Days Off

Taking a day off, when you’re on a hot steak, can be really hard. It feels like you’ll let momentum slip through your hands and you’ll continue skipping days in the gym. The good news for you, you need to take rest days.

When we give our body the opportunity to rest, we actually make progress. Our muscles adapt to the stress we’ve been giving them and when we hit the gym again, they’re more prepared to handle the load.
While it can feel counterintuitive that skipping a day at the gym will ensure progress, it’s the truth. Without taking a day off, we risk over stressing our system. When we train, we create stress in our body. In turn, our body makes adjustments so it can better handle the stimulus next time.

Pushing through when you’re feeling banged up may feel like the right choice to keep momentum going. More times than not, shutting it down pays better. It should also be noted, this is an opportunity to call an audible.

That momentum can be key in keeping you going. That’s why, instead of skipping all together, doing something different, a shake up workout can be valuable. This would be a good opportunity to roll, stretch and open up a bit. It could be taking 15 minutes on the bike and getting sweaty, working on breathing. Or maybe it’s dragging the sled around to promote blood flow.

No matter what, recognize that your body will need some recovery time. Go, go, go will eventually run out. Are you able to notice that and recognize it in your body? Or are you ignoring its signals? 

Justin Miner

@portsmouthcoach