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don't ever take a break!

super_rice

super_rice

New member
so after that two week holiday (did not touch the bench once)... i lost a lot of strength. i mean a lot of strength.

two weeks ago, well, almost three weeks ago (this was on a wednesday), i did 196 for 1 rep- and a half haha, and 168 for 4. almost hit 205.

i go in today to nail that bench... 157lbs, got all red and everything after 5 reps. second set, 4 reps, third set 3 reps...

at this point i just kept going to try to get something going maybe just didn't get a proper warmup... dropped weight to go "warmup" etc.

came back, 157x5, 168x1. the 168 just barely went up.

ARRGR looks like 200 will have to wait.

take my advice, never stop!
 
No, stopping is good. Gives your CNS a chance to get a brake, and allows your muscles to become more susceptible to lifting again. Trust me, your CNS is just deconditioned. Train for a week or two and you'll be back to normal.

Trust me.
 
whenever i take some time off, I do a light workout or two before i start pushing things again. It's never had a bad effect on me, although I think it's better to drop your frequency and volume way down rather than just take a break.
 
Doing that won't allow the muscles to completely and effectively decondition. You're better taking a straight week off, then hittin' the weights again.
 
Maybe it wasn't the break, but you'd been doing bench too much. Need variation? DB's, inclines, different rep ranges, etc.

Also, it might be because you're not experienced. The more training experience you have, the less strength you lose. when you take a week off
 
I don't want my muscles to decondition, i am not bodybuilding. if getting stronger is the primary goal you don't want to decondition, just recover and supercompensate. I'm not sure what super rice's primary goal is though.
 
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I'm not getting into a detailed explanation of anything but... Taking a break will give your CNS time to recover and I believe a week off every 3-5 months will do you nothing but good. I've never once came back weaker, but rather a bit stronger then right before I took the break.
 
Yeah Tagio, it won't just decondition your muscles. Your CNS will get a break. In the beginning your lifts will be slightly weaker. However, once it becomes accustomed to work again it will become conditioned and stronger than before.
 
You can give your CNS a break without totally stopping training. Of course having a complete break is an option too and I do it occasionally but more for the mental benefit than physical.
 
Tagio said:
You can give your CNS a break without totally stopping training. Of course having a complete break is an option too and I do it occasionally but more for the mental benefit than physical.
Click to expand...


Yeah I'd prefer to cycle intensity and stay in the gym. If I take off for more than a couple days, I start to go insane.
 
BFS Trooper said:
No, stopping is good. ..... Train for a week or two and you'll be back to normal.
Click to expand...


This is what I've found to be true. About 2 weeks and I'm back to where I was. Have faith. :)

-2z-
 
M-hm

Yep, this is what I've found as well... about 2 weeks. But why not have faith and train in such a way as to hit the slower twitch muscle fibres and build on them for a bit. This will give you the complete rest you need, max out the other half of your muscles, and you'll still grow having room to hit the fast twitch again after.
 
bro rest is everything thats how you grow and get bigger. " you don't get bigger in the gymn, you get bigger in your recovery" food/protei/sleep. I was pushing it the month before christmas and in a month and a half got my arms 1/2 inch bigger and now i took that 2 week break, I got back in yesterday and it was great bro. My strength didn't really go anywhere stayed about the same. But it was great cause i was fully rested and healed and had no problem at all. I feel when you are away for a week or two that all i think about is "can't wait to hit the weights again" and it keeps me interested, desired. I come back and am extremely happy to be back.
protobe
 
bad thread. Your body needs a break and you will come back quickly and go beyond your previous best. rest to grow.

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Def need a break...do you need 2 weeks, HELL NO! But, a few days or even a week will do wonders.......(listen to me, the one who trains 7 days a week like a idiot.......)
 
I'm just back from a two week break. I think it was the longest break I've had since 1998. Fantastic decision. My recovery is much quicker since the break, and things like joint/tendon aches & pains have quieted down significantly. I can only recommend it - particularly for those of us who can still remember the 70's and earlier. :)
 
lavi said:
Is that why you're an "Amateur Bodybuilder"?! Liar...



