When should I take a rest week (esp from strength training)?
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rr85114
Posts: 104 Member
I know I'm supposed to take a 'break' from eat at TDEE after eating at about 4-6 weeks at cut (I've decided that I'll do my TDEE break after 6 weeks at cut - but that might change, I'm only on day 4 of week 1 :laugh: ).
I'm apprehensive about 'double shocking' my body by increasing to TDEE after 6 weeks and taking a full rest week exercise-wise at the same time. Could I maybe do a rest week every 4 weeks? And then continue to exercise while eating at TDEE? Part of me feels like I may as well make use of the extra calories to work on building more muscle.
I'm apprehensive about 'double shocking' my body by increasing to TDEE after 6 weeks and taking a full rest week exercise-wise at the same time. Could I maybe do a rest week every 4 weeks? And then continue to exercise while eating at TDEE? Part of me feels like I may as well make use of the extra calories to work on building more muscle.
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I'm keen to see reponses to this as I feel this week as though I need a break from training and not sure whether to listen to my body and take a rest now or schedule in breaks at regular intervals.
I see what you mean about not wanting to rest from exercise at the same time as going up to TDEE though, it would definitely seem to make more sense to use those times eating more to fuel some good workouts
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Crocatilla - I'm definitely a believer in, if you feel like your body needs a rest from exercise, it probably does!
Bumping this a little for both our sakes 0 -
I dont see why you couldnt do it that way. Personally I took like 11 days off from both. But I did squeeze 2 - 30 minute jogs in there. Nothing too intense and it seems to have worked like a dream for me.
Do what you want and see how you feel, see the results and then just keep tweaking your methods from there. Everybody is different. As long as you dont give up , you will succeed 0 -
Im kinda confused about the whole "break" thing. Im in reset now and I was thinking Id take a break from exercise on the last week before I went into cut but still eat TDEE. Is this right or shoudl I go right into cut and wait 4-6 weeks for a break?0
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I am ready for a break, but I have 6 more weeks of Chalean Extreme. I just have zero energy and I know my intensity isn't where it should be when exercising. I am going to try and get that energy back and complete CLX and then I am taking atleast a 1 week break from exercise and the following week take my calories to TDEE while bringing the exercise back in. I think that is what I am going to do!
Heck, it could be TOM talking right now....arrived a week early. :sad:0 -
Im kinda confused about the whole "break" thing. Im in reset now and I was thinking Id take a break from exercise on the last week before I went into cut but still eat TDEE. Is this right or shoudl I go right into cut and wait 4-6 weeks for a break?
Taking an exercise break and eating at tdee right before going to cut is an excellent way to do it. It's like giving your body and mind a full rest before stressing it again. I absolutely recommend it.
I think in regards to 'breaks' there are three ways of doing it:
1. Diet break: eat at tdee, but continue to exercise
2. Exercise break: continue at cut, but reduce exercise to light or none
3. Diet and Exercise break: this is like a vacation for your body and mind...no intentional exercise and eat at tdee.
When or which you chose to do at any given time is a personal preference but usually an exercise break is every 4 - 6 weeks, and a diet break is at least every 8 - 12 I believe. A full "vacation" (#3) can be done whenever you feel you need it, or when you actually go on vacation! :happy:0 -
Im kinda confused about the whole "break" thing. Im in reset now and I was thinking Id take a break from exercise on the last week before I went into cut but still eat TDEE. Is this right or shoudl I go right into cut and wait 4-6 weeks for a break?
Taking an exercise break and eating at tdee right before going to cut is an excellent way to do it. It's like giving your body and mind a full rest before stressing it again. I absolutely recommend it.
I think in regards to 'breaks' there are three ways of doing it:
1. Diet break: eat at tdee, but continue to exercise
2. Exercise break: continue at cut, but reduce exercise to light or none
3. Diet and Exercise break: this is like a vacation for your body and mind...no intentional exercise and eat at tdee.
When or which you chose to do at any given time is a personal preference but usually an exercise break is every 4 - 6 weeks, and a diet break is at least every 8 - 12 I believe. A full "vacation" (#3) can be done whenever you feel you need it, or when you actually go on vacation! :happy:
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Ok thatnks so much. Ill do an exercise break the last week of reset and do a diet break 8 weeks after cut.0 -
Im kinda confused about the whole "break" thing. Im in reset now and I was thinking Id take a break from exercise on the last week before I went into cut but still eat TDEE. Is this right or shoudl I go right into cut and wait 4-6 weeks for a break?
