Taking time off...

[bigbadasian]

|--[\\\]>------- How often do you serious lifters take time off? i dont mean your normal couple of days off every week, but some serious time away from the gym. I am going on almost 15 days now with out touching a weight and it feels great! i wake up in the AM and i'm pain free, my back doesnt hurt anymore and my joints feel normal. It all started a few weeks ago when i was super sick and didnt lift, then with work and closing on a new home, my priorities have shifted from lifting to normal life stuff...LOL...anyways, it feels so good to just come home and kick back and eat dinner and relax, it feels good to have the entire weekend to myself without worrying to get errands done in time to go train shoulders and legs, dont get me wrong, i am 90% sure i'll be back by the end of this month, but i am a FIRM believer than everyone should do this once in awhile, i am actually looking forward to going to the gym again s'time in the near future, i was at a point b4 where i could not stand the idea that i had to train back that nite or chest, my mind was not in it at all. I just recieved my kits of growth, stock piled AAS, so i'm ready to go when i decide to, but this is definately a nice break.

 

[AWN2004]

Its the best thing you can do in my opinion. Resting just lets your body freshen up and in most cases youll spark new growth when you get back into the swing of things. Shit....Ive been out of my routine for almost 2 months and now Im gonna hit hard again and I feel like my body and mind are ready. Sometimes a little time off ends up being the best thing in the world. I read a cool article about Branch Warren getting injured and having to take over two months off the gym as well as everything else. He said when he started training again, the gains game back so fast he couldnt believe it. He ended up being about 11lbs heavier than the year before and he says the time off let his body just chill and get primed to grow. I think if you dread going to the gym, which I was for a while, your training sessions suffer and you dont get the most out of them. Train when its right for you both mentaly and physicaly.

 

[Jbomb]

I am actually going on 3 months without touching a weight.....starting back next week, and it feels great. Six months without any 'supplements'.

 

[cryptasm]

I just took the last 3 weeks off..Was getting burt out..feels good..Ate wahat I wanted when I wanted .. or didnt if I didnt feel like it..
I start back tonite, started eating agin today..and am ready to hit it..
I think its its a good idea at least once a year to take a planned layoff

 

[Coopie]

I take a full week off 3 times a year. But, I find that if I eat like crap during those break periods then I feel crappy overall. When I keep my diet in check for the most part (allowing 1 cheat meal per day, for example) then I feel much better and I really hit the gym hard when I come back.

In my opinion, if you're resting then you're growing. How can you grow if your diet goes to crap? You can't.

 

[chris250]

BBA,

Hey bro, I actully took alot of time off this past year...With dealing with everything in my life, I didnt feel like I had the time or right mind set to train...My weight droped to about 245 and I gained some fat...But, now Im back up to 270, and Im getting leaner again...I just actully started to hit it hard again after the first of the year, and I had been off of everything for a long long time...

chris

 

[gooey]

haha

I havent taken more then a week off since 2001...hahah. OCD is such a wonderful disorder, mixed with some body dismorphic disorder, life is good..... though am sore all the time, joints feel poopy. But if I dont go to the gym i feel a huge hole in my day and week. I weight train not becuz of the BBing aspect but also cuz its something that helps me escape reality. Get away from the shitty days, the stress, the BS of everyday life. So I do agree with some time off, but then again I dont know I believe listening to ur body and itll tell u what it wants and what it needs to do.
gooster

 

[Vander_V]

12 weeks is perfect , thats what ive done for the last 3 years and took six months off everything i guess me and Jbomb have the same plan.

 

[joedokes]

I took 3 weeks off in November. I felt awesome for the first two weeks. All my joints recovered. I would get home after work, and have all this extra time to do stuff I used to blow off. Towards then end of the time off, I was feeling pretty saggy and sluggish. Then I didn't like what was in the mirror.
So i'm back at it. I think I came back pretty strong too. First week was week, but second week I felt like I had tons of energy. Mostly though, I had new ambition. Gravity was scaring me.

 

[BigWilly]

Probably 3 weeks a year spread out...

BW

 

[Armageddon]

Just started training again this past monday, been out since July. Mostly because of injury and football. But I feel good. Just lost alot of weight as I didn't control my diet while off. If you manage your diet well time off is a beautiful thing.

 

[allbeef]

I think it's a hell of alot easier to take time off

then to start back up. Boyer Cole described it as it takes a whole lot more energy to get a train started then it does to keep it moving.

Pschologically you need to take time off, but it is healthiest to jog, do situps, shoot baskets, swim and limit intake while on a break.


Allbeef

 

[BigMatt]

I take 3 months complety each year.
No training,no cardio,no bodybuilding eating.

With university it give me more time to focus on homework and study...