How important is the rest day?

Hello,

I have cerebral palsy and so far I have been stretching 1h every day for 5 months . Although now I am able to get only the tips of my fingers to the ground, I am pleased with the outcome. Today I started with the GST program and look forward to see even more development in my mobility. :-)

I have a question - how important is the rest day (one day per week, as recommended)?

 During one rest day my muscles get really tight and it doesn´t let me enjoy the daily activities... As well, during the rest days I am quickly loosing interest toward exercises, wishing to take another (and another...and another...) rest day. Without the rest days I feel great and I am looking forward exercises (without experiencing any problems with inner discipline).

In longer term, does it slow down my development if I skip the rest days? Maybe I can just take it easier for one day without skipping completely?

Thank you for your advice.

Ingrit

Hi Ingrit,

Thanks for reaching out. You should take at least one day off from strength training each week. However, your rest day does not need to be 100% rest on the couch. Light stretching like the daily limber from Fundamentals or some easy cardio like hiking or jogging are great ways to actively recover. As long as you don't push it too hard, your body will appreciate the movement and you will still recover really well. Sometimes it is good to take a full day off and just relax. The most important thing is that you are making steady improvement and staying healthy.

Thank You :-)

Hi Ingrit,

In your specific situation, feel free to skip scheduled rest days.  If daily training helps you to deal with cerebral palsy and increases your quality of life, then by all means do so!  Simply scale back the intensity of your workouts to accomodate the increased volume.

Just be sensitive to take a rest day when you feel that you need one.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

Thank You :-)