Dr. Peter Gott offers sound medical answers to reader questions in the new Lifestyles section...
By TED SANTANIELLO, Fit Bits
Getting the proper rest after a workout can be just as important as the actual workout itself.
The body craves the chance to recover and adapt to what you have done to it at the gym. Recovery time is crucial to our entire workout program because, without it, we are just breaking down our muscles and skipping the "building time" that is necessary. Knowing how much "off time" you need from a workout will help avoid injury as well as get the results you want faster.
REST TIME
The reason we need rest is to enable our body to build itself back stronger than it was before a stressful workout. I say "stressful" because that's exactly what a workout should do, put added stress on the body. This should be something out of the ordinary that it isn't used to experiencing. Put simply, we exercise, we rest, and we adapt by becoming more efficient at the exercise. We will adapt best, though, if the exercise is more challenging than our normal daily demands on our body and we allow it time to adapt by taking the time off to recover. In fact, it is when we are sound asleep that most of the adaptations in our body take place. Our muscles are able to heal and grow stronger during this time, whether they are muscles in our arms, legs or heart.
Generally, the amount of rest needed depends on how intense the exercise is. Beyond that, rest time may also depend on other factors such as what you are training for, fitness level, illness, stress or whether you take part in any other physically strenuous activities during the day. More rest time is normally required for very intense exercise. To put this in perspective, a marathon runner who just completed a 26.2-mile race will need considerable time off, upwards of a week or more, depending on his or her fitness level.
However, someone who normally does a moderately intense cardio workout may only need 24 hours of recovery. It is all relative. To touch upon the other factors mentioned, those who are sick, have a lower fitness level, are stressed or work a physically demanding job may require more rest between sessions of exercise or should not work out at higher intensities yet.
BETTER BODIES
In a nutshell, the average person who exercises regularly should take about 48 hours of rest for more intense exercise such as strength training (lifting weights), and take 24 hours of rest for moderate cardiovascular exercise. Give yourself added time to recover if you are sick, stressed or if you are participating in any other intense physical activity during the day. Taking a recovery day because of one of these other factors doesn't have to mean doing absolutely nothing. You could just do a lighter version of what you would normally do, such as a lower level or less time on the treadmill. This is especially important so that we can keep our routine going without exhausting ourselves.
The purpose of exercise is to make our bodies better in some way. In order to keep moving forward in a program, it is important to realize that doing too much too soon can be just as detrimental as not exercising at all. To avoid any overtraining, always practice good recovery between workout sessions and listen to what your body is telling you. Excessive soreness is definitely an indicator that you may need a little more rest or an easy day. For general purposes, exercise should allow you to feel more energetic, uplift your state of mind and make everyday obstacles easier. It should not make you feel worse.
Ted Santaniello, CSCS, AFAA, is a certified personal trainer working at the Wellness Center at PARC, located at 295 New York road (next to ARC) in Plattsburgh. For more information, call him at 324-2024.
