Rest days are a vital part of your training. The high intensity nature of CrossFit yields excellent results, but can also lead to overtraining if you are not smart about rest. In order to maintain intensity when you work out, you need to give your body a chance to recover.
How often you train and how you take your rest will depend on your individual needs and schedule. For some, 3 classes a week is ideal. For others, it is 5 or 6. You might do Monday, Wednesday, Friday. 2 days on, 1 day off. Perhaps 3 days on, 1 day off. Find out what works for you, there is no correct answer. It is not hard to tell if you are not taking enough rest. Some days you will be sore, yes. But if this soreness is interfering with your day-to-day life, then you need to reevaluate your training schedule.
Consider yourself an athlete. Take your training seriously, regardless of your level, and know that rest comes hand in hand with CrossFit success. Your goals will determine how much rest you should be taking. Those looking to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle will have very different needs to those who are training at a competitive level. More training can get you results faster, but only to a point. Even elite athletes need to let their body recover. We are all susceptible to overtraining and overuse injuries, and by meeting our individual rest requirements we can help prevent this.
As CrossFitters, those rest days can seem infinitely long and tedious when you can’t get your WOD ‘fix’. Reframe your approach to rest and use a day off to make the most of the time you do spend in the gym. Here’s how I take advantage of my rest days.
- Active Recovery
Competitors programming often schedules an active recovery day as well as one day of total rest. This could include hiking, a jog, riding a bike, swimming or yoga. Maybe it is playing in the park with your kids, or a long walk with your dogs. Choose a low intensity activity that gets your blood pumping just enough, and you will probably find it will help reduce muscle stiffness and fatigue.
- Mobility
Make friends with a foam roller, lacrosse ball and band. We have all these tools available for you at CFB, but it’s a great idea to buy them for your home so you can tend to your sore muscles while you watch TV. Check out the excellent resources on mobilitywod and learn how to address soreness and poor mechanics and mobility that may be hindering your workouts. Take a look back through our blog for some mobility videos too.
- Meal Prep
If you have a little extra free time on your rest day, why not use it to prepare healthy food to fuel your workouts over the next week. For meal prep tips, check out this post.
- Play a Sport
Put your hard earned fitness to the test and learn a new sport. Join a local softball or soccer team, or just get together at the park with some friends. Sure, some of us CrossFit to be better at CrossFit. For most, we CrossFit so we can be better at life. I went rock climbing for the first time a few weeks ago. It was a whole lot of fun and both a mental and physical challenge to get out of my ‘barbell and chalk’ comfort zone and try something new.
- Reflect
Rest is not just physical. Use your rest day to recharge your mental batteries too, and to reflect on and evaluate your training. Use this time to write down your goals and learn to meditate.
- Do absolutely nothing
While it is great to think about how your actions outside the gym affect your training, some days you just have to watch an entire season of House of Cards in your PJs, leaving the couch only to purchase some Trader Joe’s turbinado and sea salt dark chocolate almonds and plantain chips. No one is capable of perfection 100% of the time, and occasionally having a ‘free’ day where you don’t give a damn what you eat or do is essential to your mental wellbeing.
