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Episode 4

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Published on:

13th May 2025

S02E04 - Working Out on Your Rest Day

In this episode, we unpack the often-overlooked but crucial component of any training plan: recovery. Starting with a Finnish saying, "There's still time to rest in the grave," we explore how this mindset can hinder rather than help long-term progress. From the science of muscle memory and rest-enhanced performance to practical strategies like active recovery and the game-changing role of sleep, this episode is your deep dive into why less can sometimes be more.

We also cover:

  • The surprising results of a triathlete’s 3-month training break
  • Why anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen might slow your recovery
  • The role of cooling in improving sleep and recovery
  • How to use your morning heart rate to monitor recovery
  • Why even a week off won’t derail your fitness progress

Additional resources are available in the links below.

Please send us feedback by email to feedback@scaledto.fit 

Go to podchaser.com/scaledtofit and give us a rating. 

#scaledtofit #fitness #grownupfitness #scaling

Transcript
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There is an old saying in the Finnish language "ehtiihän sitä levätä haudassakin" - there

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is still time to rest in the grave.

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Historically this might have made sense at the time of post-war rebuilding, but it really

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doesn't anymore.

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However, that was my first attitude as I started my new, more active life.

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I sort of knew that I should also have proper rest included, but at the same time I felt

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that I could just do this one short walk more and then take the rest day the next day.

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Or maybe on the weekend.

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And after talking with some of my younger and sporty friends, I know I wasn't alone.

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However, rest or recovery days are as important as training itself.

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In fact, skipping them most likely will hold you back, and properly timed rest can actually

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help you level up the results, make you stronger, add muscle, or even help you lose more fat.

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More is not always more indeed.

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Something with rest days is that they are not just for lying down and waiting for the sun

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to set.

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You can and you should do something.

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Just light activity and shorter times.

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For the recovery days also applies what I like to say, don't do nothing, do something

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and scale it back.

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Since more is not always more, does it mean that sometimes less is actually more?

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There is a fairly recent case study of a 53-year-old French triathlete who had practiced triathlon

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for about 500 hours per year for over 30 years, and never took a complete break for more than

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2 weeks in a row each year.

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For the name of science he decided to take a 3-month break with the following 3-month

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ramp up.

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In the first 12 weeks he was easing up on workout D training.

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He didn't engage in any structured exercise and kept minimal daily physical activity.

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During the D training period he walked twice for 30 minutes at a slow pace and performed

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twice 15 minutes of core training every week.

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For the following 12 weeks he did structured re-training program, gradually progressing

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to his normal 10-12 hours per week endurance training by the end of the period.

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As expected, his performance metrics declined at first, but after returning to training,

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every performance metric got better.

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VO2 max, power output, fast switch muscle proteins and mitochondrial efficiency all

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improved.

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His maximal exercise capacity, VO2 max, increased 5% over the baseline he started with.

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The one step back helped him take 5 steps forward.

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Of course this case study is about a well-trained athlete, but it does show that some off days,

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a less intense training phase within a consistent exercise regime can lead to better performance

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than training without breaks.

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Furthermore, strategic rest and planned progression can help overcome the plateaus in training

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and take you to new heights.

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And even if the break were longer, it's always beneficial to start again.

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Because another recent study by the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University

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of Jyväskylä, Finland, shows that the muscles actually remember training at the protein

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level.

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The memory trace of previous resistance training stays in muscle proteins for over two months.

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In practice this means that when training is started again after the break, even after

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up to two months, the muscles gain the previous performance faster and easier.

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My breaks have been around 2 weeks, mainly during holidays.

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After a few days' pause, I start to feel like moving.

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Some light and shorter walks have been a great way to keep the momentum and be ready to get

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back to more frequent moving after the well-earned pause.

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It should be clear by now that rest days aren't cheating in your training program.

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They are as important as training but recovery is also essential for adaptation.

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That is, it is key to improvement.

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Recovery means rest, it doesn't mean replacing rest with something else, such as anti-infrared

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inflammatory over-the-counter painkillers like ibuprofen.

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They do have their place but they should only be taken when absolutely necessary or doctor-recommended,

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not as a routine part of managing post-exercise soreness.

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They reduce inflammation and may provide temporary relief.

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At the same time, they may slow down recovery.

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Some studies indicate that these non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, NSAIDs, may interfere

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with muscle repair and growth.

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They may even increase the risk of gastrointestinal, renal, or cardiovascular issues, especially

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when taken frequently around intense exercise.

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The links to the studies are in the show notes.

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This information is exactly what your body needs for its natural healing process and

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to bounce back from exercise.

