Learn · Rest days
Rest days: how many you need and what to do on them
A rest day isn't a day off from getting fitter. It's the day your body actually does it. Here's why rest days matter, how many you need, what to do with them, and the honest answer to whether it's OK to work out every day.
General information, not medical advice. For an injury, or pain that is severe or not improving, see a doctor or physiotherapist.
A rest day is a day with no planned training, so your body can refuel, repair and adapt. Most people who train regularly benefit from at least one or two rest days a week, more when starting out. Moving every day is healthy; training hard every day isn't. On a rest day, sleep well, eat enough, stay lightly active if you like, and let sore areas recover.
Why rest days matter
Training is the question; recovery is the answer. A workout tires you out and creates tiny amounts of wear. On the days in between, your body repairs that wear and builds itself back a little stronger. No rest days means no time for that to happen, so you stack tiredness instead of fitness.
Adaptation to training happens during recovery: muscle fuel (glycogen) is restored over roughly 24 hours,[1] muscle protein synthesis stays raised for up to 48 hours after resistance exercise,[2] and damaged tissue is repaired. The 2013 ECSS/ACSM consensus on overtraining stresses that successful training must avoid the combination of excessive overload and inadequate recovery.[3] How recovery works →
What happens on a rest day
How many rest days a week?
| Where you are | Rest days a week (starting point) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | 2–4 | Leave a day between harder sessions while your body adapts |
| Training regularly | 1–2 | Mix hard days with easy days, plus at least one full rest day |
| Competitive athlete | At least 1, plus planned easy days | Coaches also plan lighter weeks every few weeks |
| Strength training | Rest each muscle group between sessions | The ACSM recommends training each major muscle group 2–3 days a week[6] |
These are coaching starting points, not rules from a study. Age, sleep, stress, how hard the sessions are and how long you've been training all change the answer. If you're showing signs of overtraining, you need more rest, whatever the plan says.
Is it OK to work out every day?
Moving every day: yes, that's great. Training hard every day: no. The trick is that not every day has to be a hard day. Walks, easy rides, swims and mobility work all count as movement without piling on fatigue.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends moderate-intensity cardio on at least 5 days a week (at least 150 minutes in total) and resistance training for each major muscle group on 2–3 days a week. That's daily movement, but with varied intensity, and with recovery time between sessions that hit the same muscles.[6]
Signs you need a rest day today
Common signs, drawn from the overtraining consensus:[3]
- You're still sore or heavy-legged from the last session.
- You slept badly or not enough.
- Your usual warm-up feels unusually hard.
- You're irritable, flat or dreading the session.
- Your resting heart rate is higher than usual, if you track it.
- You're getting ill, or a niggle is getting worse.
What to do on a rest day
- Sleep. A regular bedtime and enough hours. Short sleep is linked to more sports injuries.[5]
- Eat enough. Rest days aren't starvation days: your body is using food to rebuild. Include carbohydrate to refill muscle fuel[1] and protein for repair.[2]
- Drink. Replace what you sweated out in training.
- Move gently, if you like. A walk, an easy swim, mobility or gentle yoga. This is what people mean by a "rest day workout". Active recovery ideas →
- Cool the areas that worked hardest while you put your feet up.
- Do something that isn't training. Time with friends, a hobby, getting outside.
What not to do on a rest day
- Sneak in a hard session because you feel guilty. A "light" workout that turns into a hard one isn't a rest day.
- Cut food right back because you're not training.
- Stay up late because there's no early session.
- Spend the whole day completely still if you're stiff: gentle movement usually feels better.
Will I lose muscle or fitness on a rest day?
No. Rest days are when muscle is built, not lost. Losing fitness takes weeks of not training enough, not a day or two off inside a normal training week.
Muscle protein synthesis was still 34% above resting levels 48 hours after a resistance session, so much of the building happens on the days after training.[2] Research on detraining studies the loss of adaptations from insufficient training stimulus over weeks;[7] a planned rest day within a week that still includes regular training isn't the same thing.
