Taking a break?

nassaugyal

So, I'm officially addicted. Last week I hit a wall with all of my lifts. I felt exhausted, sore, and so weak that I was struggling with what was supposed to be my warm-up weight.
I chalked it up to a bad day and tried again a couple days later with the same results.

So, I prescribed myself a one week break. It's been five days now and I feel like I can't take it. I'm so tempted to lift on my lunch break just to see if I feel better and if I still have it.

I feel like I'm getting weaker by the day! Anyone else ever taken a break and came back stronger and better? Or do you feel like it hurt your progress?

Llamapants86

I find that my first couple of lifts after a week off are kind of meh but by the 3rd or 4th workout I feel much better and I recover much faster. I always do a deload too, just 5 or 10 lbs, so it only takes a week of SL to get back to working weights.

TravelsWithHuckleberry

One week off is unlikely to really hurt your progress. You were really smart to listen to your body and take a break. It's those moments when you're exhausted and struggling, both physically and mentally ("Why is this so hard? I should be able to lift this weight easily!") when injuries and tweaks happen.

Also remember that lifting doesn't have an end date, so the progress never ends. Deload weeks allow you to progress with form or mental growth, even if you have less weight in the bar.

awkwardsoul

Thankfully with lifting, taking a break doesn't effect you too much compared to taking a break with cardio.

I found when it was a brief break (1 or 2 weeks) I did fine - there is a 10% deload to be safe, but I found I did better with form, some lifts I felt I didn't need to deload (in my case, bench/OHP). It's like during the break my body figured it all out.

A few months? Been there, it's kind of ugly and felt like I had to relearn it all again, though the progression is pretty fast to get back.

canadianlbs

i've had it happen that i came back from a week's break way stronger than i'd had expectation i'd feel. you get so used to being tired and toughing it out, you forget that it's possible for lifting to not be a grind.

i don't think i'll kill your rest if you can't last the whole week, but i also don't think it'll kill your strength if you do.

ScientificExplorerGirl

I felt tired and run down last week too. I deloaded and felt much better for it. Take the break, rest and get strong. Then go back at it!!

krokador

I like to stay active even when I deload, personally. That way I don't get all antsy from not getting my move on (and i can still eat as much as I usually do >_>). If you're really just looking forward to lifting again, go in but do only 50% of your normal weight for a workout or 2. No heavy loading doesn't mean no lifting!

Sumiblue

I have been at the feeling weak stage. I deloaded instead of stopping. I also ate a little more. Are you eating at a deficit? Might be time to adjust to a smaller deficit If that is the case. I took a forced break from lifting at Christmas because I didn't have access to a gym. I had to deload when I came back to it.

nassaugyal

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I lifted last night and felt great! I can't believe how much stronger and confident I felt. I'm definitely going to schedule in breaks or deloads every 6-8 weeks. My numbers have been going up so slowly that I didn't think I would need to until I got to much heavier weight. But, the numbers are high for me, so I'm glad I listened to my body.

I think the caloric deficit that I've been on (forever, it seems!) may be taking a toll on me. I still have 7 lbs to lose but I don't know how much more I can take. I wanna start seeing serious GAINS!