but compound movement like pull-ups or push-ups. That way, when you're trying to squeeze in that last rep, you don't end up dropping a bar on your head or injuring your back, which may happen if you were to do bench presses, squats, or deadlifts.

[00:04:07] And after one of these variations, since you will likely be pretty gassed, you'll likely want to take a rest day. See? I was going to get around to answering your question eventually. So I would say take a rest day after a particularly grueling workout. The workout may have gone really well, but the next day you're sore all over. That means it's time to take a rest day. Or let's say during your workout you're struggling a bit. Moves that felt easy before now feel clunky and difficult. Maybe every second you spend working out feels like an hour.

[00:04:36] Or you find your heart's just not in it. That may be a sign that it's time for a rest day. Now let me be clear about what a rest day really means. It means that you go a bit easy on yourself. It doesn't mean you lay on the couch and binge watch season 2 of The Punisher on Netflix. Instead, you get up and move your body, but in different ways. Think about a rest day as a mix-things-up day. Spend an hour performing some active stretching. Or an hour of yoga. Or maybe go for a light jog.

[00:05:05] Or do something active and fun like paddle boarding. Notice, with all of these examples, you're still moving, but just not as intensely or at the same volume as before. Of course, this advice goes out of the window if you're injured or sick. Then, please listen to your doctor. I should also mention that you may even need a full rest week. Again, this doesn't mean you get to lay in bed all week. Instead, think about other ways to stay active without doing your normal routine. On Monday, go for a long walk at the beach. On Tuesday, try archery.

[00:05:35] No joke, I did this and my hands, arms, and shoulders were pretty sore the next day. On Friday, take a dance lesson. Yes, I actually did this too, and no, I'm not going to share that experience with you. Okay, you twisted my arm. Let's just say my dancing partner probably needed their toes reattached to their feet, because I stepped on them so much. I think you get the idea. Bottom line, a rest day or even a rest week isn't really resting in the traditional way we think about it. Instead, use this time to mix things up.

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[00:09:23] Alright, that's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily. Thank you so much for listening every day and all the way through. I hope you have a great start to your weekend. And I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.