Rest Days. They Suck. But They Are Necessary.

Rest Days. The other R word. To bodybuilders, it's a terrible day. But it's necessary. What, how, when, where, and why?

What: A rest day is literally a day in which you don't weight train or do cardio. It's a day in which you let your body recover.
How: Sit down. Don't think about the gym. One day of rest won't make you small just like one day of working out won't make you Arnold
When: Once a week typically
Where: Your couch
Why:
1. Prevents injury- yes you push yourself to the hardest of cores when you're at the gym. Sometimes you may hurt yourself and not even realize it. It's vital to take rest days to make sure you aren't worsening an injury.
2. Your muscles need to rest- when you workout, you are ripping muscle fibers. If you don't take adequate rest, you won't give your body enough time to repair the torn fibers and make you jacked as hell
3. It won't hurt your body- it takes 2 weeks of literally being a lard-ass and not doing anything to see a loss in strength- so don't think you will lose everything in a 24 hour rest period
4. Too much exercise can make you not sleep well- you put your body in a constant state of restlessness. So good. So take a day off and sleep
5. Mental stability- taking a day off will re-light the fire that burns deep within your loins to lift heavy ass weight and set it back down.

So, take a damn day off. Let your muscles repair themselves. Take a mental break. Sit on the coach. Yes, you will think about the gym all day long but remember that your muscles NEED the break