Getting stronger and building muscle requires hard work in the gym, but the process also depends on what happens outside of the gym between workouts. Many fitness enthusiasts wonder if taking rest days is necessary for muscle growth, or if they can train hard every day and see better results. The truth is that rest and recovery play a crucial role in muscle building.
What happens during muscle growth?
To understand why rest days are important, it helps to first look at what happens in the body during muscle growth. When you strength train, you create small tears in your muscle fibers. This muscle damage triggers the release of inflammatory molecules and growth factors that activate muscle building pathways.
The process begins with muscle protein breakdown during exercise. Then, in the hours after training, protein synthesis ramps up to repair the damage and reinforce the muscles. This synthesis can increase muscle size and strength over time. However, it takes 24-48 hours for protein synthesis to completely repair the damaged muscle tissue.
Why rest days boost muscle growth
Muscle growth occurs during the rest and recovery periods between workouts, not just during training. Rest days allow time for the muscle repair and rebuilding process to fully run its course. Here’s a closer look at the key benefits of rest for muscle growth:
Allows muscles to fully recover and adapt
Without adequate rest between workouts, residual fatigue and remaining muscle damage can accumulate. This incomplete recovery means muscles never quite adapt to the workout stresses placed on them. Taking rest days gives your muscles the downtime they need to fully recover and then come back stronger.
Prevents overtraining
Overtraining occurs when the demands of exercise outpace the body’s ability to recover. It can happen when rest days are inadequate or duration and intensity of training is too high. Overtraining places excessive strain on muscles and the nervous system. This leads to stagnation or declines in performance, accompanied by fatigue, pain, and loss of motivation.
Allows maximal protein synthesis
As mentioned, protein synthesis peaks in the 24-48 hours after a workout then tapers off. Without rest days, new protein synthesis can’t fully happen before the next bout of muscle breakdown during training. Take a day off between weight training sessions to allow protein synthesis to work at full capacity.
Resets the nervous system
Intense exercise stresses not just the muscular system, but also the nervous system. The central nervous system controls coordinated movement and needs time to recover after heavy lifting. Rest days relieve the accumulated neural fatigue that impairs strength performance and muscle activation.
How many rest days per week?
Most experts recommend taking at least 1-2 rest days per week when strength training. The ideal weekly split often depends on your training level and recovery capacity:
Beginners
2-3 weight training sessions per week, with rest days in between each session. This provides ample recovery for muscle novices. Total weekly volume and intensity is lower at this stage.
Intermediates
3-5 weight training sessions per week. Many choose to do full body workouts 2-3 days a week, upper/lower splits, or push/pull/leg splits over 4-5 days. 1-2 rest days allows muscles to recover between sessions.
Advanced
4-6 weight training sessions per week. Veteran lifters can better tolerate higher volumes and more frequent training. But at least 1 rest day is still ideal, with 2 days off also sensible.
Should you ever train daily?
Is it ever okay to strength train daily without rest? While daily training may work for a short period, it is difficult to sustain long-term due to accumulated fatigue. There are a few scenarios where back-to-back weightlifting workouts or daily training may be appropriate:
Alternating muscle groups
You can strength train daily if you alternate between upper body and lower body splits. This ensures muscle groups get a day to rest while different areas are trained.
Changing rep ranges
Varying your rep ranges daily, such as heavy and light training days, can allow for consecutive weightlifting sessions. Lighter recovery workouts prevent overtraining between intense sessions.
Advanced trainees
Some very advanced lifters with years of training experience may be able to manage the fatigue and recovery demands of daily training for short periods. This shouldn’t be attempted as a beginner.
Other recovery methods
While rest days are important, there are other recovery techniques that can complement your downtime to enhance muscle growth:
Sleep
Aim for 7-9 hours per night. Sufficient sleep helps muscles recover and synthesizes muscle building hormones.
Nutrition
Eat sufficient protein and calories, and hydrate well, to supply your body with the raw materials it needs for muscle repair and growth.
Massage
Massage helps flush out residual muscle soreness and tension. Self-myofascial release with a foam roller can be effective too.
Stretching
Gentle static stretching returns muscles to their normal resting length after intense training.
Active recovery
Low intensity active recovery work, like easy cycling or a swim, boosts blood flow to enhance muscle repair without added fatigue.
How to determine if you need more rest
Your individual recovery abilities determine how much rest you need between workouts. Here are some signs you may require an extra rest day:
Signs You Need More Rest |
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– Performance decreasing |
– Muscle soreness not resolving |
– Pain during exercise |
– Increased perceived effort |
– Lack of motivation |
– Disrupted sleep |
– General fatigue |
– Elevated resting heart rate |
Takeaways on rest days for muscle growth
Here are the key points to remember on the importance of rest for building muscle:
Muscle growth occurs during recovery, not training
The process of repairing and reinforcing muscle happens in between exercise sessions.
Rest days prevent overtraining
Adequate rest prevents excessive accumulated fatigue that impairs progress.
Protein synthesis requires rest
Protein synthesis needs 24-48 hours after a workout to fully act.
Nervous system recovery
The nervous system needs downtime to restore coordinated neuromuscular function.
1-2 rest days recommended
Most experts advise at least 1-2 rest days per week for optimal strength gains.
The bottom line on rest days
Rest and recovery are just as crucial as training for muscle growth. Allowing muscles adequate time to fully repair and adapt between workouts provides the ideal environment for muscular development. While a small portion of people can tolerate more frequent training, most will benefit from incorporating 1-2 rest days per week into their regimen when strength training. Pay attention to your body’s signals – if you start to feel excessive fatigue, loss of performance, lack of motivation or other symptoms, insert an additional rest day. Balancing demanding workouts with restorative rest is the best formula for maximizing gains.