time off exercise?

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Okay so on a average week I will do anywhere from 5-12 hours of working out.. including about 2-3 hours of strength training in that...

Lately I have been feeling not rested, everything hurts all the time and I have a feeling I may be getting an injury soon if I keep going at this rate (I do VERY high intensity training). I think my ankle has had too much pressure put on it lately as it is feeling "weak."

Is it okay to take a week off exercise? Have not had a week off since... 11 months ago?
What does everyone think?

Replies

  • hope516
    hope516 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    Of course!!!! Your body is telling you something! you better listen. If you injure yourself it could be more than a week! Also why are you training SO hard?
  • rebeccawalker1982
    rebeccawalker1982 Posts: 117 Member
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    You need to let your body rest. If you still want to work out, find something low impact like water aerobics or yoga or something but just make sure you do not over do it if your already having problems with your ankle. I have messed up my ankles, knees and wrists for not “listening to my body” and I would keep going even when I hurt…now it is hard for me to do some things, I roll my ankles and its very easy to pull my wrists out.
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    Of course!!!! Your body is telling you something! you better listen. If you injure yourself it could be more than a week! Also why are you training SO hard?

    Because I'm in training to become a Personal Trainer...
  • nickyfm
    nickyfm Posts: 1,214 Member
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    Exercise is trauma for your body. If it's not in 100% fit condition to cope with it, it's just going to do damage, rather than good.

    I am definitely an example of that. From my stress fractures in my shins, to my knee injuries, to my now healing left hamstring. But most of all, I had glandular fever for 9 months because I refused to stop working out for an extended period of time.

    Trust me, I learned the hard way. One week will not make a difference in the rest of your life!
  • hope516
    hope516 Posts: 1,133 Member
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    Of course!!!! Your body is telling you something! you better listen. If you injure yourself it could be more than a week! Also why are you training SO hard?

    Because I'm in training to become a Personal Trainer...

    AS a personal trainer what would you tell a "client/trainee" if they asked you this question :huh:
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    Of course!!!! Your body is telling you something! you better listen. If you injure yourself it could be more than a week! Also why are you training SO hard?

    Because I'm in training to become a Personal Trainer...

    AS a personal trainer what would you tell a "client/trainee" if they asked you this question :huh:

    See the difference here is that at least 3/4 of what I do is prac I HAVE to do in class.
  • Happyguy
    Happyguy Posts: 90 Member
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    I don't know if you need an entire week off or not but it definitely sounds like you need to reduce your workload for a bit. I would try a couple of days off and then head back to the gym with a reduced schedule for a few days and see how I felt after a week.
  • hope516
    hope516 Posts: 1,133 Member
    Options
    Of course!!!! Your body is telling you something! you better listen. If you injure yourself it could be more than a week! Also why are you training SO hard?

    Because I'm in training to become a Personal Trainer...

    AS a personal trainer what would you tell a "client/trainee" if they asked you this question :huh:

    See the difference here is that at least 3/4 of what I do is prac I HAVE to do in class.

    Well no one wants to derail your goals but if you are exercising so much for your "future" job and it is already an active job, why would you add more exercise? I add exercise to my life because I literally sit on my *kitten* for 10 hours a day! :blushing: But I honestly think you should at least cut back if your body is giving you warning signals of fatigue. I'd hate for you to hurt yourself and not be able to continue toward your dream of being a trainer. I think rest is as important as training. They go hand in hand?
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    or thiking that i might just not do weights for a week or any really intense cardio, just light?
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
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    Okay so on a average week I will do anywhere from 5-12 hours of working out.. including about 2-3 hours of strength training in that...

    Lately I have been feeling not rested, everything hurts all the time and I have a feeling I may be getting an injury soon if I keep going at this rate (I do VERY high intensity training). I think my ankle has had too much pressure put on it lately as it is feeling "weak."

    Is it okay to take a week off exercise? Have not had a week off since... 11 months ago?
    What does everyone think?

    Classic signs of overtraining. Do you mean 5-12 hours per day or per week? If you're talking the week in-total, then I would say that 2-3 hours of strength training is a little low and you probably have too much cardio. You don't need to kill yourself to get stronger / better; leaving the gym feeling wrecked isn't necessarily a good thing.

    As a trainer it's not just your personal ability to train but having the knowledge associated with knowing how to train and diet properly.