Rest day or active recovery day?
| Full rest day | Active recovery day | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | No planned exercise | Easy movement, about 2–4 out of 10 effort |
| Choose it when | You're very tired, ill, run down, or it's been a big week | You're a bit stiff or sore but otherwise fine |
| Main benefit | A full physical and mental break | Feeling less stiff and keeping the routine |
Where Recoolvery+ fits
Recoolvery+ is not an ice pack. It's a cooling recovery wrap with freezable HypoCarbon® pads that conduct heat 15× better than ice.[8][9] On a rest day, strap it on the knees, shoulders, elbows, ankles or back that took the most load this week and cool them hands-free for 15–60 minutes while you put your feet up.[10]
Questions
How many rest days a week do I need?
Most people who train regularly do well with one or two full rest days a week, plus easier days in between hard sessions. Beginners often need more. Competitive athletes usually take at least one rest day and plan lighter weeks.
Is it OK to work out every day?
Moving every day is healthy, but training hard every day isn't. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends moderate cardio on at least 5 days a week and strength training for each major muscle group on 2 to 3 days a week, which leaves recovery time between harder sessions.
What should I do on a rest day?
Sleep well, eat enough protein and carbohydrate, drink enough, and if you like, do gentle movement such as walking, mobility or an easy swim. Cooling sore areas and doing something you enjoy outside training also help.
Do you lose muscle on rest days?
No. Muscle is built during recovery, and muscle protein synthesis stays raised for up to about 48 hours after strength training. Fitness losses come from weeks of insufficient training, not from planned rest days.
Should I take a rest day if I'm sore?
If you're very sore, tired or slept badly, yes, or make it an easy active recovery day. Mild soreness is fine for light activity, but avoid another hard session on the same sore muscles.
What is a rest day workout?
Light movement on a rest day, such as walking, easy cycling, swimming, mobility work or gentle yoga, kept at an easy effort where you can hold a full conversation.
References
- Burke LM, van Loon LJC, Hawley JA. Postexercise muscle glycogen resynthesis in humans. Journal of Applied Physiology, 2017. doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00860.2016
- Phillips SM, Tipton KD, Aarsland A, Wolf SE, Wolfe RR. Mixed muscle protein synthesis and breakdown after resistance exercise in humans. American Journal of Physiology, 1997. doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.1997.273.1.E99
- Meeusen R, Duclos M, Foster C, et al. Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the overtraining syndrome (ECSS/ACSM joint consensus). Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2013. doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e318279a10a
- Armstrong RB. Mechanisms of exercise-induced delayed onset muscular soreness: a brief review. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 1984. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6392811/
- Milewski MD, Skaggs DL, Bishop GA, et al. Chronic lack of sleep is associated with increased sports injuries in adolescent athletes. Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, 2014. doi.org/10.1097/BPO.0000000000000151
- Garber CE, Blissmer B, Deschenes MR, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2011. doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e318213fefb
- Mujika I, Padilla S. Detraining: loss of training-induced physiological and performance adaptations. Part I: short term insufficient training stimulus. Sports Medicine, 2000. doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200030020-00002
- HypoCarbon® thermal conductivity (35.0 W/m·K): Global Healthcare SG in-house testing of the proprietary formulation. Unpublished company data, available to clinical and trade partners on request.
- Slack GA. Thermal conductivity of ice. Physical Review B, 1980. doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.22.3065
- Recoolvery+ product specifications and care guide: session length, refreeze time, pad life and materials. recoolvery.com/products/recoolvery-wrap
Recoolvery+
Cooling for your recovery routine
Not an ice pack. Freezable HypoCarbon® pads in a hands-free wrap for the knee, shoulder, elbow, ankle and back. HypoCarbon® conducts heat 15× better than ice. Cold only, no heating.
See the Recoolvery+ Wrap