Taking a week off? Is this a good idea or a bad idea?

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WWbuffydo
WWbuffydo Posts: 340 Member
edited February 2015 in Fitness and Exercise
I usually workout somewhere between 40-90mins a day, mixing it up between strength training and some cardio (mainly strength). The past few weeks though, I've been finding it much more difficult to motivate myself to workout, in fact I've been dreading each workout. I've been feeling very fatigued, my workouts have started to feel much more difficult and I've noticed it's taking my muscles longer to recover. I was thinking that maybe this is my bodies way of telling me it needs a break and was considering taking maybe a week off (or is that too long?). I'd still do some light exercise, like walking or yoga just so I'm not totally sedentary. Do you think this is a bad idea though? I'm not really concerned about gaining weight (I'm actually here to gain weight, not lose). I'm more concerned I'd loose progress in terms of fitness and strength, or that it would be counterproductive and I'd just find it even more difficult to motivate myself after the weeks up..then 1 week would turn into two, then 3, ect. I've always liked being active though, so I'm not sure if this would be an issue for me... Anyway, I'm just looking for advice or opinions on whether or not you think this is a good or a bad idea.

Thanks!

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    It's a very good idea to take a deload week.
    Some people do them in a regular cycle, I tend to do them on "feel". Being pig-headed I tend to wait too long and start to feel exactly how you are right now - mentally and physically drained and performance either stagnating or even dropping.
    An easy week when you deliberately drop weights and reduce intensity is entirely positive.

    When you come back to full training you feel and perform so much better. I lost 15kg from my bench press before admitting it was way past time to have a deload. "Found" it again immediately I resumed full training. An example of waiting too long!

    By the way - don't you have a rest day in your weekly routine?

    This came up from a quick Google of "deload week how often".

    aworkoutroutine.com/deloading-and-taking-time-off/
  • sengalissa
    sengalissa Posts: 253 Member
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    I would not recommend taking a break to someone who might slip into breakibg the habit... You don't sound like you would though and I am sure your body needs a break!!
    After 5 days you might be looking forward to workout again!
  • cajuntank
    cajuntank Posts: 924 Member
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    Like @sijomial mentioned, breaks and deloads are periodically needed. The link he provides goes through the options of the pros and cons of each. I know your concern was that of losing strength and when I looked at your profile, you did not list your age. So on average, the older you are, the more possibility you could slightly detrain by taking a full break unless you are mitigating fatigue from over-reaching in your program. Deloads help with this better as you will still be using some weight to keep up those motor patterns, but not enough where you acrue additional fatigue thus giving you time to recover.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    edited February 2015
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    Double post
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Rest is just as important as exercise. In fact, I'd say its even more important. Overtraining is a serious issue that's very difficult to recover from.
  • hcobb33
    hcobb33 Posts: 66 Member
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    It sounds like a break is definitely in order. I think you'll find when you resume your regular training that you will perform much better.
  • Dragonflag07
    Dragonflag07 Posts: 64 Member
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    De-loading's a good idea. Else try something different for a week. I dont know your splits but maybe try cardio circuits instead of chest, back, leg days etc or even a class so it's fun. If you pound the treadmill, try a spin class, if you row then body pump etc. It's supposed to be fun and also sustainable. If you're dreading workouts, take a little time to remember why you enjoyed it in the 1st place and maybe add a little variety to spice it up. Long term you wont keep doing something you dislike so dont be so hard on yourself and enjoy!
  • newmom_2012
    newmom_2012 Posts: 96 Member
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    Breaks are necessary sometimes to prevent getting burnt out. A week is a good amount of time. You can do something different at a lighter intensity if you want to keep up the routine, or just do nothing for a week. Either way you'll be fine.
  • VirginieBarrette
    VirginieBarrette Posts: 34 Member
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    I usually do myself a week off every 5-6 weeks of full workout. Boxing (90m) 3x a week + Gym session (45m) 3x a week. Having a week off help me to keep woking out thru the years and after that week, I'm just more motivated than ever!
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,325 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Coming on mfp and saying is this good or bad....is not a good idea. The language police will find this and a huge nasty debate will ensue.

