Regardless of whether you’re a novice athlete or a professional athlete, it’s always important to make time for a little R & R. Periods of rest are instrumental in helping to make sure you get the most out of your workout. In fact, the days off from working out are equally as important as the physical routine itself. Exercise breaks down the muscles on a microscopic level. On the days when you aren’t working out, the muscles have time to recover and strengthen. Recovery enables the body to refill energy stores and fix damaged tissues. During a workout, the muscle tissue breaks down and energy stores are depleted — there is also fluid loss. Not allowing time for recovery can cause the muscles to grow stiff or sore. This in turn can result in injury. Experts recommend that people only work each muscle group once or twice a week to prevent overtraining, injuries and other complications.

Symptoms of overtraining include feelings of malaise, staleness, depression, poor performance and more risk of injury. According to livestong.com, muscles don’t recover from a strength training workout for at least 7 to 10 days. That means plenty of rest is required to help the muscle recover while also boosting muscle mass. Without proper rest, you are setting yourself up for overtraining and other issues. There are occurrences of severe muscle damage where athletes did not let the muscles fully heal. To ensure that you are implementing enough periods of rest, maintain a training log where you record your workout sessions. With it there in black and white, you can set aside your days off from working out.