Is Too Much Recovery Killing Your Gains? Find Out How Many Recovery Days You Need

Male Fitness | | Nov 8, 2022 | Ally's Angels

Hey Angels and Alphas,

While many people assume that more recovery means better, that’s actually not the case if your recovery days are too long. You need sufficient rest and relaxation to recover effectively and maintain both your physical and mental health, but if you overdo it, you could be doing more harm than good to your body. This guide to how much recovery is too much recovery explains how long you should take between workouts and why there’s no such thing as overtraining.

What Does Overtraining Mean

Overtraining is when you are working out too much and not giving your body time to rest. Overtraining can lead to a decrease in performance, an increase in injury rates, and even burnout. When we work out, our muscles accumulate lactic acid as a result of the breakdown of sugar for energy. Overtraining can cause high levels of lactate which leads to muscle damage and inflammation. Overtraining can also lead to cortisol production which breaks down muscle tissue for short-term energy sources.

What Are The Signs Of Overtraining

Overtraining is a term used to describe when the body’s muscles are not given enough time to rest and recover. Common signs of overtraining include: muscle soreness, difficulty recovering between workouts, lack of motivation, fatigue, depression and irritability.

One way to know if you’re overtraining is by taking your pulse first thing in the morning before breakfast. If it’s above 100 beats per minute (bpm), then you’re most likely overtired and need some time off from training.
The main causes of overtraining are both physical and mental stress. When you’re constantly stressed out about work or personal issues, it can lead to physical exhaustion that affects your workouts negatively.

How To Avoid Overtraining

  1. Track your training and recovery. Keep a log of all workouts, both intensity and volume, as well as how you feel the next day. This will help you get an idea of your individual response to exercise.
  2. Take time off from weightlifting. A good rule is to take at least one day off per week to allow your body to recover from the muscle damage incurred during training.
  3. Give yourself a break when needed. If you’re feeling fatigued or notice that performance has declined, take a few days off to let your body recover fully before getting back into it again.

How Much Recovery Is Too Much?

The general rule is, the more volume you put on your muscles in training, the more recovery they need. And to make sure you’re recovering enough, you should be taking at least one full day of rest per week. But how long do you need to recover between workouts? That depends on what exercise you’re doing and how much intensity there is.

For example, if you’re doing a high-intensity workout such as heavy squats or sprints, it will take your body longer to recover than if you were doing an easier workout like yoga or walking. If your goal is to build muscle, then it’s important that you give yourself enough time in between sets so that the lactic acid can clear out of your system before going back for another set of reps.

How Many Rest Days Should You Have Every Week?

Here are a few guidelines for how many rest days you should have every week:

  • Two rest days per week for the average person.
  • Three rest days per week if you’re new to working out.
  • Four rest days per week if you’re in your third or fourth month of working out.