First of all let's be VERY clear, there is no universal one size fits all. The biggest factor in the discovery of what you need regarding rest is genetics... period-and then nutrition (of which the interaction of such largely relates to your genetics). And by this I essentially mean hormonal interactions that allow for muscle and CNS recovery. That being said:
Rest days
What is a rest day: A rest day is to equip your body to continue training that week at your maximum potential while still meeting your training goals for that week. Rich Froning is famous for never taking them.
When should you take a rest day: Conventionally, most people advocate 2 rest days a week. When I first started CF I couldn't train more than 1 day in a row. Granted I was 40 years old, but I still felt too sore to go again the next day. This lasted for a month or two and finally I was able to go on consecutive days. You should rest when you are not going to have productive training by going in. (And don't be a baby about it either....)
Most folks (Outlaw, CompetitorsTraining, Invictus....) advocate 3 days on 1 day off training cycles. The reason is well established that people tend to have the best output and recovery with no more than 3 days in a row.
*HOWEVER, as an over 40 athlete, I've found that minimizing my consecutive training days has been VERY helpful in allowing me to maintain joint health and training intensity. So I now train M,W,F,Sat*
When should you take a rest day: Conventionally, most people advocate 2 rest days a week. When I first started CF I couldn't train more than 1 day in a row. Granted I was 40 years old, but I still felt too sore to go again the next day. This lasted for a month or two and finally I was able to go on consecutive days. You should rest when you are not going to have productive training by going in. (And don't be a baby about it either....)
Most folks (Outlaw, CompetitorsTraining, Invictus....) advocate 3 days on 1 day off training cycles. The reason is well established that people tend to have the best output and recovery with no more than 3 days in a row.
*HOWEVER, as an over 40 athlete, I've found that minimizing my consecutive training days has been VERY helpful in allowing me to maintain joint health and training intensity. So I now train M,W,F,Sat*
Active rest
I'm not much for doing much on a scheduled rest day (Maybe cuz I'm 40+.....) I prefer to actually really rest. Or just do mobility or get a massage or something that is very low stress on the body. Other folks can stay physically and mentally fired up for the week's training even though they are getting out and doing something active (hiking, cardio, sports, low intensity training, etc...). If this is you, then you're either suffering with anxiety and NEED to do something everyday or you're just genetically lucky to be able to recover in spite of training everyday. Or you are holding yourself back maybe??
Rest weeks (deload weeks)
The hidden secret: I believe this is a critical key to long term performance. Having periodic deload or rest weeks. I used to do it every 4th week. Now that I don't train consecutive days and only 4 days a week, I seem to only need one every 2-3 months or so. 4 weeks may be about the soonest you want to do it though. Others prefer taking rest or deload weeks at longer intervals that every 4 weeks. But I'm surprised at how many folks don't schedule them and just wait until they are fried (or injured).
What is a deload or rest week: This is a week that I catch up big time on my sleep. I sleep in everyday and if I go to the gym, it's to do low tension stuff (Snatch work is great because it is so fast you are barely exposing your body to load and the movement is over), skill work (DU's, MU's, TTB, HS walking, etc...), or technique work (at no more than 60% max loads). I also like to focus on things I don't do all the time, muscle snatches, sotts presses behind and in front, crossover symmetry, etc...
Why do you need one: The purpose is to rest your individual muscles, joints, and overall central nervous system. I can't tell you what my wrists used to feel like after 3 weeks of heavy Olympic lifting and handstand work. My joints needed a rest. And my body as a whole was often just on the cusp of feeling "done" after 3 hard weeks. Of course that all changed when I changed my days per week and really focused on recovering in between sessions. Mentally the rest week feels so good and if I stay out of the gym, by the following week I am charging the gate to get back at it and my sessions are super intense and productive. If I go into the gym, I tend to go so light that I'm excited to sling heavy iron again.
Everyday rest
In line with this subject. You have to make sure you are scheduling your sleep hours each week just like how you schedule your training sessions. Research just came out recently that I read that said you actually can "catch up" on sleep on the weekends. So now I try to sleep in on Tue Thurs and and grab naps on Sat/Sun to ensure I'm recovering adequately.
Good luck and happy resting!
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