Does the heart need to rest in between cardio workouts?

I know that it's good to let your muscles rest in between weight lifting sessions.  Does the heart also need a certain amount of rest in between cardio workouts?  For a while I was doing my cardio workouts 7 days/week.  Now I'm doing about 5 days/week...mainly because I was aggravating my lower back.  But I got to wondering if the heart needs to rest in between cardio sessions just like the other muscles do?  Any ideas?

I was also working out 7 days per week but I never do the same one two days in a row. 

interesting question, abyerley. i've never thought about it before, but it makes sense that in order to become stronger and more efficient, the heart would need recovery just like any other muscle.

i hope someone comes up with a definitive answer.

I am fairly certain that this is the theory behind High Intensity Workouts/Intervals too. The heart is forced to work really hard and then recover, and then repeat to make it stronger and make it possible to do longer sessions of cardio. Also, think about this: when you feel tired physically, it means there is less blood flow/oxygen/nutrients to the muscles right? Because the heart has been working so hard for an extended period of time and now can't pump as much blood because it is tired? So it would need to recover?

But to answer your question, I would guess that the heart needs a shorter time to recover than muscles, because it is a vital organ absolutely 100% necessary to keep us all alive and all and isn't tearing and rebuilding.

These are just guesses though! I hope, like pgeorgian, that someone else knows for sure.

This question was asked of Mary (CC Expert). Here's her response:

Rest is a necessary part of an exercise routine. You repair and rebuild your muscles during rest.  A four-day weight-training schedule includes 2 days of upper body only, 2 days of lower body only, and three days of rest spaced in between.  Your ab exercises should be worked into your training sessions.  Read about principles of weight-training from the Guide to Bodybuilding at About.com.  You should also take a rest from your cardio routine.  One day a week, do weight-training only without cardio, and on one other day, do not exercise at all.  The Sports Medicine Guide at About.com has training schedules for many cardio activities.

Read more: http://caloriecount.about.com/exercise-rest-q 686#ixzz0DyK4VpRK&B

My question is can I ride my stationary bike every day. I only ride for 30 minutes, at a time,  at a moderate level. I pulled a shoulder muscle last week, its still bothering me. So I am not able to use my weights, exercise ball, or restance bands. I pulled the shoulder a week ago and its still very sore, hope it heals soon I miss exercising. lol..

amyjo

Yes, your heart does need time to recover, but that's what sleep is for!  As long as you're getting your 7-8 hours a night your heart should be in tip-top shape!

In fact there is a link between sleep apnea and heart disease!

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/01 /heart_sleep.html

I have never thought about it before :)

However, even if the heart does not need a rest day - the rest of your body does.  Your legs need a rest from intense workouts.  Your tendons and ligaments need a chance to repair.  If you are resting the rest of your body then your heart will get rest too.

In terms of cardiac, and assuming your heart is healthy, there is no need to rest your heart. Why it is very impt to NOT do cardio 7 days a week is bc of your joints and ligaments.  You need to rest them to avoid injury.

I watched "Road to Paris" a couple of weeks ago (a two-hour show following Lance and U.S. Postal back in '02 or '03), and he talked about training with both a power meter and a HRM.  Paraphrasing, he said that between the two, you can tell when you need rest.  If you're climbing at your usual wattage, but you can't get your heart rate into your usual range for that effort level, then you haven't recovered, and you should back off.  On the other hand, if you're climbing and your heart rate responds as normal, then it's OK to go full gas.

So, whether or not the heart itself needs recovery (and it stands to reason to me that it would), it is at least an indicator of whether or not you as a whole need recovery.

Behanna, I think what you said is a very good indicator.  I take a 1 hour spin class on Mondays after a long hike (12-18 miles) on Saturdays and a rest day on Sundays.  Depending on the intensity of the hike, sometimes I can get my heart rate into the 80-85% range easily and quickly during the Monday spin class, and sometimes it just won't go up that high, or it takes most of the hour to get it there.  But I think the heart takes care of itself - if it needs recovery, it just doesn't work as hard, no matter what you want it to do!

I think other muscles respond in a similar way to endurance situations (as opposed to strength-training).  If my legs are fatigued from hours of hill climbing (not sore, just fatigued), then I will not be able to go as fast if I try to hike again the following day.  I naturally slow down because it is uncomfortable to go faster.  Your body will take care of itself it you listen to it.

Nightstar, I think 30 minutes of riding your bike is fine to do every day.  You are not training with a lot of intensity. 

I used to run 5-6 days a week and after taking a week off from running (vacation), I found I was able to run faster and longer when I got back. I now make a point to take a few days off from running now and then and take it easy several days before a 5k.

It really depends on the level of cardio. Are you running a 10k marathon, or using the elliptical for 30 minutes? Long distance running should have a couple of days for recovery.  30 - 60 minutes of moderate cardio can be done most every day.

Having 1 day off a week is good for repair. If you are not putting your muscles under duress, the repair is minimal. Weight training results in minor muscle tears that need time to repair. Typical gym cardio training is basically light jogging, which doesn't put the muscles under that much duress. It does strengthen the heart so that it can better handle situations where increased heart rate is required. It also improves you V02 intake.

seeing as the heart is a muscle I would imagine yes it is wise to give it a rest. I try to do cardio 6 days a week and alternate  weight training every second day so I end up doing both at least 3 days a week. don't know that that is a smart way to do it but it is working for me for now.

There is a very simple test you can do to see if you are "overtraining" your heart.

First thing in the morning after you turn off the alarm stay laying down and relax and take your pulse for a full minute - then sit up at the edge of the bed and take your pulse again for 1 minute if its over 5 bpm over your laying down rate then you need to take a rest day. 

This is from a biking training book someone had mentioned years ago on this website. 

I used to do cardio every day and had a RHR of about 48 I would do hard days and mid level days and some days a very easy rate and never have had any heart issues.  According to the American Heart Association you should do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day

the cardiac muscle cells are different to skeletic muscle cells in so many ways. The main idea of a cardio session its to improve your physical resistance, durability, increase your metabolism rate, and optimise your body functions particularly your muscles. Cardiac muscle is adapted to be highly resistant to fatigue. The most important thing its to do workouts in a aerobic range, if your cardiac frequency goes way to up, the heart its starting to work with less oxygen: less oxygen means extra weight for the heart to be able to move all the blood full of nutrients and also oxygen and take out the wastes like CO2. If you are working out at this Cardiac frecuency all your cardio goes to nothing, you feel tired easily and need more time between sessions to recuperate of the damage you caused.

It would be like running behind a truck - not healthy at all. 

24 to 48 hours rest is recommended in between intense cardio session. That's why it's best to alternate resistance training and cardio training sessions. 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day is fine.

I love this site!!!  All of the replies I got were very informative.  Thank you all!