Taking an exercise break and eating at tdee right before going to cut is an excellent way to do it. It's like giving your body and mind a full rest before stressing it again. I absolutely recommend it.
I think in regards to 'breaks' there are three ways of doing it:
1. Diet break: eat at tdee, but continue to exercise
2. Exercise break: continue at cut, but reduce exercise to light or none
3. Diet and Exercise break: this is like a vacation for your body and mind...no intentional exercise and eat at tdee.
When or which you chose to do at any given time is a personal preference but usually an exercise break is every 4 - 6 weeks, and a diet break is at least every 8 - 12 I believe. A full "vacation" (#3) can be done whenever you feel you need it, or when you actually go on vacation! :happy:
You explained it perfectly!!! I may have to copy this to use to explain it to others when they ask. lol :happy:0 -
Here is where I get confused.....when you take an exercise break do you eat at your exersice TDEE level even though not exercising?
Also if you combine exercise and diet break....what TDEE level are you eating at?0 -
I eat at cut when I take an exercise break just to keep the same amount of fuel going in my body. I find consistency is key for me.
When I go on vacation I try to stay under TDEE (which includes regular exercise) since I am not exercising at my usual level.
Hope that helps 0 -
Here is where I get confused.....when you take an exercise break do you eat at your exersice TDEE level even though not exercising?
Also if you combine exercise and diet break....what TDEE level are you eating at?
Because the 'break' of any type is only intended for a week or two at most, you don't have to change ANY numbers. TDEE stays the same as it would if you weren't taking a break. It's only when we change up our exercise level for an extended period of time ((like a month or longer) that we need to recalculate.0 -
I know I'm supposed to take a 'break' from eat at TDEE after eating at about 4-6 weeks at cut (I've decided that I'll do my TDEE break after 6 weeks at cut - but that might change, I'm only on day 4 of week 1 :laugh: ).
I'm apprehensive about 'double shocking' my body by increasing to TDEE after 6 weeks and taking a full rest week exercise-wise at the same time. Could I maybe do a rest week every 4 weeks? And then continue to exercise while eating at TDEE? Part of me feels like I may as well make use of the extra calories to work on building more muscle.
I wouldn't recommend increasing your calories right as you decrease your exercise. How far below TDEE are you eating? Also, honestly, I'm not sure why you want to take a break from where you are now anyway, on the diet side, unless you're eating lower than is healthy.
As far as weight training goes, 4 weeks is faster than you need to take a break. If you're doing a fairly intense routine (and assuming you don't have other health issues that make you frail in any way, with below-norm recovery abilities), you really don't need to rest until maybe 10-12 weeks. That's why so many packaged workouts run in 12 week cycles. Then, depending on the intensity, you can take off anywhere from 2-4 weeks, although I know I'd have a hard time resting for more than 2 weeks. Really, your body will tell you when you're good to dive back in.
But taking a break from eating below TDEE? I don't think you need to do that. (But I'm sure others will disagree.)0 -
Im kinda confused about the whole "break" thing. Im in reset now and I was thinking Id take a break from exercise on the last week before I went into cut but still eat TDEE. Is this right or shoudl I go right into cut and wait 4-6 weeks for a break?
Taking an exercise break and eating at tdee right before going to cut is an excellent way to do it. It's like giving your body and mind a full rest before stressing it again. I absolutely recommend it.
I think in regards to 'breaks' there are three ways of doing it:
1. Diet break: eat at tdee, but continue to exercise
2. Exercise break: continue at cut, but reduce exercise to light or none
3. Diet and Exercise break: this is like a vacation for your body and mind...no intentional exercise and eat at tdee.
When or which you chose to do at any given time is a personal preference but usually an exercise break is every 4 - 6 weeks, and a diet break is at least every 8 - 12 I believe. A full "vacation" (#3) can be done whenever you feel you need it, or when you actually go on vacation! :happy:
Sorry, again, just have to chime in here... unless you're eating at unhealthy low levels, I don't see why a break from eating below TDEE is needed. This feels more like a psychological break than a required physical break. For exercise, yes, breaks are needed for recovery, without a doubt. But like I said, if you increase your diet and decrease your exercise, well, you do the math. I doubt you'll be happy with the outcome.0 -
Im kinda confused about the whole "break" thing. Im in reset now and I was thinking Id take a break from exercise on the last week before I went into cut but still eat TDEE. Is this right or shoudl I go right into cut and wait 4-6 weeks for a break?
