Anyone who has ever trained for an event will be aware - progress is incremental, and the flip side of training is resting. As the safety catch that secures your hard-won improvement, getting your rest days right matters. To get her top tips on rest days and how to get the most out of them, we spoke to Team EF Coaching's Heather Fischer.
What is a rest day...?
Contrary to what you might think, the actual gain from your training is made on rest days. Your body needs to rest to make the adaptations after stress from training - in resting, the body is really repairing itself - getting stronger to cope with the exertion that it's just experienced.
Without rest days, your body is simply unable to make the repairs needed or replenish you. Just like shovelling snow while it's still falling - to make lasting progress, you've got to wait for it to stop snowing. That isn't to say though that a rest day is a zero activity day. It's also not a free pass to tear up your diet either.
When should I rest?
As everyone is unique, what you require depends on your biology, but also factors including your training and current fitness level. Some people need to go for an easy spin on the bike instead of taking the day off. The danger here is we can easily go over recovery pace. One old rule is to stay in your small chain ring. It helps remind you to keep the pressure light on the pedals and cadence can be higher - meaning you put the load onto your respiratory system.
Some people need a day totally off. That time not thinking about a route, not getting on all the cycling gear and not having to clean up after is time better spent resting mentally for some.
Heather's top rest day tips:
1. Make it as stress free as possible
Don't get tied up in knots. Stress, both mental and physical is to be avoided where possible, because recovery happens best in restful environments.
2. Stay hydrated
Sip water through the day, put up your feet when you have the opportunity and get up to move for a few minutes every thirty minutes if you are sedentary at work to improve blood circulation, try to schedule less to do on that one day or spread it out more through the week or at least schedule some break time during your day to be more restful.
3. Sleep
I tend to need more sleep than others but the sign of having the proper amount of sleep is waking up feeling like you are ready to go. I always struggle to get out of bed but once I am out, I can tell the difference between a good night's sleep and not.
4. Re-fuel
If you're training right, you spent the week emptying the tank. If you're recovering from it, make sure you're giving your body everything it needs to get ready for the next block of training.
Sufficient protein and nutrition are still important on rest days and rest weeks. Your body is rebuilding after you just thrashed it so make sure it has what it needs to repair.
5. Nourish your mind - do something different.
Think of your day off the bike or your rest week also as your time to focus on other areas outside of riding to fuel and replenish you.
Rest days can allow us the time to spend on other things that we enjoy. Quality family or friend time, cooking a nice meal, listening to music, playing video games, reading a book, drawing, exploring a new part of the neighborhood - whatever it may be! Sometimes a change of scenery can refresh our minds and reinvigorate us for future training.
6. Get another pair of eyes on it.
We're human - and we can be bad at accountability. Nothing demotivates you like feeling you've not got something right, and nothing can lead you off course like believing everything you do is right.
Working with a coach really helps maximize rest and recovery by helping you see things from another perspective.
As a pro rider, I could coach myself, but I don't, and nor do many pros. You need someone else to tell you when to take a step back or maybe when you could push a bit more and then when to rest and for how long.
I know I've done a rest day right when I feel refreshed and motivated to get back on the bike.
Got a rest day coming up?
Mind and body awareness help you and your coach make the best decisions about your training and rest. Sometimes you might start a workout and despite trying, just not hitting the numbers. These are all signs you should read - maybe you're not yet well rested, and one more day might do it. As ever, listen to your body, and don't be afraid to get it wrong - so long as you learn what works for you.