3507: Lighter Days vs. Complete Rest by Ross Enamait of Ross Training on Workout Recovery

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[00:00:55] This is Optimal Health Daily. Lighter days versus complete rest. By Ross Enamait of RossTraining.com. And I'm Dr. Neal Malik, reading you some of the most popular health and fitness blogs out there. With permission from the websites, of course. And now don't forget, we have a bunch of shows where we narrate articles for you. Just search for Optimal Living Daily, wherever you're hearing this, to find all of them. And with that, I'm going to keep this intro nice and short. So let's get right to it as we optimize.

[00:01:24] Your life. Lighter days versus complete rest. By Ross Enamait of RossTraining.com. In a recent entry, I stated that it's rare for me to not perform some type of exercise on any given day. Following that statement, I received several questions from people asking if or why I'm against complete rest.

[00:01:50] Many seem to believe that we all need at least one rest day per week to facilitate recovery. Personally, my own experience tells me otherwise. That doesn't mean I'm opposed to complete rest, however. I've simply found what works best for my body and encourage everyone else to do the same. Know your body. As a young athlete, I was always told to rest on Sunday. As a result, Sunday became my rest day for many years.

[00:02:17] I never questioned or second-guessed the idea that we all need a rest day each week. It's what everyone did. We'd rest on Sunday and be back in the gym on Monday. Ironically, though, Monday was never my best day of training. I always seemed a bit flat at the start of the week. Tuesday was almost always a better day for me. I felt better after a day of training than after a day of rest.

[00:02:42] As time passed, I began to experiment with moving my rest day to another day in the week. It didn't matter which day I rested, though. The result was always the same. I never felt quite as sharp the next day. The only solution that worked for me was to make my rest day a lighter day of training and or movement. Sample day As for what I do on a rest day, it all depends on how I feel. It's not something I can predict in advance.

[00:03:10] I don't have a crystal ball that tells me how I'll feel tomorrow. Therefore, it's important for me to make real-time decisions based on the feedback my body provides. Typically speaking, a lighter day for me may include activities such as hand-eye coordination training, calisthenics, jump rope, shadowboxing, light bag work like speed bag and double end bag, light conditioning, and hiking.

[00:03:35] After posting a video working out, I had a few people question my sanity for working so hard on a so-called rest day. Once again, though, I'm just listening to my body and pushing myself when I'm up for the challenge. If I was feeling run down, I may have just opted for a walk or some light hand-eye coordination drills. What I do depends on how I feel. I'm not locked into any paper plan. Furthermore, my lighter days consist of exercises that I'm comfortable performing.

[00:04:05] For example, I've been skipping rope for over 30 years and I've swung a sledgehammer for over 20. I'm not going to run myself into the ground by working with either for 10 or 15 minutes on any given day. My body is acclimated to these exercises so I can use them regularly with success without fear of burnout. You do you. When I write this type of entry, it's important to understand that I'm not making a universal recommendation.

[00:04:32] There are plenty of people who prefer rest days without exercise. If that's what works for you, I am all for it. I'm only sharing my own experience. It might not work for you and you certainly don't need to agree with me. I'm just providing another option that some might wish to try. Ultimately, we are all unique, so there will never be a one-size-fits-all approach that satisfies the masses. It's important to find what works for you.

[00:04:59] And what works for you now might differ from what works for you in the future. Always be willing and ready to adapt and evolve when necessary. Final thoughts. If nothing else, I hope this entry serves as a reminder that the conventional school of thought doesn't always make sense. It took me a long time to realize that my personality and temperament weren't built for complete rest. As a result, I had to go against the grain and find what worked for me.

[00:05:27] As I've said before, I'm not here to tell you how to train. Instead, I'd rather give you ideas while encouraging you to think for yourself. That's the only way you'll ever get to truly know your body and what's best for it. Quote, You just listened to the post titled,

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[00:07:25] Getting help from one of State Farm's 19,000 local agents when you choose to bundle home and auto. Bundling. Just another way to save with the personal price plan. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings, and eligibility vary by state. Dr. Neal here for my commentary. Ross is right. Allowing the body to recover is crucial to allow it to heal and perform optimally. But a day on the couch,

[00:07:54] binging Netflix may not be what the body actually needs. Do you remember the best advice for that day after a grueling workout and dealing with that delayed onset muscle soreness? The best advice isn't to reward yourself with an off day. I know your brain may be telling you it's the right thing to do, but your muscles are telling you a different story. When your muscles are sore, and this soreness is caused by a particularly intense workout, not an injury,

[00:08:23] they're actually craving more movement, more activity. So we need to find a way to gently work those sore muscles again. This is because when they're sore, they're starting to tighten up and there's some slight damage to the actual muscle tissue, which is causing that feeling of soreness. To relieve the muscles from this tension and pain, we need to stretch them out and work them again, but at a very gentle lower intensity.

[00:08:50] So let's say your legs are sore from performing too many squats. Go for a light walk. Not a run, not a jog, just a casual stroll and then some light stretching after. This will bring more oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to those sore muscles, which is exactly what they need in order to heal. So what does this have to do with Ross's article? Well, maybe he's right. Some of us may not really need rest days,

[00:09:18] but instead active recovery days, days when we perform some lighter intensity exercises to actually help us recover better. All right, that'll do it for today. I'll be back here tomorrow for our usual Friday Q&A, so stay tuned for that where your optimal life awaits. I'll be back here tomorrow for our final minutes. We'll be back here tomorrow for your final minutes. We'll be back at round one more. You're back at the time. We'll see you next time.