5 Expert-Approved Rest Day Workouts

When you’re working toward a fitness goal like running a 10K or making it to the top of the leaderboard in your Spin class, taking a rest day may seem counterproductive. After all, the more hard work and sweat you put in, the better result you’ll get, right? 

In reality, the opposite couldn’t be more true. Rest days are crucial to help propel you to your fitness goals. Your muscles need to take time off from working hard in order to rest, recover, and rebuild. 

That being said, you don’t need to sit around with your feet up when a rest day rolls around. Light movement like walking, swimming, or cycling may actually be beneficial to helping you recover faster. Here are some ideas for rest day workouts, and how to know when you’re overdoing it and when you’re getting enough, well, rest. 

Why Are Rest Days Important, Exactly? 

Think of rest days as not just a chance for you to take a break from hitting the weights or the treadmill, but also a chance for your muscles to recover. 

“Rest days are very important because they allow the body to fully recover,” says CJ Hammond, XPS certified personal trainer. “You don’t want to work out muscle groups when they are exhausted because it can lead to injury. Exhausted muscles can minimize the amount of results the body could yield. Our body is the most important machine, [and] it can adapt to stress and thrive in that same environment which will lead to the physical changes we're looking for. Rest is important because you need to replenish the energy system and detoxify the oxidation the body is going through during strength training.” 

More specifically, your muscle tissues are experiencing micro tears when you train, and resting gives them the chance they need to rebuild and get stronger, explains Jonathan Roussel, certified personal trainer. “When working out, you're putting your muscles through micro-traumas (tears in your muscle tissue) which cause soreness. You need to allow them time to recover,” he says.

Plus, Roussel says, your body could use the mental break, too, so you can come back motivated for the next day. “A mental break is essential in avoiding any fitness burnout,” he says. 

How Many Rest Days Should You Take? 

How many rest days you’ll want to take each week depends on a few factors, like how often you work out, how intense your workouts are, and your fitness level. Roussel recommends basing your rest days on the following: 

• If you are getting back into fitness after an injury or break: 3
• You work out several days a week/you’re in good physical shape: 2
• You’re an avid or seasoned athlete: 1

Of course, some weeks you may need an extra rest day or two, and that’s completely OK. It’s important to listen to your body. “If you notice that you are plateauing with your strength gains or performance gains, it is important to step away from the strength training and implement yoga, soft tissue work or massages,” recommends Hammond.

Five Workouts for Rest Days