How Much of Each Do We Need?
Rest: Many studies suggest that muscles need 48 hours to fully recover from exercise, but that doesn’t mean you need to take two days of rest.
Each runner will need a rest day or rest period at different times. Some may need a day once a week or just once or twice a month. Injuries or illness create more demand for rest, and newer runners may need more rest days than more seasoned runners.
Recovery: Every training plan has easy runs or cross-training days for a reason. While rest days may be pushed around based on experience level, you’ll need a recovery day at least once a week.
Scheduling recovery days will still vary based on the volume of your workouts, but you’ll find that active recovery days should happen more frequently than rest days.
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