Today we are going to cover an important topic: rest days and what to do on em. But instead of me babbling about it, my buddy Rafi Bar-Lev wrote an awesome little guest post for me. He was a former combat medic in the Israeli army and founder of the community fitness site, Passionate Fitness so make sure you check him out. Alright, on with the post…

Most of us know the drill when it comes to getting ripped. You workout with intensity, eat protein, and take rest days in between. In fact, we have this theory ingrained to us to such an extent that the day after a hard workout, we pat ourselves on the back by lounging on the couch watching t.v. instead of getting outside. But this isn’t the best way to get ripped and stay healthy, nor is it natural. Here’s why:

Our Bodies Aren’t Built to Sit Around and do Nothing

First, I want to make clear that I mostly agree that the best way to bulk up includes rest days. The worst thing you can do to yourself, is over-train. Not only will you not get results, but you put yourself at high risk for injury. That being said, not working out does not equate not being active.

In the old days, humans were always active. We didn’t necessarily workout hard every day, but we did at least walk around. While a few days of intense exercise is better than nothing, the healthiest, best way to gain strength and stamina is to have a few days of intense exercise coupled with days of low intensity exercise. That means that even when you’re on a rest day, make sure to get in a nice walk and keep your body moving.

Can Low Activity Increase Your Recovery Time?

In fact, not only is walking on off days good for you, there’s a chance that it can increase your recovery time. Why? Because by walking, you increase the blood flow that goes to your entire body, allowing your muscles to restore themselves more quickly. Try to put walking into your daily routine, whether going to the supermarket or going to the park. Not only is it healthy and might be able to increase your recovery time, but it will allow you to relax your mind and think about things in a calm manner.

The Important Thing…Take it Easy

The point of activity on off days is to increase your recovery time, get your body moving, and to increase your health and well-being. That means that while keeping it active, take it easy. You’re trying to walk and get the blood flowing, not run hard during a rest day. Sometimes you have to take it easy so that you can go double hard the next day.

- Rafi Bar-Lev

FJ: Additional Recovery Boosting Sexyness

While getting your blood flowing is paramount to recovery, here are a few more little tricks you can do:

Stretch! Proper stretching has reduced my recovery time, on average by a day. That’s 24 hours QUICKER just because I stretch properly. I still don’t understand why some people refuse to stretch, the benefits don’t get any better than that.

Water! Keep your fluid intake high. Remember the guest post from Rick? It also prevents injuries… which is a good thing if you’re seriously pounding it out in the gym.

L-Glutamine! An awesome recovery supplement. Take 5g/day, or if you’re hardcore you can opt for 10g/day (5 in the morning and 5 in the evening)

To recovery!

- FitJerk