Rest days?

[Peter_Puget]

Ok Stupid question it maybe but here goes...

 

What exactly is a rest day? More to the point, lets say I have a hard climbing/workout day and am due for a rest day. Does running/bike riding at a moderate level negate the "rest"? Doe srest really mean nothing?

[Courtenay]

Peter,

 

Not a silly question at all. And the best answer to what constitutes rest: "it all depends." For someone in top notch physical condition, a 15 mile bike ride at a low working heart rate may be considered a "rest/recovery" day if it doesn't tax that person's body in any way; for someone who is unfit, that 15 mile bike ride might be their hardest workout in the week. If a climber can go 4-5 days straight on a strenuous backpacking/cross-country traverse trip and feel really good, then an hour of light cross-training such as swimming or roller blading might be okay. HOWEVER, when looking at loaded workouts (i.e. heavy backpacking=legs; hard climbing=upper body) then a "recovery day" might be uan nloaded, very sub-maximal workout (in terms of heart rate and effort) such as a walk, swim, or bike ride. Rule of thumb: if you're feeling like you need a break, take it; if you feel antsy and want to do something, do so, but recognize that too many workout days in a row without "resting" can compromise your recovery rate and lead to overreaching/overtraining/illness. Hope that helps.

[RuMR]

Rest day == when work interferes w/ climbing

[Dru]

rest day = beer and couch

[freeclimb9]

When you're feeling good, there's a palpable urge to go fast, or hard, whether it's a rest day, or not.

In my experience, a rest day should be easier than you think. It's a common tendency for me (and I'm not unique in this respect) to go at a moderate, or higher, expercise level for "rest" days, and slowly build into a state of overtraining over a period of weeks. And for my hard days, if I've not recovered, I end up going at an intermediate pace, and not the puking hard one that would push my max VO2 higher.

Wearing a heart rate monitor every now and then gives me external evidence of what I should already know (but often ignore) about my pace and exertion level.

[Courtenay]

Another thought sparked by mention of the heart rate monitor: you can actually use resting heart rate as an indicator of overtraining. First thing in the morning, see what your heart rate is before you get out of bed. Track that for a week when you're feeling good. If you're at all in doubt whether you should work out that day, check RHR; if it's elevated more than a few beats above normal, then you probably need more recovery time. Same with temperature -- which is remarkably consistent -- if it strays more than a degree up or down from baseline, then your body is probably in need of rest.

[Peter_Puget]

Thanks for the great replies!