While the exact amount of rest and recovery varies, a recent consensus statement that was published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Performance found that successfully implementing rest days in your training can have both mental and physical health benefits, such as combatting mental fatigue and injury.
But how exactly do you know if you’re taking adequate rest on rest days, and what even are some of the rest day benefits you’d reap? We tapped cycling coaches and recovery experts to break down all the info you need.
Why is a recovery day so important?
When you exercise—especially during a hard workout—your muscles develop microtears. (If you’re completing a hard workout on the bike, this will happen primarily in your quads and glutes.) You need to take recovery time to let these tears heal, helping to strengthen the muscle fibers, Penni Bengtson, USA Triathlon Certified Coach at Finish Line Productions, tells Bicycling.
Taking a recovery day allows your body the time it needs to heal, and can help prevent an inflammatory response to any training or strains to your joints and muscles, Nic Bartolotta, M.P.T., H.H.P., chief clinical officer at Range of Motion Products, tells Bicycling.
“The concept of taking it easy has been overridden by the ‘no pain, no gain’ mentality of modern society. We believe that if we stop we lose momentum when the opposite is true,” Bartolotta says.
And while recovery day doesn’t mean you have to do nothing, it is possible to overdo it.
Take yoga, for example. “From a stretching standpoint, yoga positions can be too forceful for certain people because of the static and weight bearing positions you'll often find yourself in,” Jeff Brannigan, program director of Stretch*d tells Bicycling.
How can going slow improve your performance?
“Slowing down means you have the time to pay attention to how your training is affecting your body. If you ease up, you have time to catch injuries before they happen,” Bartolotta says.
Moderation and variation are two key aspects of a proper training regimen, according to Brannigan.
“If you start to notice signs that your body isn’t performing as well as it should, you might want to listen and dial back the intensity for a while. In order to improve in the world of fitness, recovery is essential,” Brannigan says.
Can you still ride on your recovery days?
Riding is still okay in some cases—but you have to slow down. Mostly importantly, going slow will be less taxing on the muscles, which is the goal of a rest day, Brannigan says,
There are a couple of ways you can think about slowing down on recovery day. A lot of coaches will use data, like a heart rate that’s less than 65 percent of threshold heart rate or less than 55 percent of your functional threshold power (FTP,) Pat Marzi, USA Cycling Level 3 Coach, tells Bicycling.
But it’s a good idea to try ditching your Strava and power meter and just get back to the basics of riding.
“Recovery day may be a day to put the meters and monitors aside, though, and put it in the small chain ring and just ride easy, think perceived exertion of 1 or 2,” Marzi says.
Recovery day can also be a great time to help your child or friend get introduced to the sport without them worrying about getting dropped.
“For example, try riding and chatting with your 10-year old or take out a cycling newbie for an easy hour-long spin to begin to show them the ropes on the road. [It’s] refreshing for the mind as well as the body,” Marzi says.
You should also pick a route that isn’t too challenging. If you live in an area that’s surrounded by tough terrain but still want to ride close to home, Brannigan suggests you try dialing down the distance and intensity. If you live in a flat area, you can likely get away with a little more distance on a rest day—as long as you keep the intensity low.
Bengtson, who is mostly a triathlon coach, typically progressively loads her athletes during 4-5 week periodizations within the week, so their schedules include intervals, something with a more intense, heavier load, and a big workout on the weekend. But one day a week is always a total recovery day.
However, what you do for recovery depends on your training and end goal. For example, Bengtson says if she sends an athlete out for a long race-pace ride on a Sunday, she doesn’t want them riding again—she’d prefer they do some cross-training, such as swimming. But, if they are training for endurance, she might prescribe a 40-minute easy spin as recovery.
What should you do on your recovery days?
You could take this time to do some light yoga or mobility work, as a consistent stretching routine is key, Bartolotta says. He suggests focusing on your hip flexors, hamstrings, glutes, and calves during stretching to help keep your body in balance (if done consistently).
“There are lots of recovery techniques for that off day: Doing some yoga and stretching is great recovery, as is an ice bath or Normatec boots,” Bengtson says.
And while focusing on your lower body might seem like a no-brainer, Brannigan adds that you should incorporate chest stretches, such as extended child’s pose or a lying chest stretch. It’s especially important if you’re already spending much of your day in a seated position.
“These muscles throughout the anterior chain become increasingly tight, not only due to posture, but also because of the strain placed on them to physically pedal a bike,” Brannigan says.
Here’s the bottom line
“You have to take a day off. You don’t get stronger unless you build up progressive resistance and then rest to recover,” Bengtson says. “If you don’t ever recover, you won’t get stronger—you’ll just get tired, which could cause you to get injured.”
