How do you determine your rest time - how many weeks?
How do you determine your rest time in regards to training time off?
Let me rephrase: my first week of rest was forced upon me by my immune system fighting the flu. This week, I just have no desire still to 1) be in a deficit 2) lift weights. The only activity I've done this week has been running intervals today, ab work and pushups, with some longer running, because my PT test is Sunday. I've hated every minute of it. I am STILL massively sore from doing pushups last night. So I've decided that after Sunday's PT test I'm going to take another full week off of training. I noticed that today my legs and arms were shaking when I was holding a stressful position too long (squatting or reaching for something)...so with all this rest, I don't see that as my body having fully recovered yet.
I'm ok with taking 3 full weeks off of training, but I'm wondering, should I just keep resting until I truly feel like going back to the gym and then just easing into it? Or go full force if I feel like it.
The other question is, would it be smart to start back at a smaller deficit next week, even though I'm not doing any training? I REALLY don't want to lose any muscle, and if that would hinder me, then forget it, as I keep reading that while you rest, eating at maintenance or even a little over is better, and that's what I've been doing - and I've been maintaining my weight at about 127.
I have taken 2 weeks off without any problems except that my strength has gone down slightly, but that's okay because you want to reset by going back a bit and ramping up the loads/times/speeds in an attempt to surpass your previous best.
What works well for me is a 3 week on 1 week off or deload. Along with changes in exercises and activities this makes for a great progression/recovery schedule. The variety is awesome as well.
Taking time off occasionally works wonders. Gives your body a chance to do some "house cleaning".
There isn't going to be a magic indicator or anything that's going to say BLAM I'm good to go. A lot of bouncing back relies on how hard you were pushing it before your break (how much you needed the time off). Odds are you just detrained a little and need a week or so to get back into the swing.
It's really an individual thing and depends on your age, fitness level, and ability to recover. When I was in my 20's I could do intense workouts nearly every day and recover from them quickly. Now that I'm close to 50 I need to alternate hard/easy days or hard/rest days and I need more complete rest periods.
As far as the week-long (or longer) rest periods, for me it is not total rest but a relative rest and change in activities or intensity. I might stop lifting for a week, but I'll do more running, cycling, yoga, pilates, or stretching.
How do you know when you've rested enough? Again, it depends. If recovering from the flu I would rest for at least a few days after the symptoms are gone and then ease back into training. If tapering for a PT test or race, I'll rest/taper the week before by just doing a lot of stretching and a couple of short (but high intensity) workouts. Complete rest leaves me sluggish, but a couple of short workouts with some sprints thrown in works great for me.
There is no specific answer to this question. Most people I have worked with and spoke with do well with 1 week of rest, some a little more some a little less. Personally I like active restoration methods which could include sled pulling, dynamic and static stretching, low intensity bike rides or low intensity walks.
This is totally unrelated to the OP, but awesome delts, jver.
What exercises/rep range do you do for shoulders? If you say the basics (presses, lateral raises, rear raises), I wouldn't be suprised. Your lats look to be lagging a little..Other than that, good shit.
1 week? 3 weeks? That's way too long. If you do that, you are a pussy or old need testosterone therapy.
I bet you're just not eating/sleeping enough. I've never taken more than 3 days off from the gym.
In fact, I herniated my discs on Monday night and also fucked my sciatic nerve, but I still plan to go the gym tonight.
inb4 "dood that stuopid ur goina fuck your shit up worse"
Just curious, do you never feel a little bit run down, and feel like it would benefit to take a little time off, or really cut down the volume for a week? Maybe im not hardcore enough, but sometimes i feel a little run down, and drastically cut down the volume for a week, and i pretty much always feel much much better when i come back.
Just curious, do you never feel a little bit run down, and feel like it would benefit to take a little time off, or really cut down the volume for a week? Maybe im not hardcore enough, but sometimes i feel a little run down, and drastically cut down the volume for a week, and i pretty much always feel much much better when i come back.
Sadly, I'm not a demi-god-so yes, I do get run down sometimes (aka bad days). Being "hardcore" has nothing to do with it. Shitty days happen.
This is where our mentality differs. No matter how shitty I feel, I don't feel the need to "drastically cut down" the volume. The weight will come down because if I'm having a bad day, it's just not possible to lift as heavy.
A good example was tonight, where I did biceps, chest, and triceps to make up what I missed since Monday night (when I herniated my discs and pinched my sciatic nerve). The weight came down, but I kept the volume pretty high. Now when I do have a bad day, I take extra steps to eat more food and get more sleep that night.
Granted, I have tried taking off a week or cutting away a lot of volume. I came back weaker. Needless to say, I refused to do those methods ever again. Maybe it's just me.
That's fucked up, I'd take a good 6-12 weeks off anything that loads up the back if I were you.
I am. I did chest, biceps, triceps, and a few sets of lateral raises today to make up what I missed since Monday night. I didn't even go past 225 (weight I use for a second warm-up set) on bench, though. Just too scared to risk it with heavy weight this early.
I just kept the volume high and lowered the weight. I'm just pissed at this setback (that will probably give me pains forever). @#$@#~!
How do you determine your rest time - how many weeks?
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