Playing Division 1 College Soccer taught me a lot of things, but one of the most important was the difference in training days, game (or testing) days, and rest days. Being able to know which days are which and how to mentally and physically approach them is key to long term success, inside and outside the gym.
This awareness has helped me directly into staying active and healthy for life. No one can, or should, push themselves to max effort every day. The body is not meant to take it, and it rapidly produces diminishing returns.
What these days are, how often they should happen, and how you approach them are different. Here’s an outline explaining each of these types of days:
Training Days
What are they?
These are the days where you are working out or being active on a consistent basis. They can often feel boring, mundane, or repetitive, but this is where the real results happen.
How to approach?
You should be listening to the body and adjusting your load or intensity based on how you are doing in the moment.
How often?
About 70-90% of the time or 20-25 days/month
Test Days
What are they?
These can take place in or out of the gym. For some people this will be testing a benchmark workout or a new skill, and for others this may be completing their first 10k or doing a Spartan Race. These days are meant to challenge mentally and physically and push your limits.
How to approach?
These are meant to be prepared for mentally and physically. You should feel ready to take on a challenge.
How often?
About 5-10% of the time or 1-4 days/month
Rest Days
What are they?
These are days where you fully rest from working out, training, or lots of activity. Ideally you can be lightly active like walking, playing with the kids, or doing active recovery like foam rolling, stretching, or a sauna/cold plunge.
How to approach?
Give a mental break from the stress of challenging yourself, to let your mind and body recover.
How often?
About 10-20% of the time or 4-8 days/month
To produce lasting results for an active and healthy life it’s critical to have a good ratio of training, testing, and rest days.
These percentages are basic guidelines and will vary based on the individual and where they are at in their current health and fitness journey, but it’s the awareness and adherence to them that is most important. Stick to them and you’re guaranteed to see significant results.
If you haven’t seen it, here’s a great blog interviewing Reformer Jeremiah on How to be Consistent in the Gym.