Here is a recap of the importance of adequate REST

Don't sabotage your gym and diet efforts by underestimating the importance of RECUPERATION.

Exercise, diet and rest form the triangle of physical growth. If you're lacking in any one of these three sides, your triangle will effectively collapse into a flat line. It's safe to assume, all of you realize the importance of weight training and nutrition yet you probably spend little time focusing on RECUPERATION.

Don't take recuperation for granted. You must give it some of the same analytical thought and effort you put into working out and eating. How well you plan your recuperation will have a direct effect on how well you work out and how well you eat.

Training, nutrition and rest are interdependent. It's only when you're resting that you are truly growing. During weight training, you essentially deplete your muscles. When you eat and drink, you replenish them. When you rest, they grow, hopefully stronger and larger than before if that is your goal. If you don't get enough rest and the right kind of rest your physique will never reach its true potential.

SHORT - TERM NEEDS

Most RECUPERATION takes place immediately after completing a set of exercises. You gain back more than 90% of your strength within one minute.

Thirty seconds to a minute is a normal rest period. Wait even longer between especially heavy sets of basic exercises. The clock is much less important than the signals your body gives you. Perform another set only when your breathing has returned to normal and you feel most of your strength has returned. There are times when you want to train quickly, and there are techniques that depend on little if any rest between sets. However, in most circumstances, you should allow yourself to almost completely recover from one set before beginning another.

Immediately after a workout, endeavor to stay warm. Warmth maintains your muscle pump longer, and a pump will keep your muscles loose and keep necessary nutrients coursing toward the depleted cells, thus fostering RECUPERATION.

Cold can diminish a muscle pump and stiffen muscles and joints. In addition, a hot shower after a workout can also help to keep muscles warm and recovering.