Our bodies are really smart and can tell us a lot — as long as we listen to them.
Should you stretch away the stiffness of the week’s workouts (spoiler: yes) or go for a light walk (yes, again) or should you sink into a hot bath and watch Netflix on your precariously balanced phone (for the third and final time, yes).
But why must you include rest in your routine? Why is it important to temper a kick-ass week of workouts with some deliberate recovery time?
For Barry’s Bootcamp legacy trainer Jemma McKenzie-Brown, rest days are just as important as killing your training sessions.
‘You have to let your body heal from the work you’ve been doing all week. Your muscles need a chance to desensitise and get used to the progression you’ve already made. If you push your brain too hard at work, you burnout. It’s the same with your body,’ says McKenzie-Brown, fresh from teaching her brilliantly brutal Friday morning class.
Read more: Women’sHealth