Do you have to take a rest day?

StormWarrior

Do you have to have one totally exercise free day per week in order to recover totally? Or do rest days only apply to weights? Do you think something like this is ok:

Mon: Weights, aerobics & hiking
Tues: aerobics, yoga & hiking
Wed: Weights, aerobics & hiking
Thur: aerobics, yoga & hiking
Fri: Weights, aerobics & hiking
Sat: aerobics, yoga & hiking
Sun: yoga & hiking

(by hiking I mean about 2 hours on hills, by aerobics I mean about an hour of not-so-strenuous dance aerobics.)

I have alot of spare time for the next 8 months, and I want to burn plenty of fat during those 8 months, but I don't want to get injured or burned out.

EileenG

That's a lot of hiking.

Normally, a rest day just means one without planned weights or cardio work, but where you can be as active as you like. However, in your case, that routine is likely to be a killer if you don't build in some rest and recovery time.

Yogo on Sunday is probably fine, but I'd swop the hiking for shopping or something.

celestial

Hiking seven days a week??

I think you'll find that regardless of whether you think a rest day is needed or not, you will end up taking rest days because you will need them;)

A better and more realistic approach is probably 4-6 days of medium to high intensity exercise per week, with at least one day of complete rest. Ask yourself this - do elite athletes train 7 days a week?

smellslikeshoes

Honestly thats way, way too much. If you need to work that hard to "burn fat" as you say, there is something seriously wrong in the kitchen, or else its the case that you have drawn up this plan and haven't tried it yet.

Just taking Monday for example, 2 hours of hiking 1 hour of aerobics and whatever you do of weights. Thats 3 hours +weights. Honestly thats way too much, if you do that regime for a while you will probably end up so exhausted you will get sick of training you will never want to do it again.

I think you would benefit much more from as Celestial mentioned 4-6 medium to high intensity sessions a week, each of them being more like an hour than the 3+ hours you have mentioned.

Ive drawn up what I would consider a more realistic program based on what you have posted up. If you try something similar for a while and it seems too light for you could obviously add in some more.

Mon:Weights
Tues:Yoga and Aerobics
Wed:Swim
Thur:Weights
Fri:Yoga and a 20min swim/walk
Sat: SHOPPING :pac:
Sun: 1-2 hours Hiking

If you can't loose weight with a program like that you will need to be looking into what you are eating. Training won't do much for you loosing fat if you are eating the extra calories burned as soon as you get into the kitchen.

brendansmith

Thats very ambitious man.

Start slow and up the pace should you need it.

Chances are you might get bored also

StormWarrior

I can't swim due to ear infections. Do you think it would be ok then if I ditched the hiking, and only did that once a week? Then do you think the programme would be sustainable?

Roper

StormWarrior wrote: »

Do you have to have one totally exercise free day per week in order to recover totally? Or do rest days only apply to weights? Do you think something like this is ok:

Mon: Weights, aerobics & hiking
Tues: aerobics, yoga & hiking
Wed: Weights, aerobics & hiking
Thur: aerobics, yoga & hiking
Fri: Weights, aerobics & hiking
Sat: aerobics, yoga & hiking
Sun: yoga & hiking

(by hiking I mean about 2 hours on hills, by aerobics I mean about an hour of not-so-strenuous dance aerobics.)

I have alot of spare time for the next 8 months, and I want to burn plenty of fat during those 8 months, but I don't want to get injured or burned out.

It depends. I mean, some might say that the yoga and hiking on the Sunday are the rest day but 2 hours on a hill would knacker me. For my money, everyone needs at least one day every now and again where they can recharge the batteries, be that by eating copius amounts of pizza, drinking until they fall over, screwing, playing PS3 or building a little ship in a bottle.

Sounds like you like hiking though so if that floats your boat, then maybe it's not work to you. Maybe just bring along a beautiful girl on one of the days and make that your rest Wait, what are you? If you're a girl then replace beautiful girl that last sentence with strapping young man.

I feel your pain on the ear infections. I've cut them out almost altogether by using plugs though. They're tiny and transparent so you don't look like a nerd and they've saved me no end of bother.

Petrolium Hat

StormWarrior wrote: »

Do you have to have one totally exercise free day per week in order to recover totally? Or do rest days only apply to weights? Do you think something like this is ok:

Mon: Weights, aerobics & hiking
Tues: aerobics, yoga & hiking
Wed: Weights, aerobics & hiking
Thur: aerobics, yoga & hiking
Fri: Weights, aerobics & hiking
Sat: aerobics, yoga & hiking
Sun: yoga & hiking

(by hiking I mean about 2 hours on hills, by aerobics I mean about an hour of not-so-strenuous dance aerobics.)

I have alot of spare time for the next 8 months, and I want to burn plenty of fat during those 8 months, but I don't want to get injured or burned out.

That's not going to last long...you'll probably get to 10 or even 14 days and be completely fatigued and need three or four days to recover or at best your energy levels will be so low you wont be able to excersise to half your potential. Six days a week is more than enough and gives your body time to recover. If you feel the need to do something on the 7th day then just go for an hour walk at apassive enough pace.

EileenG

I'd start with three days of heavy weights, no messing about. Go in and lift as hard as you can. Afterwards, you can do half an hour of moderate cardio just to burn off any remaining energy. For the rest of the day, be active, but that should be it for planned heavy workouts.

On non-lifting day, do some strenuous cardio. That could be hiking, or running, or cycling, or martial arts. Make sure you puff and sweat. Forget the "fat burning zone". You'll burn more calories, including more fat calories, if you work hard. You can alternate flat out sprints with slower recovery periods.

And have one proper rest day every week. If you are training very hard, you may need more than one.