When creating or following a fitness program we want to see the most amount of progress in the least amount of time. This makes us believe that taking a break between programs or even taking breaks in a program is forbidden. If you follow a great program the deload week will be calculated in it, as long as the program is for 6-8 weeks or more.
One of the most underrated topics in today’s fitness community are deload moments. According to most fitness enthusiasts our body can handle a lot of stress without taking rest. While this is true, our body will compensate for a lack of rest. Our body will reduce our strength so it can take a little of the much needed rest. If our body takes the rest itself, we can forget about taking breaks, right? Wrong, our body only takes the minimum amount of rest if you wont give it. When you take to little amount of breaks your body will signal it need’s more by causing an injury.
A lot of people underestimate rest, especially sleeping and recovery time. – Jason Day
When should we take a break from lifting? Your first priority should be listening to your body. When you feel considerably weaker for no reason or you feel that something is wrong, take a break. This can mean adding a few extra days of rest to admitting to a full 7 day rest week. Alternatively you can take deload weeks considering your daily schedule. Have a week full of meetings or an exam week? Plan in a deload week during these times if you need all the time you can get. Another option is to plan your rest week on the week you want to spend time with your family or during your vacation trip. Lastly you can plan them according to popular believe, which is after 6-8 weeks of training. This should only be done for your first break(s), untill you find out your best moment to take a break.
Taking a break will allow your body and mind to recover. We all focus on how many days we work out, but spend too little time on resting. this is unfortunate cause we can get even stronger, quicker, healthier by taking breaks. Next time you plan out your routine for a couple months ahead, plan in your rest time.
Why is this such a hard thing to actually do? Definitely something I need to work on!
When you are consistent with working out you feel the drive to keep going. Taking a week to recover is difficult to do. However it is great for avoiding injuries.