Athletes who stop taking “rest days” regret it

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Taking “rest days” is part and parcel of living a healthy, athletic life. However, the hustle-and-grind culture is changing many people’s protocols. Instead of working from Monday to Thursday and then taking the rest of the week off, many fitness fanatics are storming all the way through, working out every day of the week and suffering the consequences. 

“The risk of physical and neurological injury rises quite sharply as the body becomes increasingly overtrained,” says the Salisbury Physiotherapy Clinic, a private neurophysiotherapy specialist. “Tissues and cells need room to carry out essential reparative work, but can’t if under constant strain and pressure.”

Overtraining syndrome is a serious issue in competitive and athletic circles and is often the main reason athletes take career breaks. It can lead to long periods of time out, especially given its relationship to other conditions, like burnout and fatigue. 

The primary issue with overtraining is the inability of muscle and nerve cells to recover. During exercise, these tissues undergo stress which exposes them to mild damage. Theories suggest physical tears and oxygen-free radical damage lead to inflammation that requires recovery for the body to come back stronger. However, individuals engaging in overtraining never provide the deep physiological rest required. Then, when they return to the gym, they experience injuries because they are in a weakened state. 

“Rest is often the best medicine for highly motivated people who love to train,” says the Salisbury Physiotherapy Clinic. “Even taking several months off can be beneficial, especially after an injury, allowing the body to recover and get back to full strength.”

Overtraining, though, isn’t merely a muscle-related phenomenon; it also involves the mind. Training takes a serious toll on the central nervous system which, as physical tissue, also requires time to adjust and reset after bouts of intensity. After exercise, new stem cells take time to arrive in their new locations, meaning that signal transmission can suffer in the interim. 

How long people need to rest between exercise sessions depends on their unique physiology. Rare individuals who adapt quickly can train perhaps five or six times a week, but these individuals are in the minority. Most trainers need around three to four days off per week when they do light exercise, like walking or gardening. Going to the gym and hitting the…