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Rest days are meant for sleeping a little late, maybe a little lazing around and most importantly, doing some low impact exercises or stretches that help relax your muscles.
Even though it seems counterintuitive, you shouldn't work out in full beast mode every day if you want to get the most out of the gym and avoid getting injured. In fact, taking some time each week to slow down is just as important for staying fit as going all out.
A day of rest and recovery is like starting over. To get real results, you need to give your body a break, so that it can heal and learn how to deal with stress in the future.
However, that doesn't mean you should stay in bed all day when you have a rest day. Slow things down with a gentle active recovery routine instead of stopping completely.
Below we have compiled a list of five stretching exercises you can perform on your rest day.
Exercises to Relax Your Muscles on Rest Day
Workout recovery is important for getting the most out of your fitness programme.
Low impact exercises like walking and swimming are preferred by most people on their rest day. However, you can also do these excellent dynamic and static stretches to help release the tension in your muscles.
Here'a look at five such exercises:
1) Cat-Cow Pose
An excellent dynamic stretch, the cat-cow pose increases blood circulation to your spinal column. It stretches and strengthens your back and abdominal muscles, and your neck.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Get on your hands and knees to start.
- Put your hands right under your shoulders, and knees right under your hips.
- As you take a deep breath in, arch your back, and reach your head and tailbone towards the sky. Your stomach should be flat on the floor.
- As you let your breath out, round your back, and let your head and tailbone fall toward the floor.
- Keep switching between these moves.
2) Floor Angel
This mix of stretching and moving helps open up your lymphatic system and get it moving, giving your body's natural 'vacuum cleaner' a boost. Just a few minutes of targeted stretches and exercises can give you more energy and help your immune system.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Lay flat on your back, and walk your heels towards your hips while bending your knees to 90 degrees.
- Keep your back flat on the ground, and reach as high as you can with your hands and arms.
- Try to keep your elbows and wrists touching the floor throughout the whole movement.
- Repeat.
3) Y-T-W Exercise
The goal of the YTW exercise for scapular retraction is to strengthen the muscles between your shoulder blades so that you can pull your shoulders back and keep a good posture.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend at the hips while keeping your core tight so that you don't arch your back too much.
- Raise your arms above your head with your thumbs up to make the letter 'Y'. Move your arms to the side to make the letter 'T'. Finally, bend your elbows, and pull down and back to make the letter 'W'.
- Slowly go through these moves, focusing on getting your back muscles to work.
4) Lateral Squat Stretch
Lateral squats target the side muscles of the butt, working on balance and stability, improving strength in the lower body, and enhancing your athletic skills.
The stretch is equally helpful, helping elongate your inner and outer thighs and relieving tension in your muscles.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Stand with your feet spread apart and toes pointing straight ahead.
- Slowly turn your hips back, and slide them to the right as you bend your right knee, and keep your weight on your heels and your other leg straight.
- You should feel it in the inside of your left thigh.
- Change sides, and do it again.
5) Figure 4 Stretch
The figure 4 stretch targets your butt and the sides of your hips.
This stretch focuses on the gluteus medius, which is a muscle that helps move the hips and keeps the hip joint stable.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Lie down on your back.
- Bend your left knee, and cross your right foot over your left thigh.
- Gently pull the back of your left leg towards your chest.
- When the stretch feels good, hold it for 30 seconds.
- Change sides, and do it again.
Takeaway
The aforementioned five stretches target all the major muscles in your body and help you relax on your rest day.
