When we’re feeling extra motivated and eager to see positive expected results, we may often push ourselves too far without even having a rest.
You may see various articles on “Take No Days Off, Persistence Pays Off” and feel like you have to train every single day intensely to see results. That’s true but not always!
The truth is, everyone is different and in a different stage of their training and daily routine it’s crucial that you listen to your body before you push yourself far beyond your limits.
Taking no days is off can be effective but doing that too long can exhaust you, increasing the risk of getting sick or even injured.
During your progress plateau, you might think that you don’t train enough as the desired result has slowed down. Have you ever think that it might also be because of other reasons?
Gurus Way fitness pros prepared this fitness article, taking into account the researches, advice, and tips from various fitness trainers and health care specialists.
If you notice ANY of these signs, think a moment – maybe it’s the right time to take a rest day!
1. You Still Feel Tired After Getting 6-9 Hours of Sleep
If you know you’re getting enough sleep, but you still feel tired and exhausted, take a rest day or better two.
Remember – the real transformation of your body happens during your sleep.
If you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re not giving your muscle enough time to have a rest. If they don’t take a break, you’ll not get the desired results.
2. You Keep Drinking Water But Aren’t Feeling Hydrated
Have you ever had a situation when you drink water but cannot seem to feel satisfied or hydrated?
This usually happens because of some reasons. If you’re training too hard, then it’s because you need to give your body some time to rest, restore, and rehydrate. Your body may be in a catabolic state – it’s a symptom of dehydration.
Health care pros say you should drink water regularly, 2 – 2.5 liter of water per day, even when you might not feel particularly thirsty. Follow this advice – it’s vital!
3. Your Muscles are Still Sore After 2-3 Days
Sometimes, when you train a particular muscle group of muscle intensely, it can be sore up to 2 days later. This happens because of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).
You may have faced with this situation after not training your legs for a while and then having a hard leg training day full of lunges and squats as well as doing long cardio.
No pain, No gain? We do agree. But without taking care after your health you won’t get to the final point.
Useful advice: If you’ve planned to train that muscle group two days later, but you’re still sore – better change your schedule.
Training when your muscles are really sore makes it harder for you to maintain good form. Give the muscles time to fully recover and rebuild before they are broken down again with exercise.
Related Article: Top 7 Muscle Gaining Foods
4. You Already Trained 5-6 Days This Week
Already had 5 or 6 days intensive training during a week? Hey! Take a break! You’re not Bruce Banner – your muscles need a certain amount of rest in order to strengthen and grow.
Although some sources suggest that muscles need 48 hours or more to recover from exercise, people are different. Perhaps your muscle system needs more time to recover.
If you already did a lot of good for your body have some rest and let your body recover.
5. You Felt Slow & Weak OR You Feel Nervous
It’s an indisputable fact that you can’t be strong all the time. So when you notice that your everyday workouts seem much harder than they normally do, it’s time to take a break.
If your body is tired and hardly wants to train in your last 2-3 workouts just remember a thing – you are probably too tired for the workout.
When you don’t get the required time to recover, every little thing starts to make you nervous. What’s even worse, you feel like anxiety keeps creeping around every corner. Think of your health!
Getting outside for some fresh air and moving a little bit can be your real best solutions. You’ll feel much better and a bit more energized. Pair that with a great night’s sleep and you should be good to go.
James is the Founder & CEO of GurusWay.com. Majoring in Business and other life-changing sectors, James covers helpful content and shares his experience with the targeted audience.