Taking an exercise break and eating at tdee right before going to cut is an excellent way to do it. It's like giving your body and mind a full rest before stressing it again. I absolutely recommend it.
I think in regards to 'breaks' there are three ways of doing it:
1. Diet break: eat at tdee, but continue to exercise
2. Exercise break: continue at cut, but reduce exercise to light or none
3. Diet and Exercise break: this is like a vacation for your body and mind...no intentional exercise and eat at tdee.
When or which you chose to do at any given time is a personal preference but usually an exercise break is every 4 - 6 weeks, and a diet break is at least every 8 - 12 I believe. A full "vacation" (#3) can be done whenever you feel you need it, or when you actually go on vacation! :happy:
Sorry, again, just have to chime in here... unless you're eating at unhealthy low levels, I don't see why a break from eating below TDEE is needed. This feels more like a psychological break than a required physical break. For exercise, yes, breaks are needed for recovery, without a doubt. But like I said, if you increase your diet and decrease your exercise, well, you do the math. I doubt you'll be happy with the outcome.
The diet break (eating at tdee) is both psychological as well as physical. It helps keep your weight loss progress from plateauing (which then forces you to do a diet break anyways because if you lower cals further you run the risk of resetting your tdee to your previous cut value and thus starting the evil spiral down into VLCD land) and it gives you an emotional/psychological rest too. A diet break is like a proactive approach to keeping your metabolism running smoothly.
(oh, and remember it does not need to be done as often as an exercise break...every 10 -12 weeks is good - so about every 3 months - this of course can be a smaller time frame if you only have about 5 - 10 lbs to lose...that's where the every 6 weeks or so comes in.)0 -
Im kinda confused about the whole "break" thing. Im in reset now and I was thinking Id take a break from exercise on the last week before I went into cut but still eat TDEE. Is this right or shoudl I go right into cut and wait 4-6 weeks for a break?
Taking an exercise break and eating at tdee right before going to cut is an excellent way to do it. It's like giving your body and mind a full rest before stressing it again. I absolutely recommend it.
I think in regards to 'breaks' there are three ways of doing it:
1. Diet break: eat at tdee, but continue to exercise
2. Exercise break: continue at cut, but reduce exercise to light or none
3. Diet and Exercise break: this is like a vacation for your body and mind...no intentional exercise and eat at tdee.
When or which you chose to do at any given time is a personal preference but usually an exercise break is every 4 - 6 weeks, and a diet break is at least every 8 - 12 I believe. A full "vacation" (#3) can be done whenever you feel you need it, or when you actually go on vacation! :happy:
Sorry, again, just have to chime in here... unless you're eating at unhealthy low levels, I don't see why a break from eating below TDEE is needed. This feels more like a psychological break than a required physical break. For exercise, yes, breaks are needed for recovery, without a doubt. But like I said, if you increase your diet and decrease your exercise, well, you do the math. I doubt you'll be happy with the outcome.
The diet break (eating at tdee) is both psychological as well as physical. It helps keep your weight loss progress from plateauing (which then forces you to do a diet break anyways because if you lower cals further you run the risk of resetting your tdee to your previous cut value and thus starting the evil spiral down into VLCD land) and it gives you an emotional/psychological rest too. A diet break is like a proactive approach to keeping your metabolism running smoothly.
(oh, and remember it does not need to be done as often as an exercise break...every 10 -12 weeks is good - so about every 3 months - this of course can be a smaller time frame if you only have about 5 - 10 lbs to lose...that's where the every 6 weeks or so comes in.)
