I've been working out at the gym for about six months now, going 5-6 days a week. My friends say I need to give my muscles rest, otherwise I won't make progress. But it seems to me that if I take days off, I'll lose my shape. How does recovery actually work?
Your friends are right - muscles actually grow during rest, not during the workout itself. When you train, you create micro-tears in the fibers, and your body repairs them, making the muscle stronger, but this happens in the days between workouts. Constant stress without recovery leads to overtraining, decreased performance, and injury risk - that's why you're hitting a plateau instead of making progress. One or two full rest days a week won't make you lose fitness; on the contrary, they'll let you train harder and more effectively the following week.
Log into answer.
