A NEW RITUAL FOR RECOVERY | GYM WEAR & LEGGINGS
If you like to spend your time grinding through sets and sweating through cardio sessions, then the thought of doing nothing for a day can seem daunting. But your rest is just as important as your reps, which is why we've created a simple rest day workout designed to empower you to let your body and mind recovery, and make sure you're fully-rested when you step back into the squat rack.
What is a rest day workout?
We know a lot of lifters have trouble breaking out of that gym mindset (ever found yourself subconsciously curling your TV remote on rest day?). Some will even go as far as significantly cutting calories and avoiding carbs at all cost on their day off. But this can slow down your strength gains and hold you back from progressing, which is why we want to help reframe the rest day as something positive and beneficial!
This doesn’t necessarily mean salt spas and cryotherapy, nor does it mean spending your Sunday’s sprawled on the sofa eating choc fudge brownies. It’s simply about being proactive when it comes to restoring the mind and rebuilding your muscles! Get your rest day workout below.
01. SELF-CARE
The essence of self care is mindfully doing things that nourish you mentally and physically. This is important for lifters, as we can become so immersed in our training, obsessively tracking micronutrients, measuring food in grams and fixating on PB numbers. Rather than grinding from workout to workout, protein shake to protein shake, it’s important to take a step back and do things that replenish you, rather than take away from you.
Self care tips including doing something you love, whether it’s reading, baking, hiking or watching four seasons of The Office (although make sure you’re getting up and stretching in between each episode). Spend time with your favorite people, create a gratitude list and write down all of the things you're grateful for and meditate. A fitness digital detox can also nourish you mentally, so turn off your trackers, apps, calorie counters and training accounts. Being faced with the low amount of calories you’re burning or the amount of steps you’re doing is going to leave you guilty and anxious to workout, not recover.
02. LOUNGE
From meal prep to movie marathons, having comfortable loungewear on rest day is essential. Our active lounge pieces offer super-soft, lightweight fabrics that feel great against your skin. Shop our full range of rest day wardrobe essentials here
03. EAT
Just because you’re not sweating through a HIIT class or setting squat PB’s, doesn't mean you don’t have to focus on your nutrition. You’ll need a balance of nourishing food throughout the day, with enough carbs to use as energy to recover, enough fats to reduce inflammation and enough protein to repair muscle tissue. Focus on complex carbohydrates like sweet potato, brown rice and oats, and protein sources like lean meat, eggs and Greek yogurt.
If you’re feeling that post leg day soreness that makes climbing out of bed a 30 minute workout, fill up on antioxidant-rich foods like beets, berries and leafy greens to reduce inflammation. If those Tupperware boxes full of chicken and veggies are getting tedious, mix it up with our healthy rest day recipes while still hitting your macros! Check out our dietitian-certified, fitness-friendly meals below.
Healthy High Protein Pizza Recipe
4 Healthy No Bake Snacks
Chocolate Coconut Protein Balls
Dark Chocolate Dessert Cups
04. ROLL
Foam rolling is a rest day staple for a good reason. Just 20 minutes of foam rolling after that brutal back squat session has the potential to alleviate muscle fatigue and soreness, improve circulation and reduce tension. Grab a roller and aim for 10-15 slow rolls on the desired muscle group. The deeper you get, the better. Read our comprehensive guide to active recovery here.
05. MOVE
If you’re a no-holds-barred, go-hard-every-workout kind of person, the thought of taking it easy can send a shiver down your spine. By spending 30 minutes moving your body on rest day, you’ll be able to get in some activity while still giving your muscles the break they need to bounce back stronger than ever.
Whether it’s a gentle yoga flow or walking, low-intensity exercise will help you recover from that booty burning leg day by increasing the blood flow and getting essential nutrients to your muscles, giving your circulation a boost so you can recover quicker.
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