When you enter the CrossFit® world, you throw yourself so headlong and become so much a part of us that we never want to do the rest day. We tend to postpone rest just to relieve tension and daily stress with heavy and intense WODs.
The fact is that when you are at home the day seems endless, we lack the atmosphere of the garage, muscle fatigue and the feeling of having closed a WOD; as if we were wasting time.
The reality, however, is another: the day of rest it has the same importance of training days.
Every time we train, our muscles suffer micro-injuries. They are recovered within a few days of training and by the end of this process the muscle is stronger and better prepared for physical activity. This course is completely normal and beneficial, but a pause is essential to take place correctly.
One of the main factors of accident in athletes it is precisely the training volume. Even if the muscles are very strong, the injury occurs when the body's limits are exceeded. Never stop is an almost safe way to make it happen.
Then, why is rest day so important?
Index
1. To avoid muscle exhaustion
It seems simple to understand that a rested body pays more, but the importance of the rest day goes far beyond recharging your energy before burning it again. The training does not end when you leave the box, because the body continues to work to process all the progress we make with the exercises.
When we train we get great results on a muscular level, but if it is too much we risk the muscle failure. On rest days, there is no WOD but total standstill. Rest is essential for growing muscles to develop, exploiting their full potential.
2. But then, how many days do I have to rest?
Many times we tend to mimic the training routines of the great elite athletes, training up to 6 days a week at full capacity. We do not take into consideration the fact that these athletes live for this sport and have a group of specialists behind them who control every detail of their training and nutrition.
It is recommended that CrossFit® enthusiasts train from 3 to 4 days a week, maintaining a day for an absolute rest and the rest of the days to do remain active.
3. Consequences of a bad rest
When we overdo it, we talk about overtraining, that is, tiredness and loss of energy begin to appear force. Furthermore, it significantly increases the number of muscle injuries.
The consequences of excessive training are not just physical. Muscle stress without due rest can cause fatigue, exhaustion, weakness, irritability, distraction and even metabolic injury or decompensation.
4. What to do during the rest day?
Resting doesn't necessarily mean spending 24 hours sitting on the couch watching TV. It's a day off for promote physical well-being. The only recommendation is to keep one balanced diet, since the metabolism can spend a lot of energy processing heavy foods. A nutritious menu - to strengthen the body's defenses - and easily digestible would be ideal.
Those who can't stand still can opt for relaxing exercises. Yoga or pilates, for example, that balance body and mind. Also there light walking it can be a good compromise, but what matters is personal satisfaction. We know that many people need to move to feel better!