Rest Periods

[Emi]

I've been running every day for the past 8 days (for about 15-20 minutes) and I was wondering if this is alright or is it better to take a day off like you are supposed to do for weight training?

In other words, should I be resting a day, say maybe wednesday so that my muscles can relax or is this not necessary in running.

I'm feeling pretty good running every day and I'm not doing it for too long of a period but now that I've added weight training and this is something that I've reading being stressed there, I was wondering if the same applied to other types of exercises like cardio.

Any input would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

 

[Steve]

You're probably not running intensely enough that you NEED to take a break. But dropping one session isn't going to make or break you so if you want the break... take it.

Cardio is such a small portion of what's required in terms of overall deficit that worrying about a day or two is pretty futile.

 

[edco76]

I prefer to do: 1 day cardio/1 day resistance training myself. I will take off either Saturday or Sunday or sometimes both. Most beginner running articles I have read suggest an "every other day" routine but if you have made it 8 days with no problems your fitness level is probably ok. Try mixing in an HITT day from time to time. Your body will get used to the steady state pretty soon. Sometimes I will start and end my jog with a 100yd sprint. Don't know if that has any benefit but it seems to get my heart rate up a little more.