Posted: 7/19/2011 6:36:45 PM EDT
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I have been doing cardio and resistance for a while now . About 5-6 days a week. Sometimes 7 days a week. Some days both cardio and resistance. I heard I should occasionally take a week off and stop. Should I and how beneficial is it? Monday I did my AM cardio. 45 minutes medium intensity with about 15 of that high intensity. I later did resistance after work. Thast my usual Monday workout. I did notice I had less endurance but I figured that was because I only ate about 25 carbs during the day after cardio. Anyway, just wondering if taking a week off would be good. Today I refrained but it was hard. I really am having a hard time NOT doing any exercise. I did walk around a lot more at work though as I don't ever want to be sedentary. Does it have to be a week? 5 days ok? Input appreciated. |
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Quoted: I work out 7 days a week twice a day. The question is how do you feel? Right now the usual DOMS. I stopped the creatine a few weeks ago so I get it more when I am off it. Also I am wondering if the low carb lifting session wore me out quicker. I dont know if I hit a wall or if its the lack of enough carbs from yesterday. I did notice my legs are taking longer to recover though but on my hiit cardio, my heart rate behaves normally, ie drops back down fast enough. I feel a hair more exhausted then usual. I might crank up the carbs I guess and take a half dose of creatine before workouts only on resistance days.
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| Everyone has off days I wouldn't worry about an occasional bad workout. You have to do what's right for you and if you want to take a week off do it but don't beat yourself up about it. Personally I don't like to take breaks in my routine, I feel like once I get the ball to stop rolling it's harder to get it going again. Are you getting your 8hrs? |
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I work out 7 days a week twice a day. The question is how do you feel? Right now the usual DOMS. I stopped the creatine a few weeks ago so I get it more when I am off it. Also I am wondering if the low carb lifting session wore me out quicker. I dont know if I hit a wall or if its the lack of enough carbs from yesterday. I did notice my legs are taking longer to recover though but on my hiit cardio, my heart rate behaves normally, ie drops back down fast enough. I feel a hair more exhausted then usual. I might crank up the carbs I guess and take a half dose of creatine before workouts only on resistance days.
This is usually first indicator of needing an unloading week/time off. You don't have to take time off but every 3-5wks, depending on intensity, you should take an extra day or two off and scale back volume and intensity for a week, around 50-70%max intensities. Come back with a little change up in the routine, change some lifts, change sets/reps scheme, different cardio exercise, just change it a little bit. Doing this is going to avoid over-use injury most importantly. |
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Quoted:
I have been doing cardio and resistance for a while now . About 5-6 days a week. Sometimes 7 days a week. Some days both cardio and resistance. I heard I should occasionally take a week off and stop. Should I and how beneficial is it? Monday I did my AM cardio. 45 minutes medium intensity with about 15 of that high intensity. I later did resistance after work. Thast my usual Monday workout. I did notice I had less endurance but I figured that was because I only ate about 25 carbs during the day after cardio. Anyway, just wondering if taking a week off would be good. Today I refrained but it was hard. I really am having a hard time NOT doing any exercise. I did walk around a lot more at work though as I don't ever want to be sedentary. Does it have to be a week? 5 days ok? Input appreciated. IMHO...this part would've told me to keep going. I firmly believe you need down time but I let my body decide that. If I feel froggy then I push it. If I feel like I'm just going through the motions then I try to do just get my reps on my main lift (squats, deadlift, bench) and call it a day. |
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Don't take a week off......
Depending on your training you should continue to work out, just less the intensity for one week every month. The point of a recovery week is to get your muscles to catch up with your training. It took me years to realize that I make better gains when I lift intense for 3 weeks and then the 4th week lift same exercises than the previous weeks just do 50% of the weight and stretch more. 
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Didnt do any yesterday or today. Just keeping my protein high, carbs low and calories moderate. I am still active and not sedentary. Every hour at work I get up and walk around campus (1/2 mile each time) Probably walking about 2 miles during the day in increments. I do that anyway, I didn't want to stop that at least. Feeling guilty but I want to see if there is a benefit or not. It sure cant hurt.
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Never do nothing. Backing off for a few days or week when feeling really run down is ok, but doing nothing will only cause you to get stiff and deconditioned. What are you basing this advice on? I could say it's what established professionals in the business advocate, but I'll stick with saying I've never felt better since pushing myself hard every day I can. 
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Never do nothing. Backing off for a few days or week when feeling really run down is ok, but doing nothing will only cause you to get stiff and deconditioned. What are you basing this advice on? I could say it's what established professionals in the business advocate, but I'll stick with saying I've never felt better since pushing myself hard every day I can. So hearsay and personal experience? 
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Quoted:
I have been doing cardio and resistance for a while now . About 5-6 days a week. Sometimes 7 days a week. Some days both cardio and resistance. I heard I should occasionally take a week off and stop. Should I and how beneficial is it? Monday I did my AM cardio. 45 minutes medium intensity with about 15 of that high intensity. I later did resistance after work. Thast my usual Monday workout. I did notice I had less endurance but I figured that was because I only ate about 25 carbs during the day after cardio. Anyway, just wondering if taking a week off would be good. Today I refrained but it was hard. I really am having a hard time NOT doing any exercise. I did walk around a lot more at work though as I don't ever want to be sedentary. Does it have to be a week? 5 days ok? Input appreciated. More of an endurance athlete than a strength and power guy, but I'll give you my thoughts. Taking the occasional week off can be OK for mental health purposes, but if you've gotten yourself to a place physically where you need a week off to recover (outside of some type of competition possibly), you've made errors in your training. You may occasionally need to take a day or two off or go easier for a couple of days. I typically train (S/B/R) 7 days/week knocking out 2-3 swims, 3 rides, and 6 runs per week. After I did my (one and only) Ironman a few years ago, I took a full week away from exercise. That was more for mental health and I probably would have recovered from my effort more quickly with a couple easy swims and rides in that week. In the specific case you mentioned, my thought is that your low carbohydrate intake was responsible for your issues that Monday. The higher the intensity of your workout, the greater the percentage of carbohydrate use by the muscles. 25g isn't much to replenish stores. You could probably get away with very low carb intake for low intensity stuff, but higher intensity endurance work and strength work of any duration - not so much. |