    As for the question...yeah give yourself persmission to take a week off.

    We blossom in our rest time.

    Having said that...be prepared for a bunch of people to come here and attack me for what I just said.

    but...its true we blossom in our rest time.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    +1 good idea, most people take a break from the grind, especially if they have been working hard at it.

    Think of it as a tim to let your body rest but also to recharge mentally. Its important.
  • AmandaHugginkiss
    AmandaHugginkiss Posts: 486 Member
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    I took a full week break from lifting 2 weeks ago and just rode my bike a bit. Nothing too exhausting. My strength went up, surprisingly.

    The body needs rest.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    40-90 minutes a day.. is that 7 days a week? Do you not have a rest day? Sounds like your current plan is unsustainable and boring. Why not take 1 week off (a deload). During that week, come up with a new, more sustainable plan, like 30 min strength on M/W/F and 60 mins cardio on Su/T/Th, with a rest day on Saturday?
  • Robertus
    Robertus Posts: 558 Member
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    You need proper rest. I've made great progress in terms of huge increases in endurance and distance sometimes when I've worked out very intensely 1x per week and recovered for a whole week until my next intense work-out. Not a long term plan, but an excellent way to make short term progress. In general, incorporating the proper amount of rest into your fitness regime is much more important than the amount or number of times that you work out. People usually get this equation backwards and only get a fraction of the benefit from their hard work that they could be getting. Fitness is attained by the body rebuilding itself after it is torn down by exercise.
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    Take time off now. Sounds like you are on the same track I was to Over Training Syndrome (OTS). Google it. It has mental and physical aspects. If taken too far OTS can have serious consequences. Be real with yourself. At least deload to low impact cardio and less weight with a few rest days for a bit.

    Trust me, I know how mentally defeating it can seem. However...I got to the point where it was either back off NOW or likely to not even cross the finish line of my first race (3 weeks from now). My legs were breaking. I was getting calf cramps during training I shouldn't have been getting them in. And I was starting to hate the thing I loved most, not to mention my HR was being affected. 3 weeks of low impact later I am feeling pretty awesome. Just worried I won't perform as well as I originally wanted. And I'm also concerned three more weeks of low impact isn't enough for my legs to recover fully...sigh.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    I know when I took a week off during my vacation, I was DYING to get back under the bar. And I didn't lose any strength during that time, either. It might be a good idea if you're getting burned out.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    Detraining takes at least 3 weeks to take affect. It sounds like you need some time off. Make sure during that week of that you continue to eat well too, that is part of your recovery.
  • AmandaLJessop
    AmandaLJessop Posts: 3
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    I would definitely take a week off if you are having those symptoms. There is such a thing called 'over training' syndrome The syndrome can be defined as excessive frequency, volume (too much weight), or intensity or training that results in fatigue, illness, or injury. It actually has a lot more of an effect on the body than people are really aware. Excessive training on a short term basis, is called 'over reaching' which recovery can be easily achieved within days of rest.

    Over training affects include: decreased coordination, decreased strength, increase resting heart rate and blood pressure, altered immune function, altered hormone concentrations, mood disturbances, emotional and sleep disturbances.

    What causes it: chronic use of high intensity or high volume ( or combo of both). Or too rapid a rate of progression in heavy load lifting.

    Look at athletes- they are NOT always training hard core 24/7 every day of the year. If they did they would be injured all the time. They train in whats called periodization periods, where for a certain amount of time they lift a lot and work out at high intensity, and then the switch to lifting more light less intensity stuff, and as they transition from one period to the next they take an 'off' week.
    -

    If you feel like you have to do something- then do some light recreational activities that will still give your body time to recover like walking, LEISURELY bike ride, etc.

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