When you get into the groove of working out and educate yourself on as many fitness concepts as possible, you’ll eventually learn that there is much more to understand. 

Although your old self may have believed that achieving your dream body only entailed going to the gym and eating right, time has taught you otherwise. Thanks to the power of the internet, gym advice, and guidance from friends and coaches, you’ve learned about other valuable concepts such as:

• Meal timing
• Macronutrients
• Deload weeks
• Metabolic conditioning
• Set allocations

Now that you’re aware of the details you need to tinker with when building your fitness regimen, it’s clear that there’s more thought, research, and planning involved. And there’s one aspect of fitness that can be quite confusing because of its ambiguity: rest.

A Conundrum Over Rest

We’ve all been there: we wake up with excitement to hit the gym, only to be held back by our bodies. The experience of having the body itself not primed to hit the gym is a lot more scientific than people expect it to be; in fact, it opens a whole new conversation. 

Whether you’re training for performance, bodybuilding, or simply general fitness, experiencing resistance from the body is a dilemma directly tied to the concept of recovery. Specifically, this pertains to the idea of overloading on work, which simply means that the body is pushed beyond its comfort zone. 

Unlike calories, weights, or macronutrient allocations, the body’s tendency to experience overload isn’t something that can be measured or gauged. This is because unexpected fatigue can only be spotted the moment it comes on. 

However, experiencing overload doesn’t necessarily mean that you should take a step back and take a free day off right away. 

Resting vs. Pushing Through

There are two common sides to the overload experience: conservatives automatically rest regardless of what’s going on; there are hardcore lifters that follow “no pain, no gain” a little too closely for their own good.

Very few fitness enthusiasts fall under the third side: look at the facts and analyze the need to rest or go ahead. 

It pays to look at various factors that determine whether one or the other is the better idea. Here’s a quick guide from The Fit Factor PT’s experts on all you should know: 

• Muscle Stiffness 
  

Ah, yes, the classical sign of overload. When you experience stiffness in certain muscle groups, getting up and going to the gym as planned can be challenging. However, this shouldn’t necessarily be a deterrent if you’re working on antagonistic muscle groups for the day unless your program specifically calls for set days between sessions.

Our recommendation: Warm up lightly for 15 to 20 minutes to loosen your stiff muscles so that you can move around comfortably! 

• There’s Pain—Should You Go and Gain?
  

While muscle soreness may be a sign that you had a good workout the day before, experiencing sharp, stabbing pain is an entirely different story. If it becomes painful to do certain movements, then it’s best to trust your gut and take the day off so that you can heal up.

Our recommendation: Follow the RICE method: Rest-Ice-Compression-Elevation. If the sharp pain persists after 24 hours, we recommend that you pay your doctor or physical therapist a visit ASAP. 

Conclusion

When the body begins to resist the idea of a workout in more forceful ways than laziness, then you’re likely dealing with overload. With this guide, you can approach your workout to avoid injuries and maximize training days!

The Fit Factor PT is a personal training studio in Wellesley, specializing in results-driven custom fitness programs and intensive physical transformations. If you want to achieve a better version of yourself, visit our website today to get started!