Walking, steps and HIIT on rest days.
A rest day is not a day on the couch. It is a day without hard training.
Walking counts
A rest day is a day without hard training, not a day without moving. Everyday movement, from standing to walking, explains a large part of the difference in how much energy people use in a day (Levine, 1999; Levine, 2005).
Light activity after hard exercise reduced soreness in a review of recovery methods, though less than massage did (Dupuy, 2018). Whether walking speeds up muscle repair itself has not been shown.
How many steps
In 15 studies with 47,471 adults, more steps a day went with a lower risk of dying during the studies. The benefit levelled off around 6,000 to 8,000 steps for people 60 and over, and 8,000 to 10,000 for younger adults (Paluch, 2022). In US adults, 8,000 steps a day against 4,000 went with about half the risk, and walking faster added nothing once steps were counted (Saint-Maurice, 2020).
These studies show associations, not cause, and 10,000 is not a magic number.
HIIT and lifting
Cardio does not cancel lifting. Across 43 studies, adding endurance training to strength training did not reduce muscle growth or maximal strength; explosive strength suffered a little, mostly when both were done in the same session (Schumann, 2022). High-intensity intervals plus lifting gave the same growth as lifting alone, with slightly smaller gains in lower-body strength (Sabag, 2018).
The more often and the longer the endurance work, the bigger the clash, and running clashes more than cycling (Wilson, 2012). After hard intervals, leg strength was down for several hours and back by the next day (Sporer, 2003), and leaving about a day between the two gave better strength gains than doing them back to back (Robineau, 2016).
What a rest day can hold
So walk as much as you like on a rest day. If you enjoy hard intervals, keep them short, put them on a rest day well clear of your next leg day, and watch whether your lifts keep moving. When the goal is to build muscle and lose fat together, lifting comes first.
Perdura's check-in takes minutes walked and, if you want, the steps your phone or watch counted.
Log your walks and steps beside your workouts, and see the week in one place. Free, no card.
Sources
- Levine JA et al. Role of nonexercise activity thermogenesis in resistance to fat gain in humans. Science. 1999;283(5399):212-4.
- Levine JA et al. Interindividual variation in posture allocation: possible role in human obesity. Science. 2005;307(5709):584-6.
- Dupuy O et al. An Evidence-Based Approach for Choosing Post-exercise Recovery Techniques to Reduce Markers of Muscle Damage, Soreness, Fatigue, and Inflammation: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis. Front Physiol. 2018;9:403.
- Paluch AE et al. Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts. Lancet Public Health. 2022;7(3):e219-e228.
- Saint-Maurice PF et al. Association of Daily Step Count and Step Intensity With Mortality Among US Adults. JAMA. 2020;323(12):1151-1160.
- Schumann M et al. Compatibility of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Training for Skeletal Muscle Size and Function: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2022;52(3):601-612.
- Sabag A et al. The compatibility of concurrent high intensity interval training and resistance training for muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sports Sci. 2018;36(21):2472-2483.
- Wilson JM et al. Concurrent training: a meta-analysis examining interference of aerobic and resistance exercises. J Strength Cond Res. 2012;26(8):2293-307.
- Sporer BC, Wenger HA. Effects of aerobic exercise on strength performance following various periods of recovery. J Strength Cond Res. 2003;17(4):638-44.
- Robineau J et al. Specific Training Effects of Concurrent Aerobic and Strength Exercises Depend on Recovery Duration. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(3):672-83.
General information based on the studies above, not medical advice. If sleep, tiredness or your health worries you, talk to a doctor.