The Week Off, It Does A Body Good

[NewYorkIslander]

No medical journal quotes, or anything else like that. Just personal experience. I've been working out/running/playing soccer or hockey 5-7 days a week for the past 6 years. Only time I've taken off were because of Swine Flu (just 6 days). I've always heard that a healthy week off every month is supposedly GREAT for you, but never believed it. My last workout was a week ago today (a hockey game) and I took a solid 6 days off (with one day organizing a running program with 3rd and 4th Graders) and my first day back was Sunday, and I hit the gym again today. I felt GREAT working out, and even though i was sore the day after (and I have a feeling I will be again tomorrow) I had tons of energy and strength to do lots at the gym. I hope this translates onto the rink as my playoff season starts this week. Just wanted to share.

 

[Grayland]

I find the same thing. I try and take a 1-week break every 10-12 weeks and I almost always come back sronger. You're not as old as me, but it is smart to give more time to recovery as you age.

 

[NewYorkIslander]

Originally Posted by Grayland

I find the same thing. I try and take a 1-week break every 10-12 weeks and I almost always come back sronger. You're not as old as me, but it is smart to give more time to recovery as you age.

That was something I thought about...I'm gonna be 34 this year, and my explosiveness on the rink went down drastically from just last year, I think I was just overdoing it...more rest for me...

 

[djlukin]

Rest and relaxation are just as important as the time you spend working out. You can make considerable strength gains in less than three hours lifting per week if it is very concentrated and well thought out. I definitely try to take a week off at least once every 3 months. Especially during heavy strength training. Your muscles will love you for it, they'll grow still, and you'll feel great (probably most notably in the joints)

 

[Waistcoat]

Originally Posted by djlukin

Rest and relaxation are just as important as the time you spend working out. You can make considerable strength gains in less than three hours lifting per week if it is very concentrated and well thought out. I definitely try to take a week off at least once every 3 months. Especially during heavy strength training. Your muscles will love you for it, they'll grow still, and you'll feel great (probably most notably in the joints)

Well said. Rest and recovery are just as important as the workout itself, and a light week or a week off every 6-8 weeks is essential to prevent overtraining, stalling, mental burnout (especially with heavy lifting) and most importantly illness.

 

[Kas]

Same reason why some bodybuilders smoke pot: less stress.

 

[Nicola]

Mental part is often overlooked.

Do you have a heart rate monitor? If you do you'll notice you'll feel like you're killing yourself when really you just need some rest.

 

[gdl203]

Originally Posted by Grayland

I try and take a 1-week break every 10-12 weeks.
Same here, except that I use the inverse ratio

 

[D Yizz]

Originally Posted by Grayland

I find the same thing. I try and take a 1-week break every 10-12 weeks and I almost always come back sronger. You're not as old as me, but it is smart to give more time to recovery as you age.

Yup, one week every 3 or so months work great for me. Also, I always think 7 day workouts are overkill. I think the ideal is a 5 day workout week, at most 6 days, with at least one of those of very low impact exercise.

 

[Cool The Kid]

Recovery is very underrated in the lifting community. I just dropped down to a bodypart 1x/week routine from a bodypart 2x/week as I'm dieting, and I feel great. I've come back from time off on injuries ranging from 1-3 weeks and didn't lose strength at all. Growth is in recovery.

 

[danilo]

Originally Posted by D Yizz

Yup, one week every 3 or so months work great for me. Also, I always think 7 day workouts are overkill. I think the ideal is a 5 day workout week, at most 6 days, with at least one of those of very low impact exercise.

I think for weight training 5 days is too much. I'd say 1 day on 1 day rest is good. Which translates to about 3-4 days a week

 

[Nicola]

Depends on your workouts. Depends on your recovery rate. Depends on your diet. Depends on your life.