Thread: Take the week off?

Originally Posted by FMJ

I've been at it about 8 weeks straight now and the last 4 weeks have been pretty high intensity. I'm currently on a cutting diet and have read that as long as I train regularly and keep my protein up, I won't break down much muscle with my 500 cal deficit.
Will I be okay taking this week off from training? Should I do anything special with my diet? Should I continue training until I get to my target BF% before considering a week off?

Originally Posted by pitman

You're offering? Okay pitman.. you can jerk me off when I get back from my week off.

The only time I normally take a break is when I am not mentally into it. That's when I need to take a week off.

If I am still seeing gains, be it strength, mass, or losing weight on a cut, I don't see why I would stop in the middle of such a good thing.

Got no choice. Got to go to Seattle. Won't be there for pleasure either so I won't be getting any time to stop off at any health clubs

I think it only takes a matter of time for advanced lifters to realize that you should program your time off, just like everything else.

It is better to take time off when you have a little left in the tank, rather than entering the point of no return - AKA over-training.

If you totally fry your body to the point where your strength stagnates or regresses, it can take longer to "get the ball rolling forward again" in your training.

Why miss a lift if you don't have to? If you plan proper rest periods into your program you should be accomplishing everything you set out to and never have to deal with stagnating or regressing strength.

I assume you have some sort of controlled rest interval between sets, resting between long period phases of training is no different.

To specifically answer you, it is ok to take a week off if you want.

But why does it have to be a week? Can't it be 3, 4 or 5 days? Tailor the rest to suit your needs.

Also, you don't need to take training totally off, you could train at a lighter intensity to recover as well.

Remember, the weight you lose is primarily controlled by what you eat. So, keep your calories in check and keep the body moving if you wish, you can't go wrong.

Thanks Fufu. That's all I needed to know. Should be no trouble keeping the diet on track just not able to train. And it's actually 4 days, well, 5 if I include travel. I'll get back to it Sunday. Besides, I wasn't too concerned, just more curious than anything else.

My job requires a lot of travel and I have learned over the years to use this as an opportunity to let my body get the rest it is craving. There was a time when I would take my workout gear and look for a gym. Now I go back to my hotel room after dinner and lay on my ass. I was recently on a 5 day trip and I swear that by day three I could see some extra size on my arms.
One oddity is that even though I do not miss any meals I will usually lose a few pounds during one of these trips (I think it is my metabolism). However, when I return to the gym my strength is right where it was when I left.
The bottom line is that we are conditioned to feel like we have to be in the gym almost everyday but a few days off does a body good.

I take 5-7 days off every 3 months or so. I find that allowing my body to fully rest and recover is extremely beneficial. I usually am stronger when I return and all of the normal aches and pains have subsided substantially by then as well.