Rest is a Weapon

I borrowed a line from the book The Bourne Identity for the title of this post; Rest is a weapon.  Getting enough rest is probably the biggest mistake that people make with a fitness program. Mistakes happen both during the exercise and with not getting enough rest outside of the gym.  Rest during a workout is determined by the overall objective of the program while rest outside of the gym is determined by the amount of recovery required between workouts.  To start we will address the aspect of rest during a workout. 

How to rest during a workout is determined by the goal.  If the goal is to lose weight you want to rest as little as possible or not rest if you are fit enough.   If you are going rest do so at a 2:1 work to rest ratio.  As an example, you will want to perform a weight-training exercise or cardio for two minutes at a high intensity.  During the two minutes complete many reps as possible or perform cardio sprints.  After the two minutes are up rest for exactly one minute and then repeat alternating two minutes of work with one minute of rest.   This pattern can be used to work one minute and rest 30 seconds or four minutes of work with two minutes of rest.  Vary the lengths of the time to condition the different energy systems but keep the same 2:1 work to rest ratio.  Altering a high intensity with brief rest periods will burn more calories during exercise and lead to greater fat loss.

          
Rest is different when strength training to improve muscle mass and power.  This gives muscles more time to recover in between sets to allow complete recovery of the energy systems.  This complete recovery of the muscles will allow for greater muscle fiber recruitment and use during subsequent sets.  When most people think of exercising they are more familiar with this style of resting.  Pay attention here this is optimal muscular gain and harmful to body fat loss; too much rest and not enough movement.  When performing sets for muscular endurance, typically between 12-20 reps with light weight, around 40-50% of 1 rep max (RM), rest should be capped at 45 seconds.  If you are performing sets for muscular hypertrophy (growth) with medium weight of 60-70% of 1RM for reps of 8-12 reps, rest should be 90 seconds-2 minutes.  Muscular strength is trained at 70-80% of 1 RM for 4-8 reps, resting 3-4 minutes.  Power is trained and 75-85% of 1 RM for 1-4 reps, resting 3-4 minutes.

Training	Weight Range	Rep Range	Rest Period
Muscular Endurance	40-50% of 1RM	12-20	45 seconds or less
Muscular Hypertrophy	60-70% of 1 RM	8-12	90 seconds to 2 minutes
Muscular Strength	70-80% of 1 RM	4-8	2-3 minutes
Muscular Power	75-85% of 1 RM	1-4 reps	3-4 Minutes

Resting outside of the gym is often overlooked or done improperly.  A muscle group must receive a minimum of 48 hours of rest between workouts for full recovery.  This also applies to a total body workout.  If you train total body the entire body must rest for at least 48 hours before training again.

Another common way to rest is the concept of deloading. Deloading is done in one of two ways. The first option is to perform the foundational exercises of the program but with lighter weights, typically around 50% of a maximal effort. The second method of deloading involves taking a defined period of time as a complete break from exercise. Save this second method for when you are sick or going on vacation. The more challenging a program is, the more frequently a period of deloading is necessary. My program is bases around performing four exercises in the muscular strength and power repetition ranges: Hang Cleans, Front Squats, Overhead Press, and Deadlifts. Each training session involves one or more of these exercises accompanied by other exercises that will directly translate into improvements with the primary exercise. These primary exercises incorporate a lot of muscle into complex movement patterns with heavy weights. The result is a lot of minor wear and tear, not just on my muscles, but on the ligaments and bones as well. Typically, I perform three hard weeks of training followed by a fourth week of deloading with lighter weights. This is necessary to allow full recovery because of the intensity of the training. A person training primarily in the Muscular Hypertrophy Range should take a deload week about every eight to ten weeks. Training primarily in the muscular endurance range requires deloading about every twelve to fourteen weeks. Deloading has four primary benefits for the body:

1. Enhances recovery during a plateau
2. Reduces symptoms of physical stress
3. Allows minor muscle strains time to properly recover
4. Improve the quality of Sleep. Prolonged periods of intense physical stress from exercise can sometimes decrease the quality of sleep.

The final aspect of rest outside of the gym is quality sleep. Sleep deprivation will destroy any solid fitness and nutrition program.  The eyes may close and the brain may partially shut down during sleep but the body is still hard at work recovering from the challenges of the day.  During sleep the bodies repair muscle tissue and regulate hormones and chemicals the regulate energy and appetite.  A bad night’s sleep does more than make you groggy the next day; it slows metabolism and increases appetite, a dangerous combination that leads to easier fat gain.  Want proof?  A study conducted this year  at the Mayo Clinic Minnesota found that people who only slept six hours and forty minutes versus the recommended eight hours ate, on average, 549 more calories per day than the people who got the full eight hours.  According to the CDC people who sleep six hours or less every night are 50% more likely to be obese than those who get eight hours.  Also, averaging less than 7.5 hours of sleep per night can make a person 4.4 times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease.  Finally, try not to sleep more than nine hours per night.  A study done at the University of Washington Sleep Center found that more than nine hours of sleep leads to obesity, diabetes, headaches, and heart disease.  Go see a doctor if you habitually sleep more than nine hours per night.  Rest the right way to improve your health.  Rest is a weapon against poor health so prioritize doing it the right way.