Strength training: do I really need rest days?

FWIW, one of the things both Sims and Babcock talk about is fitting all this around being a parent and also dealing with early menopausal issues. Some of it is in gyms but I’ve just used what I can at home or swapped for alternative exercises. Used a sofa for a bench, stairs for steps for example.

It’s a 12 week course on the Hailey happens app. They do a few different ones, power happens is the beginner, Includes a lot of q and a zooms. I already had weights and some stretchy things and a bike for cardio at home. I think it’s mostly aimed at women aged 40 +

I thought it was too easy at first but it’s really helped my menopausal joints and made me do exercises I would never know how to do and I’ve really progressed. It’s basically 3 days lifting and two cardio per week which progressively gets harder. You can pause and copy workouts to the calendar if you find you miss any. Half hour or hour options for weights. Clear videos, No music so can listen to anything else at the same time. they’ve introduced a subscription now too for more things but you can still buy the basic courses and keep for ever.

I spent a lot of time looking around and into it before I bought it. I’d been doing other things myself at home for over a year but needed a clearer structure and can’t afford a PT - also time, I like the flexibility and find it easier to fit into and around work and family.

I’ve been doing harder sit sessions in the early weeks as I was able to and had already learnt how to do those but it’s a good way to be introduced to that too. I went back and repeated some lifting weeks when I didn’t feel ready to move on too.

@WarriorNwhere did you sign up, interested in listening!

I know lots of competitive powerlifters who have kids and train a lot. They’re run of the mill people, not wealthy with lots of hired help. Like I said it’s something we prioritise. Lots of getting up early - I’m frequently up at 5 or 6 to train. It’s what we love and enjoy so don’t do much else. I don’t drink, or sit and watch tv, or go out for meals, or nights out, or weekends away or any of that stuff. My social life is lifting. Some have home gyms in their garages which helps I guess - I don’t. Training helps me with exhausting work days - it’ll make me feel better. But yes of course it’s not for everyone.

Yes it was a question because I read a lot of blogs about training and gym-life, there’s posts on Mumsnet too and also examples of people from real life. Some of them seem to work out every single day. If they are fitness industry insiders I can understand it as they are in some kind of gym or health club all day, so when they don’t have clients or other obligations, they can just work out. I also know some people who train hard and have kids and family, but they are quite well-off and have tons of domestic help from cleaners, nannies, gardeners and such. Their spouse is very hands-on. But if someone doesn’t have these circumstances then I guess it’s very difficult to allocate the time for a workout on top of everything else. After an exhausting day at work, I doubt many parents can go to the gym when there’s kids to look after.

I agree with the advice to do what is working for you. I exercise 6 or 7 days a week unless I am feeling fatigued or life gets in the way. I lift heavy.

That said, if you do get to a stage where you want to go significantly heavier you might be better off splitting your 20 min sessions, so you alternate lower and upper body. That gives one area a bit of a rest on the day you mainly work the other.

This is a relief I always over think advice and think I'm
Doing it wrong!

I work part time have kids and train 2-3 hours a day. Works for me!

@ElCorazonI’m not sure if that’s a question or a criticism. Assuming the former, I get up early, prioritise it over lots of things, don’t do much else and have a supportive husband. The vast majority of elite powerlifters (I am not one) fit it in around work. There’s one comes to mind who recently won the world championships who is a GP and did reduce her days for comp prep but just short term. Some coach others so that is the kind of job that isn’t standard hours so fits easily around training. But this is why sports funding matters so much so then the athlete can focus on their sport - we’re not an Olympic sport so don’t get any. I was listening to Emily Campbell who is an elite weightlifter(which is an Olympic sport) the other day and she trains twice a day.

I did read the poster beneath you but RayKray sounds like a professional athlete who competes in powerlifting at national level.
I also don’t understand how people have all that free time to work out sometimes twice a day. Especially if they have children, a family life, jobs and other obligations? Are they pensioners / unemployed / kept women or just millionaires? I’m sure they have all kind of household staff like cleaners, housekeepers and nannies. There’s no way you clean your own house, juggle two children, work, all this without any paid help and you can work out twice a day, or sometimes even just once. It’s baffling, honestly!

Did you also read the poster beneath me? Is she also not pushing herself hard? I do have one rest day a week as I said. The point that I disagreed with was that if someone has been to the gym the day before they will not push themselves as hard the next day. That may be the case for you but is certainly not for everyone. If you train on consecutive days your body will adapt.

Your muscles grown during the repair process so I’d say an element of rest or even lighter rest / active recovery wouldn’t do you any harm.

So you do have a rest day, if you work out 6 days a week. But even during those 6 days you might not push yourself hard enough to warrant another rest day. No disrespect, but it sounds like that. You probably think you work out very hard, but if you go the next day again it means that you don’t.

I do yoga/ Pilates or run on my rest days from weights as my head doesn’t like complete rest days and cardio is important for general health. I’ll sometimes train twice a day. It’s about what works for you.
my rough schedule:
Mon - upper body
t - threshold run
w - full body
th - yoga and long walk
fri - lower body
sat - hyrox (weights and short runs)
sun - long run

every couple of weeks I’ll have a Sunday of rest or just a gentle walk.