:D
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Heh heh. That title is entirely based on the number of posts you've made (except for moderators and such). After 10000 posts you become "da pope"
 
There is NO offseason..............lol.........wish I could STAY out of the gym.............damn! I'm addicted............
 
no i'm not overtrained or anything like that. i was just in that whole "can't wait to get hit the weights again" mentality, and lost some strength after my little break.
 
Always take breaks for your body!

Remember three steps forward, two steps back. Repeat, repeat, repeat....Holy shit! Look how much I've grown!

That my friend is how it works.
 
Can you PLEASE reccomend a soilid routine?

I'm currently training 5-6x per week and hitting each bodypart on it's own day....chest twice a week...arms together and quads/hams together......I've trained high volume (15+ sets) with rep ranges from 4 to 10 depending on the exercise.....I'm starting a fresh cycle and want to pack on some lean mass......can you guys reccommend me a routine? I've done the research, read the stickys, invested the time, but just am not sure which way to go........K to all..........thanks!
 
JKurz1 said:
Def need a break...do you need 2 weeks, HELL NO! But, a few days or even a week will do wonders.......(listen to me, the one who trains 7 days a week like a idiot.......)
Click to expand...

Never thought I would hear you say that mate! Nice one :)
 
Cmon on bro ----- you think I don't know better???? My problem is I have a DISEASE.....honestly, it's an addiction like alcohol.....if I eat all day, I feel like I have to train or else I'll get porky.....I'm gonna cure this thing.......if it kills me......I would LOVE to only go in 3-4 times a week and do NO cardio!!!!!!!! Instead of 2x a day......HELLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!
 
glad someone else started this thread. i took 2 weeks off over xmas, and the few weeks prior to that weren't the intensity i was used to. planned on starting back up this week....did monday's chest workout even though i was sick, and now i just feel like total hell and couldn't lift if i wanted to. no point in killing myself over it. guess i'll have 3 weeks off. oh well.

next monday i'm supposed to hit the gym with a partner, which will get me focused right back in it again 100%, even if i'm still sick. at least by then i should be feeling better. and since i'm starting off 5x5, the weight is going to be lighter anyway, so i won't feel too weak.

i read somewhere that you need 9 days of deconditioning....i might be wrong on that. i think i read this in all the DC training stuff. one thing definetly made sense though, and is making me feel better about my off time. it said that after a period of not training, you will experience more rapid growth initially, and that's why people that are new to lifting grow so fast in the beginning. i'll believe that, because i grew pretty fast over the past few months.

your strength will come back soon enough. don't worry about it.
 
Honestly, I doubt many people on this board handle the kind of weight that would warrant a deconditioning or deloading phase. But maybe everyone here is a monster.
 
I'm pretty sure that's a function of your own %max, and is independent of the amount you're pushing. In other words, if your squat 1RM is 500 lbs or 200 lbs, your cns recovery is dependent on how close (percentage wise) you are training to that max (also volume and other factors).

To simplify, training to failure at 200 lbs will warrant a decon. phase now just as much as doing 500 lbs to failure in the future.



Also to JKurz, why not give HST or DC training a shot? It may not hurt to try something totally different just to see that the methodology IS quite sound. I would suggest HST do to simplicity's sake, as it's all in an organized, readable fashion. DC usually requires a lot more reading and searching for most people to find out if you're doing it right (which is surprising to me because it really is pretty simplie).
 
i took a month of before due to an injury. i was sad tought it was gonna hurt me. well i walked into gym and hit 40 pound pr in box squt, near 40 in gm, and near 50 in deadlift. all on my first day back. an i know you will say dontever max on first day back its not good for you. but it sure as hell felt good and gave me the urge to hit it hard and take another break. i did this came off my next 2 week break and smashed a few more prs. i love my breaks. i work in the 3 sometimes 5 rep range and always heavy. my body loves the breaks without them i dont think would have made the gains i did. i also do event training for strongman. everyevent after my break i did with ease, flipped tire for 4 reps more than i could before and i lifted stone onto a platform 1.5 feet higher than ever. i was amazed i lost no strength and size wise i stayed same size and weight and actually got a little more defined. ;) i love breaks:p
 
Debaser said:
DC usually requires a lot more reading and searching for most people to find out if you're doing it right (which is surprising to me because it really is pretty simplie).
Click to expand...

