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S02E04 - Working Out on Your Rest Day
Episode 4 • 13th May 2025 • Scaled to Fit • Marko Lindgren
00:00:00 00:18:28

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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

Transcripts

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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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