Sorry, still skeptical on the diet break. As long as you're exercising, you won't hit any metabolic plateaus related to your diet, or reset anything at all. If you really want to trick your metabolism, eat at a healthy level for 6 days a week, and throw in a 24-hour fast on the 7th day (doesn't have to be Sunday - this is not a religious thing). Now *that* will keep your metabolism on its toes!0 -
Sorry, still skeptical on the diet break. As long as you're exercising, you won't hit any metabolic plateaus related to your diet, or reset anything at all. If you really want to trick your metabolism, eat at a healthy level for 6 days a week, and throw in a 24-hour fast on the 7th day (doesn't have to be Sunday - this is not a religious thing). Now *that* will keep your metabolism on its toes!
Of course these are simply guidelines given and people can chose for themselves and find a lifestyle that works for them. The above reasoning is simply the explanation of WHY we encourage it :happy: I don't think that fasting is a replacement for a diet break since it goes in the opposite direction and has a different purpose, but it is a method for people with very little to lose to help get those last couple of pounds off and if used wisely, IF can be very effective.
A diet break is not intended to 'trick' your metabolism, it is intended to keep it running smoothly.0 -
Because the 'break' of any type is only intended for a week or two at most, you don't have to change ANY numbers. TDEE stays the same as it would if you weren't taking a break. It's only when we change up our exercise level for an extended period of time ((like a month or longer) that we need to recalculate.
So that would imply if I started including an extra 2-3 hrs of exercise a week, perhaps training for something, I shouldn't need to increase the TDEE estimate and new deficit unless I plan on doing it for longer than a month?0 -
Because the 'break' of any type is only intended for a week or two at most, you don't have to change ANY numbers. TDEE stays the same as it would if you weren't taking a break. It's only when we change up our exercise level for an extended period of time ((like a month or longer) that we need to recalculate.
So that would imply if I started including an extra 2-3 hrs of exercise a week, perhaps training for something, I shouldn't need to increase the TDEE estimate and new deficit unless I plan on doing it for longer than a month?
You're kidding, right?0 -
Because the 'break' of any type is only intended for a week or two at most, you don't have to change ANY numbers. TDEE stays the same as it would if you weren't taking a break. It's only when we change up our exercise level for an extended period of time ((like a month or longer) that we need to recalculate.
So that would imply if I started including an extra 2-3 hrs of exercise a week, perhaps training for something, I shouldn't need to increase the TDEE estimate and new deficit unless I plan on doing it for longer than a month?
Considering that at ALL TIMES you need to ensure that your NET cals don't drop below your BMR, if you increase exercise and it drops you below your BMR on ANY GIVEN DAY, you need to eat enough back to bring your NET back over your BMR. If it's temporary....you can just follow the BMR rule (no need to adjust tdee), but if it was extended you'd need to adjust your TDEE (again if it's going to last longer than a few weeks or if you were adding in so much exercise that it seriously disrupted your numbers every day. for weeks at a time)0 -
Because the 'break' of any type is only intended for a week or two at most, you don't have to change ANY numbers. TDEE stays the same as it would if you weren't taking a break. It's only when we change up our exercise level for an extended period of time ((like a month or longer) that we need to recalculate.
So that would imply if I started including an extra 2-3 hrs of exercise a week, perhaps training for something, I shouldn't need to increase the TDEE estimate and new deficit unless I plan on doing it for longer than a month?
You're kidding, right?
No, I'm thinking if the logic somehow applies one direction, it should apply the other direction too. I don't believe that logic though, either direction.
I think if you take a break from exercise, eat at your now non-exercise TDEE for that week, you have the same range between BMR and eating level, your body sees the same difference and same benefit, just getting a rest from exercise is mighty beneficial. But surplus calories is still surplus, and will be stored as such.
If you are not using up glucose stores for anything beyond daily activity, it won't take much to refill them, and now the excess carbs is going to be stored as - fat.
If there is no muscle repair going on because you are not tearing them up, the extra protein isn't going to be used for any rebuilding and is surplus, it'll be converted to glucose and stored as - fat.
If your daily activity is less and less calorie burn, than extra fatty acids floating around looking to be used somewhere will be seen as surplus and stored as - fat.
Sure, maybe your exercise only created a daily deficit of 250 on avg, but 2 week break is a lb of fat. Why, if body is getting energy and nutrients it needs.0
