What should I do on rest days???
A great question we receive often here at Koko is about what should be done on days you're not training.
As you know, because we train with total body workouts we only advise you to strength train 3 days per week.
When challenged enough, your muscles micro-tear during your workout and it is the repair to these micro-tears during the 24-48 hours AFTER training that results in muscle growth.
Training the same muscle groups every day will not benefit you because you're breaking down your muscles during your workout without giving them enough time to repair and grow back stronger.
Remember exercise is only a part of the whole equation and what's just as important, if not more, is how you eat and rest.
Note this is not an excuse or free pass to couch potato it!
So what do we recommend doing on your rest days besides your extra cardio sessions???
ACTIVE REST and RECOVERY!
Active recovery is lower intensity activity than your regular workouts which has been proven to aid in recovery and help repair the micro-tears that occur when lifting.
Here are a few of our go-to active rest and recovery methods:
Yoga - Not only helps increase flexibility, but also teaches proper breathing techniques and body control. Furthermore, yoga promotes blood flow to help repair broken-down muscle tissues.
Steady-state cardio - While we're all about the HIIT at Koko there is absolutely still a time and place for steady state cardio like running or biking at a moderate, sustainable pace for a certain period of time.
Self-myofascial release - Here you'll use a foam roller, lacrosse ball, or massage stick as a method of massaging the connective tissues surrounding the muscles and bones which will help increase range of motion and reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness.
Mobility and flexibility work - What good is a strong body if you can't move or utilize it properly?! This is where you'll go through a warm-up series of dynamic movements that activate your body.
Play! - And last but certainly not least, GO PLAY! If you like to dance. Take a dance class. If you're a sports junkie get out there a play some pick-up games. Exercise doesn't always have to FEEL like exercise. We don’ t care what you choose as long as you get moving, have fun, and PLAY!