That said, the number of rest days you take per week will depend on several factors, including your experience level. Norris agrees: “If a runner feels like they don’t need the day off, that means the rest day is functioning in its intended way to encourage recovery.” Using a Non-Running Day for Cross-Training—and Pushing Too HardIf you have a designated rest day on your schedule, Norris advises against using it to do your strength training. “On a true rest day, we want to minimize load across all those various bodily systems and also give ourselves a mental reset to reduce stress .” “So from the body’s perspective, that rest day is no longer a rest day,” he says.