Don't skip the rest!
Maybe the lockdown is slowly coming to an end and gyms open soon but with half capacity and no group classes. Home workouts are still seem the safer choice or the only choice to many. Life didn’t get fast yet. You have all the time in the world and maybe you’re bored. Doing exercise gives you a routine and if you don’t train you’re hardly moving at all.
Article by Bella Trost
So, why not train every single day or train twice a day? Also, there are no barbells, machines or heavy weights available in the house so you use ‘only’ light weights or your bodyweight alone. This might make you assume that you don’t need recovery time like after a hardcore lifting session at the gym or a HIIT class. Even if you’re drenched after your workout you still have the feeling that “it was just some home exercise”.
I get it. I have the same thoughts sometimes. Home training just doesn’t feel the same as a gym session. But you shouldn’t underestimate your home workout. When you do a class on Zoom or YouTube you push yourself to complete it, right? If it was not hard enough you choose a harder one. You challenge yourself to have it done and you make an effort to improve your level. Wherever you do your push-ups, jumping jacks or planks, the effort takes a lot out of you, and you need to recover from it. Just like if you were doing the same thing at the gym.
Skipping recovery days can affect your physical performance and your mental state. Without proper recovery time you cannot perform at your best next time. Instead of getting stronger from the training, you might feel weaker. You start to execute the exercises slower and clumsier. You try to put more effort in but your body might feel heavier and your muscles shorter. This all means that your body is trying to let you know that you are not ready for the next workout. Even if it’s quarantine and you have nothing else to do.
Give yourself a rest! Or if you still want to move a little bit take an active rest! Instead of going hard with bodyweight exercises daily go for a walk a couple of times a week, or join an online stretching or yoga class.
Your body will appreciate it and you will see that when you get back to your more intense training sessions you will perform much better. You will be able to hold your body more and execute the exercises correctly which means less chance of getting injured and a better chance of working out effectively.
Having a rest helps mentally, too. When you exercise tired and you cannot perform properly you might start to think: “I’m not getting any faster, fitter, stronger, more flexible... there’s no point doing this”. When you don’t succeed and you don’t experience positive changes, it is really hard to stay motived. So, take some recovery time and give yourself a chance to perform well again!