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So don't confuse reduced discomfort with healing, it might just make your recovery longer and

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slower.

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So, what to do when the muscles and joints are aching, but you want to give your body

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a good natural chance to recover and heal stronger?

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A dash of spice could be the answer.

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A ginger-related plant, turmeric, could reduce pain and help in recovery.

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Studies suggest that curcumin, the compound found in turmeric, can help fight inflammation

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and give a mighty antioxidant boost.

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One study concluded that people with knee osteoarthritis had just as much relief taking

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about 1500 mg of curcumin extract daily as they did using 1200 mg of ibuprofen.

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Another link to the studies in the show notes.

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However, this is no fast food recipe.

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Curcumin doesn't absorb particularly well.

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Plain turmeric powder won't do it.

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You would need to find a concentrated supplement.

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There are some indications that piperin, black pepper extract, improves absorption.

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And you will need to be patient.

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It might take 1-2 months of daily use before you experience the relief.

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If you had to choose to ultimate the best possible secret weapon for recovery, what

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do you think it would be?

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It is sleep.

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A good long proper sleep.

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People who get 7 hours or more sleep experience less muscle soreness and recover faster than

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those who sleep less than 6 hours at night.

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With longer sleep, you are significantly less likely to get injured, your mind and thinking

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are more clear and your endurance and power are improved.

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Probably partly because you also feel a lot less tired.

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Overall, good sleep quality is linked to muscle mass, strength, anxiety levels and life satisfaction.

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I try to get to bed every evening around the same time and get up around the same time

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every morning.

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Weekends might slide a bit, but usually not more than an hour or so.

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And even if I go to bed later, I just wake up at the same time.

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Then I take a small early afternoon naps to get back on track.

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My goal is to be in bed for 8 hours, so I usually get a bit more than 7 hours of sleep.

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So sleep is important, but sleeping better is not necessarily easy.

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How can we get there?

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First, aim for a consistent bedtime and wake up window.

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Second, stop eating at least 2 hours before lights out to let your digestive system do

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its work before bedtime.

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And of course avoid alcohol.

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It may get you to sleep faster, but it also has an impact on the quality of your sleep.

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And then third, create a dark, cool sleep environment.

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A cool sleeping environment is beneficial because it helps your body to cool down to

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initiate sleep.

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Cooling down helps your brain transition into the rest phase.

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And since your brain wants to rest at a cooler temperature, your rest will be disrupted if

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your body gets too warm.

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Research suggests that chilling your body before and during sleep can help you fall

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asleep faster and have higher quality rest throughout the night.

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Lower core body temperature produced lower heart rates during sleep and increased the

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time spent in the stage 3 sleep, in recovery sleep.

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Those people also had better heart rate variability HRV.

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The good-to-know corner In an earlier episode I mentioned that I

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cut runner's knee from increasing the intensity of my exercise too fast.

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But what is runner's knee?

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Runner's knee, medically known as patellofemoral pain syndrome, PFPS, is a common condition

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that causes pain on the front of the knee, around or behind the kneecap, particularly

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where the kneecap, patella, meets the thighbone, femur.

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It's common with runners, obviously, but it can affect anyone who does activities that

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put pressure on the knee joint like squatting, climbing stairs or sitting for long periods.

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You can get runner's knee from overusing the knee joint, frequently running or jumping,

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especially when thigh or hip muscles are tight or weak, or when the kneecap is not aligned

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with the thighbone, and when the shoes are not suitable for the activity or when the

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running technique is not proper.

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And then of course the reason I was suspecting when there's a sudden increase in intensity

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or duration of exercise without proper buildup.

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Runner's knee is usually treated with rest and low-impact exercises, anti-inflammatory

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medication, ice packs, physiotherapy and even suitable supportive devices can help.

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But most importantly, proper shoes and a slow and structured return to exercise are essential

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to avoid future problems.

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Okay then, but wait, wait.

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My pain was in the inner side of the knee, and the pain came gradually, little by little,

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almost unnoticeably.

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I felt it first when doing squats and lunges, but I thought it was just the tight muscle

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that would be fine after some stretching.

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It wasn't until one night that I couldn't sleep because my leg was on fire, that I realized

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it was something else.

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Well, I went to the doctor, and it turned out my problem wasn't runner's knee.

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The pain was around the same place, but on the inside of the thigh, on the sartorius muscle.

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It's called sartorius muscle strain or sartorius tendinopathy, depending on the underlying issue.

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The first one, sartorius muscle strain, occurs when the muscle fibers are overstretched or

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torn due to sudden movements, overuse or trauma.

