Are rest days from exercise necessary?

Not many people would argue that rest isn’t important, but how would you define a rest day? For an elite athlete a rest day could be going for a long walk. For your average person it could mean sitting on the couch. Norman and Tegan ask – why is rest important, and do you need it to make progress in the gym? References: 'No pain, no gain' debunked: Why post-exercise soreness is not essential for building muscle Skeletal muscle and resistance exercise training; the role of protein synthesis in recovery and remodeling Effects of Different Between Test Rest Intervals in Reproducibility of the 10-Repetition Maximum Load Test: A Pilot Study with Recreationally Resistance Trained Men The time course for elevated muscle protein synthesis following heavy resistance exercise Recovery and Performance in Sport: Consensus Statement Effects of Consecutive Versus Non-consecutive Days of Resistance Training on Strength, Body Composition, and Red Blood Cells Nonconsecutive versus consecutive-day resistance training in recreationally trained subjects Fatigue, pain, and the recovery of neuromuscular function after consecutive days of full-body resistance exercise in trained men Effects of Consecutive Days of Exercise and Recovery on Muscle Mechanical Function How much is too much? (Part 1) International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of injury    If you enjoyed this episode, check these out! Is retirement bad for you? Do the benefits of creatine go beyond the gym? Diet vs exercise: which is more important?