Dont forget the creatine!

I don’t think 2.5kg 20 mins a day is going to fatigue your body that much so I’d crack on and continue what you’re doing. Do you do anything else? Fast walk/slow jog?

Yeh I don’t agree with that either. I often train consecutive days and am motivated to do so. I have a coach, he wouldn’t be letting me slack off. I compete in powerlifting at a national level which I wouldn’t be doing if I wasn’t trying. My programme is designed to let me do that. And building up fatigue is part of the process.

I don’t agree with that. I go to the gym or run 6 times a week and work very hard. Our bodies are incredibly adaptable.

There are people who say they go to the gym every day and do so and so. In my opinion these people are not making so much of an effort if they are able to work out every single day. If you push yourself hard enough, then the next day you won’t feel like going again.

I’m loving this thread, I’ve been on a rehab programme since Feb ( for hip issues) started off with no/ low weights and build up gradually. I train 3/4 times a week and do split sessions ( upper push/pull and lower) I have rest days in between. I try and hit my protein goals throughout the day, it’s hard! But it’s all about consistency.
once you have a routine ( which sounds like you do) it’s easier to keep going. Results are great & definitely building muscle in my 50’s. Keep going!

I agree with you. I also think Dr Sims’s advice is for women who already have some established fitness levels (exercising 4/5/6 times a day, quite intense levels)and able to dedicate a lot of time/effort into exercise and OP’s just started out.
Small steps are better than getting overwhelmed.
I exercise after meal because that fits in my routine and I can do weights after a meal but no chance of squashing down more protein after exercise.

thank you so much for this, very interesting - I’ve listened to the relevant part. (Thank god for time stamps!)

he’s actually saying very similar to what Sims is saying - don’t train hard fasted and get more protein across the day. The only thing it didn’t discuss which she talks about (probably as much as protein) was carbs and timing of carbs. Huberman also didn’t ask about the longer term impact on hormones for women. The question was around muscle synthesis only. I think her main research has been on relative energy deficiency or low energy reserve and loss of periods in younger female athletes, leading to increased risks of osteoporosis. Similar issues happen for anorexic girls. In perimenopause periods can become irregular and stress can certainly affect it (and fatigue) in my own experience. Being under fuelled is a stress situation.

Perhaps more specific research is needed here.

also there’s other bits of research around female hormones and timing of protein which I read about via Lara Briden a few years ago, pre the hrt Davina movement. Eat a decent amount of protein before 11 am (eg 30g). This was also to do with helping regulate hormones and sleep.

I’m not trying to hijack thread , I just have this one question.
I was told I should only work glutes 3 times per week max ..
I do 15 to 20 mins on stairmaster , I do 3 sets 10 reps of elevated Sumo Squats with kettle bell , I increase weight as I go along ..
3 sets of 10 Rdls increasing weight also, & 3 sets of 10 hip thrusts, increasing weight also ..
Is that a good glute workout you think & is 3 days plenty to do ?

It has. I know exactly who Dr Sims is, have read her books, follow her etc. I also follow and read around other very well regarded scientists and there is lots of evidence now that total amount of daily protein being hit is much more important than nutrient timing- regardless of whether you are male, female and what stage of life.

There is a very recent podcast that explains it very well. It’s a long listen, but fantastic, if you are interested in training, nutrition and all that jazz I’d highly recommend it. It’s the Huberman Lab, which has Alan Aragon on it.

With regards to you and what works for you, I always find listening to the science and experts, and then doing your own experiment on yourself to see what works for you and how you feel works best. You’ve clearly done that and found what works for you- which is great. With regards to the OP, she’s started 2 weeks ago- she is so far off needing to worry about nutrient timing and optimising, just getting into the habit of moving her body and lifting regularly is the main goal for now I would say.

First of all, 45 mins x3 per week is slightly more than 20 mins x 6 days per week, so you wouldn't be reducing your output. I say do whatever works for you, but have at least 1 rest day per week. I find strength training 4 times per week ( 30-45) mins, plus a cardio activity on one day is my sweet spot. I also try to do 10k steps per day as much as possible.

I follow Caroline Girvan on YT, plus her app and she incorporates 2 rest days into her programmes, but her workouts are all over 30 mins and they are challenging, rest days are essential for recovery.. One of those days is an active rest day, and the other is a complete rest day.

2.5kg is fine to start with, but you will need heavier overtime as you build up strength.

Just to add; “rest days” if following the advice given by Sims and Vonda Wright and a couple of other women in the field, are sprint interval or high intensity interval days. Or, when starting out, one HIIT and one low intensity training (around zone 3 for 45 mins) and slowly increasing the intensity towards SIT

the early programmes for SIT in power happens are sprinting as fast as possible for 30 seconds and resting for two, 6-8 times with a warm up and cool down. This can be skipping, cycling, rowing, running etc

and then two actual rest days. If you row you’re also working and building muscles. But skipping is possibly the more effective way to get into the SIT in my personal experience. (It’s really fucking hard!)