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There is usually sharp or aching pain in the inner thigh or front of the hip.

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Also the muscle path from the anterior hip down to the inner knee feels tender, and resisted

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hip flexion, abduction or external rotation causes pain.

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Sartorius tendinopathy, tendinitis on the other hand, refers to inflammation or degeneration

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at the tendon where the sartorius inserts, particularly near the medial side of the knee.

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It is caused by repetitive stress, poor biomechanics and inflammation.

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Symptoms include pain below the knee on the inner side, especially when climbing stairs

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or after prolonged activity.

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And this was exactly what I had.

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The treatment depends on the underlying cause, but the general approach is the same as for

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runner's knee.

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Rest and avoid painful activities, no surprise there.

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Ice packs on the sore area for 15-20 minutes several times daily.

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And anti-inflammatory medication like ibuprofen helps reduce inflammation and pain.

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I even talked to some sports doctor who were in favor of using cortisone injections to tame

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the inflammation and prevent the problem from becoming chronic.

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In the middle of the pain, it sounded good, but it is not generally recommended.

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My physiotherapist didn't even quite understand how it could become a chronic problem since

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after the acute pain phase, the treatment continues with gentle stretches for the hip

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flexors, groin and hamstrings, isometric exercises for the hip flexors and gradually a resistance

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workout.

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And of course, if needed, an analysis and correction of walking or running mechanics

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is in order to avoid the problem in the future.

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I gradually got back to walking and cycling, and the problem seemed to have disappeared.

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But somehow, just after one year, the pain came back without any apparent reason.

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I took the same approach with pain medication and gentle stretches.

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This time it took only about a week and I was back on track.

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However, the issue is not totally gone yet.

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Every now and then my Sartorius still lets its presence be known, and I know to pay attention

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to proper warm-ups and cool-downs.

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You should see a doctor if the pain persists for more than a week, even with rest and therapy,

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or if it gets worse with minimal activity or at night, like it was for me.

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Also if there is any swelling, bruising or signs of infection, a doctor's office is the

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right address.

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The good to no corner. So how can you listen to your body?

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If you don't have a sports watch or other device to track your sleep and recovery, monitoring

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your morning heart rate is a simple and quick way to assess your recovery.

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First, establish your baseline.

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Take your pulse right after waking up for 5 days before getting out of bed.

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This will provide a measure of your normal resting heart rate.

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Your heart rates varies throughout the day, but the morning rate immediately after you

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wake up offers a clearer picture of how your body is recovering from the previous day.

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So based on your baseline, if your heart rate is higher than 8 or more beats per minute,

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it is your body saying "hey, I need more rest".

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Recovery and rest sound like things you do after the workout, but actually recovery can

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start even before the warm up.

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Research suggests that drinking coffee before the workout can significantly improve fatigue

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and the perception of pain and exhaustion, and reduce muscle soreness by half.

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So why not include two cups of coffee about an hour before the training in your pre-workout

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rituals?

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And last but not least, the golden rule of training.

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You get the best results by exercising in whatever way you are the most consistent, intense

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and injury-free over time.

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In a case study, two groups followed an intense 8-week training plan.

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One group trained straight for 8 weeks, and the other trained for 4 weeks, took a 1-week

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rest with our training, and then continued with another 4-week for workouts.

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Both groups gained the same amount of muscle, but the continuously training group increased

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more overall strength, power and muscular endurance.

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Though the strength gains were not dramatically different.

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Based on these results, you can train more often, but you also don't need to worry when

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you take a week off for any reason, such as sickness, vacation or just because you need

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one.

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And rest days within the training program are essential for everybody.

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Put some focus on sleep.

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Aim for at least 7 hours of sleep per night, or alternatively, go to bed a bit earlier.

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To achieve that, don't eat 2 hours before bedtime, and in the morning, check your resting

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heart rate.

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Listen to your body's signals on recovery.

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Sleep well and what I like to say, don't do nothing, do something and scale it back.

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This was Scale to Fit, fitting your 50's with Marko Lindgren.

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All sounds are made by me.

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Send us your feedback via email at feedback@scale2.fit or visit potracer.com/scaletofit to leave

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a rating.

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Don't forget to check the show notes at scale2.fit, all the links are there.

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Thank you for tuning in.

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About the Podcast

Scaled to Fit
Fit in Your Fifties
In the podcast, Marko shares personal fitness challenges and successes. His primary focus is making exercise enjoyable for those over 50, encouraging listeners to take action and adapt workouts to their needs.