For most of us, it’s easy to abandon our exercise routine for a few days — which can quickly turn into weeks, or even months. But while it may seem contradictory, some professional athletes purposefully cut down their training sessions and reap major benefits from it. They’ll also commonly take a few weeks off at the end of a competitive season to recuperate, per their coaches’ advice. Even ancient Olympians knew the importance of recovery time.
Yet the ideal balance between intense training, lighter sessions and total time off can be difficult to pin down, despite decades of research on the topic. Here’s what scientists know so far:
