Should You Take a Rest Day or Push Through? The Truth About Training When You’re Fatigued
Today is squat day. But there’s a problem. You tossed and turned all night. Your legs feel heavy, and every stair to the 3rd-floor gym already feels like a workout. The program says squats, and you’re disciplined, dammit. So, stop complaining and get to work. But should you? That brings us to the myth we’ve all encountered probably once a week in our fitness journeys: A scheduled workout must happen as scheduled, regardless of fatigue. Strength coach and multiple-time world-record powerlifter Matt Wenning has spent decades competing and coaching, and his experience has taught him something many stubborn lifters learn the hard way: “More is not always better,” he says. “Better is better.” Strength coach Gareth Sapstead takes a similar approach through autoregulation: “My opinion is that autoregulation works better than automatically scheduling a rest day every X number of weeks.” But both coaches agree that feeling tired doesn’t mean you need a rest day. It’s about learning to ...