Taking time off of lifting
Deena_Bean
Posts: 906 Member
Do you do this on purpose? On a schedule? Is it a bad/good idea? Are you afraid if you skip a week you won't get back to it the next week? I don't have any plan to do this, but I was curious. I know at the end of July I'll be vacationing at Hilton Head and I'm just guessing my usual routine isn't gonna happen lol. Then it got me to thinking about breaks- I know some have taken them and come back and end up breaking a plateau. Thoughts?
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I've only taken forced weeks off...vacation where the resort gym didn't have anything useful for lifting, illness, etc. I always get back at it, but I pay with the DOMS if I take a week off.0
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i'm going to have to do this next week when i go on a short vacation. part of me is worried about not making gains, but remember this is a way of living--it's not a short-term change. ten years from now, will you regret not going on vacation or missing a week of going to the gym? try to relax when you are on break and then hit the gym hard when you get back! hope this helps you a bit.
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I know what you mean. I'll miss my next two workouts due to a trip...nothing to worry about I know but just kind of hate to miss and continues making progress0
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i usually have to talk myself into admitting i need a break, but it's almost always been a positive thing for me. i feel a little pretentious talking about overtraining given the weights that i lift, which never seem all that impressive to me. but on the other hand, it's less about the absolute numbers and more about the gap between your body's right-now ability and what you're asking it to adapt to. adaptation can't keep going forever in a linear path and sometimes it is good to stop for a while and let your system catch up.
as for the fear that i won't start again if i stop . . . well, i guess i only seem to fear that when my motivation is already draining away anyway. in other words, if i have to worry about it it's already too late and i'm due for a break.0 -
Rest weeks are a good idea just to give your body a break and recover any tiny injuries or strains. Also as a mental break. I haven't had a full on rest week, but the last two weeks were so busy I only got to lift once a week for two weeks. I am calling that my rest period :P0
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Rest day/week! Where is my rest muscle? I only take breaks if I have to such as in holidays or illness. My strong lift workouts are done at home and this is a way of life for me. I get cranky when I miss my taekwondo training sessions because that is also a way of life for me. That's just me and everyone is different!0
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Graceious1 wrote: »Where is my rest muscle?
idk from anatomy, but i think it's somewhere in the same zone as your sleep gland.
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canadianlbs wrote: »Graceious1 wrote: »Where is my rest muscle?
idk from anatomy, but i think it's somewhere in the same zone as your sleep gland.
Ah that's where it is!!!
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Life seems to fit in breaks, last week only got 2 days in, this week 1!!!! If I lift today it'll interfere with my M/W/F, so might dust off the erg machine so I don't mess up this week's schedule...
How do you work around life's interferences?0 -
I absolutely take rest weeks. Every 7 or so weeks I take one full week off. I typically eat at maintenance for that week too. Rest is super super important. I get not wanting to lose momentum etc but when I'm shifting a shitload of weight for weeks on end, it takes a toll.0
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I absolutely take rest weeks. Every 7 or so weeks I take one full week off. I typically eat at maintenance for that week too. Rest is super super important. I get not wanting to lose momentum etc but when I'm shifting a shitload of weight for weeks on end, it takes a toll.
Excellent point!0 -
So if you do take a rest week, do you still increase the weight as you usually would, or stick with the previous weight for the first workout back?0
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Generally speaking periodic breaks are a good idea but as with anything it's going to be heavily context dependent. It's possible to deload or rest too often such that it negatively impacts progress and it's also possible to neglect rest to the point that progress stalls or temporarily declines.
Some people are able to autoregulate this so that they take breaks when they feel they need it (I think most people tend to wait a bit too long), and other people (or other programs) automatically incorporate deloads or rest periods to force the issue. Week#4 in 5/3/1 would be an example.
As far as load selection, if you're taking a full week off due to needing a full training break, I would probably reduce load as well when you get back to training, partially because you took a week off but mostly because you took a week off due to needing to take a week off (aka you're probably fried).
At any rate, I'd think of your programming and your progress in the gym, in terms of months and years. I'm still learning this myself but it's really becoming evident in my current training cycle that the periods of time where you increase rest and/or decrease training stress directly lead to the periods of time after that where you totally destroy everything in sight and smash PRs.
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i think i usually go back with the idea of form in my mind, more than a specific number. whatever i can lift that doesn't feel so heavy it's breaking my form, that's the point that i start again with. i always do at least two warmup sets with just the bar and then start adding weight for additional sets until i reach whatever feels like a good working weight, so 'first day back' days are really just 'business as usual' days for me.0
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I love it when @SideSteel randomly drops by for man candy....umm I mean advice! Drops by for advice hehehe
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I love it when @SideSteel randomly drops by for man candy....umm I mean advice! Drops by for advice hehehe
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I completely forgot about this thread, but thank you all for chiming in. So far I haven't had any full weeks off, but this is only my 12th week in. I don't feel like I physically need time off yet, but my mind is starting to mess with me. Something along the lines of, "Don't get out of bed, sleepy head, you can skip the morning workout - maybe you'll have time tonight instead." So far I've not given in to that evil voice (at least not on a lift day), but it's so tempting.0
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That evil little voice is why I schedule time off. If it is planned ahead of time (usually about a week or so in advance) I know it isn't me being lazy at the time and it helps get through the days that I just don't wanna. In this case I am taking it really easy next week on everything and it helps me push through this week.
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If I remember correctly, 5x5 is designed in 12 week segments, so @Deena, you're probably due for a scheduled rest week.0
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I will be taking a week off next week, since I have to go move my Mother into an assisted living facility. Will try to keep up my walking and stomach work, though.0
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I didn't know that either - if so, I just completed week 12 yesterday. I shall google this.0 -
Well, I just looked at the 5x5 site, and it actually doesn't say to rest after 12 weeks. I think I must have gotten that impression because the tracking spreadsheet only goes to 12 weeks.
That said, multiple other sources *DO* recommend rest weeks. Some say every 8-10 weeks, other say every 12-16 weeks. Here's one article from Bodybuilding.com, which is a site that I think usually has good info:
Using A Recovery Week0 -
From what I've seen is people say to give it at least 12 weeks before considering changes or giving up. it's a good time frame, I think, to show progress even if some are only going to be a little better *cough*OHP*cough*... 0
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I think I recall the stronglifts website recommend a rest week around 6-8 weeks when someone asked?0
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Well, I've found my rest muscle. I am taking a couple of weeks out from lifting heavy because I've hurt my shoulder0
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