What should I be eating on a rest day?

Rest days are a day off from the gym, but they don’t mean a break from healthy nutrition. “What should I be eating on a rest day?” Nutrients that will help you recover, build muscle, and prepare you for your next training session.

How often do you take a rest day? Are they programmed into your training plan, or do you push until you need a break? Whatever your approach to rest days might be, it’s important to have a structured approach to nutrition during recovery.

CALORIES

Even though you’re not training on a rest day, don’t be tempted to cut your calories right back. For one thing, your body needs the energy to recover and repair from the previous few days of training. And it also needs to refuel and prepare for your next session (especially if you are just taking a single day off). This is particularly important if your goal is muscle or strength gain.

You should still stay active on a rest day, doing some very light cardio, yoga or mobility work, or a decent outdoor walk. And you won’t be dropping all your usual everyday activities – like walking your dog or walking to the train station – unless you’re actually ill. So your calories should never drop below TDEE (total daily energy expenditure).

REST DAY NUTRIENTS

Your rest day nutrition should include plenty of protein from a variety of sources, complex carbohydrates to fuel recovery, and healthy fats to help bring down inflammation created by training.

Aim for 20-30g protein every 2-4 hours throughout the day. This will support recovery by keeping your intake of amino acids steady. Focus on natural, complex carbs from wholegrains, potatoes and root vegetables, and fruits as these will deliver important vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Remember that carbohydrates don’t just replace energy, they also assist with protein absorption. Your rest day fats should come from oily fish, nuts and seeds, and quality oils (not from overdoing it on the cakes and biscuits!) Keep up your intake of PhD Omega 3 to help with recovery.

5 REASONS REST DAY NUTRITION MATTERS

1 Your body can take up to 48 hours to recover from an intense workout
2 Your muscles need plenty of protein to repair and rebuild
3 You need to refuel glycogen stores through carbohydrate intake
4 Training can suppress appetite, so rest days are a chance to refuel properly
5 Good rest day nutrition can have a positive impact on DOMS (1)

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR NUTRITION

1 You’ll have extra time from not training – use it to do a food shop and meal prep
2 Devote a little extra time to creating nutritious meals using different vegetables to training days
3 Remember to drink plenty of water even though you’re not training
4 Watch your hunger levels and avoid the urge to binge by filling up on lean protein, vegetables, and fruits
5 If you usually use caffeine pre-training, make rest days caffeine-free to give your system a break.

THE BEST SUPPLEMENTS

PhD Omega 3 is a quality source of important omega 3 fatty acids which help tackle excess inflammation and support joint health. You should definitely continue to take this on rest days.

Give your sleep a boost on rest days with PhD ZMA, a combination of optimally dosed magnesium, zinc, and Vitamin B6 to support recovery.

A good greens powder will be a useful extra for rest days, even though you should have more time to prep big salads and stir fries. PhD Greens packs in more fruit, vegetables, and superfood extracts that any human could ever get into a meal. This blend of 22 wholefood extracts helps alkalinise your diet which is of great benefit on rest days.

If you tend to get a sweet tooth on rest days, take a look at the Smart range of bars, cakes, and flapjacks for a delicious selection of high-protein, low-sugar treats which will make rest days feel indulgent without making a dent in your diet plan.

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4294436/