Kosher Fitness
By Michael Ungar
Sometimes less is more, and sometimes more is more. When it comes to fitness, both can be true.
When it comes to our workouts, more time spent on cardio exercises has a greater effect on the number of calories burnt, endurance, and circulatory and respiratory capacity. With regard to resistance training, the heavier the weight, the greater the number of reps and sets, the more likely muscle will be built. The more you do the, the more you accomplish. The Jewish sage Ben He-He said “the gain is in proportion to the effort,” and he had it right over 2,000 years ago.
At the same time, there is such a thing as overtraining. Some people take “the more, the better” to mean that they should be working out seven-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year. Overtraining can cause all kinds of injuries that can set progress back. That is why recovery time is so important.
There are a number of factors to take into account when considering how long we should recover after a workout (or even after a specific exercise). When working with some of my clients, I may alternate between a group of core, lower-body, and upper-body exercises to give the muscles an opportunity to recover before moving on to a second or third set; in other cases, when we are working the same set of muscles, we take a short break between sets. These all take place within one workout.
Between workouts, however, we must think about:
- The intensity of the exercise. The more strenuous it is, the longer recovery will take. This could be anywhere from 24-48 hours (or even longer) between working specific muscle groups; less time may be necessary if the exercise is more moderate.
- The type of exercise. For example, weight training usually requires more recovery time than cardio. Several sets of bench presses on Monday may necessitate waiting until Wednesday to do upper body resistance exercises, whereas a bike ride on Monday might easily be followed by a run or a hip-hop class on Tuesday.
- Your fitness level. If you are just beginning, it is all the more important to allow for recovery; going from 0 to 60 in 5.4 seconds might be great for your car, but the effect on our bodies is dangerous. It is important to slowly build up weight, number of reps and sets, while including recovery time. On the other hand, those who are more fit may find that recovery times are faster.
- Age. As we age, it takes longer to recover. This is not always the case, but in general, it becomes more important to take a rest between exercising muscle groups, as well as to have days with no exercise or light exercise.
- How well you sleep. A good night’s sleep is key to a good workout. Some of us sleep better than others, but if you have had a particularly rough night or simply did not get in the requisite number of hours, a recovery day is a good idea, or at least aim for a less intense workout.
- Stress. This seems like an odd thing to consider, but it can have several effects. Some of us, when we are stressed, have a tendency to work harder or at a faster pace because we are “wound up;” this can lead to overtraining, lack of attention to form, and even injury. Stress also saps our energy; we may think we have the power to do an exercise only to find that our strength is flagging.
We may worry that taking time off or resting is “cheating,” but it is an integral part of the process of staying healthy and boosting our levels of fitness. Recovery time allows muscles to build/rebuild and gives our metabolism a chance to adjust to activity. It is also key to preventing injuries due to overtraining. Regular allowances for recovery help ensure that we do not have to take an even longer time for recovery because we have “overdone it.” Anyone who has ever had a surgery due to an exercise injury knows just how far it can set us back.
Remember: Work hard. Rest hard.
This lightly-edited blog with image was originally published on kosher-fitness.com on January 13, 2025 by Rabbi Ungar.
