Rest week or Deload week

[Texan69]

The last two weeks my workouts have been crap been missing reps, joints hurt, lack of motivation. So taking a rest week. Was thinking about trying a deload week but I already know I’ll be tempted to try and go harder and get irritated.

do y’all prefer to take a rest when you your body is telling you too or just take it light for a week. When I say week I only end up taking a few days never a full week.

How often do y’all take rest periods?

 

[CJ]

It varies for me when I take them, depends upon what I'm doing, whether I'm on or off, calorie surplus or deficit. But I just know when they're needed.

I'm a fan of deload weeks, they feel almost too easy, but the next week I feel ready to go again.

 

[tinymk]

When I feel I am over trained, slower to recover or my basic form starts to fall apart. This means I take some time out of the gym.
If I am in a training for a meet and I have a set number days off I will Deload. Same number of sets and reps of the workout but at 50% weight

 

[brock8282]

I’ve tried deload weeks before, hated them. Instead I just take an entire week off from training. Tend to need it every 4ish month. I don’t see how doing lighter workouts for a week would be anymore beneficial then taking the week off. I also try to do more mobility work and foam rolling during the week off

 

[Sicwun88]

Sometimes I take a week off,
My job consist of alot of heavy lifting & can take a toll on my training,when I take off I feel I'm losing strength and size, which isn't really true,
When I return I feel stronger and well rested & glad I did take off!

 

[Seeker]

When I was working out hard and heavy id take a few days off at the end of a blast. Not a fan of deload

 

[Texan69]

I always feel so bad when I take time off the gym but that’s where we grow when recovering!

 

[Flyingdragon]

I always feel so bad when I take time off the gym but that’s where we grow when recovering!

Make it a cardio week, no weights.....That way u wont feel so guilty not being in the gym. I will toss in a cardio and abs only week every few months, I keep the diet the same.....

 

[BRICKS]

I take a day off from training when I feel I need to. Right now it's 12 straight on, next week it may be 2 or 3 or 4 on 1 off. Every 6 months I take 2 weeks off for vacation. You need rest as much as your training dictates, listen to your body.

 

[snake]

Short of what Tiny said about recovery during a meet prep, deloading is a half-ass way to train and a half-ass way to recover. A week or so off has more benefits than physical recovery, there's a mental recharging of your batteries that goes on when your off.

There's no way anyone who trains hard, put the time in, should ever feel guilty for taking a week off; it should be factored in. Like Bricks said, vacation is 1 or my 2 scheduled weeks off from the gym. By that time, you couldn't pay me enough to walk into a gym. I never miss a workout... never. I'll be damned if I'm going to miss a well deserved layoff.

Now sometimes over-training hits you when you don't expect it. If this is the case, take the week off and relax. Relaxing is a hard thing to do; I have the urge to start home projects if I have the week off. Doing this is counterproductive. If your shoulders are killing you, taking a week off from the gym to paint the downstairs ceiling may not the smartest thing to do.

 

[Joliver]

My opinion will differ a bit from others, but in my experience, a deload week, if done correctly is therapeutic. Helps me recover a bit faster.

Mine generally consist of low percentage banded work and low volume. Pushing blood and stretching out...not extreme stretching mind you, but just working the ROM.

The only time I take time off is for injury and when I just want a mental break. If I'm mentally wanting to be there, I find a way to benefit. Because we all know that there is no overtraining there is only under recovery. Under recovery is lack of nutrition and sleep. And since studies shows physical exertion increases nutritional uptake and improves sleep quality, I see no reason that says a complete activity break is necessary.

That said, If you're injured...stay home or you will be.

 

[Bro Bundy]

Just take time off when u feel u need it. I always get bigger when I take time off and I come back real strong

 

[dreamscraper]

I have never believed in either but this year with COVID has opened me up to try new things.

What I notice in myself is I have always had a bias against both because it runs counter to my psychological addiction to the gym and hard training. It is hard to sort out the detaining literature but clearly detraining does not occur in a week for max strength. I have 10 days in my head but I don't know what that is based on and that is for any detraining at all.

I am trying 2 weeks off once a quarter to start.

I am pretty sure a big mistake I have always made is when progress stalls to add more work/intensity/stress until something breaks. Breaking like that though is psychologically satisfying even when I know it is stupid training overall.

 

[dk8594]

I love training so I tend to over due it. I use a journal to keep track of things so I know if my weights or reps are going down. If they are, and there wasn't a specific thing that caused it (bad nights sleep, etc.) I'll take a week off, do a lot of stretching, and go for walks just to stay active. Each time I've taken that week, I've come back stronger (as in the ability to either use more weight or get more reps) than I had done previously. Once about every two months seems to be my cadence.

 

[BrotherIron]

I have an active recovery week planned in every 5th week of training and then 2-3x a year I take a whole week off. My active recovery is 55% of my 1RM and normally 2 sets. It's in and out fast.

 

[grind4it]

Every 12 weeks I take 7 days off from the gym. I try to train 6 days a week normally. Usually 30 minutes of cardio in the morning and 1 hour of resistance training in the evening.

When I am trying to gain size I train five days a week without no cardio and I take 7 days off every 8 weeks

 

[snake]

Practicing what preach this week; off from the gym. Not stepping a foot in that place short of needed the cordless drill battery.