Someone (not me of course :)) should organize the DC routine... I think a lot of people don't do it just because of the insane amount of reading required...

Karma to the sicko that does it!!!
 
OreoPL said:
i took a month of before due to an injury. i was sad tought it was gonna hurt me. well i walked into gym and hit 40 pound pr in box squt, near 40 in gm, and near 50 in deadlift. all on my first day back. an i know you will say dontever max on first day back its not good for you. but it sure as hell felt good and gave me the urge to hit it hard and take another break. i did this came off my next 2 week break and smashed a few more prs. i love my breaks. i work in the 3 sometimes 5 rep range and always heavy. my body loves the breaks without them i dont think would have made the gains i did ... i love breaks:p
Click to expand...

I feel the same way.

If it matters, for purpose of argument, I am a powerlifter, and not a bodybuilder, and have been training for about 8 years. I have recently been needing to take the semesters (3.5 months) off from heavy lifting, and at times going several weeks with no weight training whatsoever save occasional band work.

I always seem to maintain strength and size even during prolonged breaks, and never have problems getting back into the gym and hitting PR's. Perhaps age, number of years training, and drug history are variables that affect this ability to maintain through lengthy training breaks.
 
JKurz, i, just like debaser, am an adovcate of low volume and high intensity. Believe me i used to be doing exactly what you were, training 5-6 times a week, cardio once or twice a day, but after a while i got diminishing returns. I had heard about DC training and HST from someone at school. At first i was like "are you fucking serious?" one set for a bodypart how the fuck is that supposed to work. I started DC training, and BOOM gains like fucking crazy, and they havent really slowed down. The only downside of the program was i dont have a training partner, so i mostly do my work in the smith machine or hammer strength (except for squats and deads of course). But it didnt matter to me b/c my muscles KEPT getting bigger, and i was always adding weight or reps to the bar! Not only have i gotten much thicker and fuller, but i never get that overtrained feeling, and i am out of the gym in 50min tops.


Heres an example of one of my splits would be for a week:
warmup sets 2-3, none close to failure
Mondays:
Chest- smith machine inclines 1x10+3+2 RP
Shoulders- Smith Machine Military Presses- 1x8+3+2 RP
Triceps- reverse grip benches in smith machine- 1x10+3+2 RP
Extreme Stretches for all three
Back width- Pulldowns 1x8+3+2 RP
Back Thickness- Deadlifts 2x5 (straight sets heavy as possible)
Extreme Stretches

and thats it. once or twice a week throw in some weighted sit ups for abs.
I gained a little fat, so now im continuing the same diet basically (but all clean foods, more meal timing, eating carbs only postworkout and in the am) and added in some HIIT for cardio 3-4x a week. Believe me, try and stick it out for 6 weeks, you will get used to going balls out on that one set, and it feeling fucking great. I beat my previous weight in reps or im adding weight to the bar almost every week, i rarely hit a sticking point. rotate 3 compound exercises, forget about cables and "detail" work. If you follow this program to the letter im guaranteeing it works.

Heres the exercises i picked (and were approved by DC on another board) when i first started:

Chest- Smith Inclines, hammer strength flat benches, Dips
Shoulders- Smith Machine Presses, Hammer strength military presses, standing OHP
Triceps- RG benches on smith, cg benches, dips elbows in
back width- hammer strength pulldowns, cg pullups, wg pulldowns
back thickness- floor deads, rack deads, hammer strength rows

quads-squats, leg presses, hack squats
hams-lying leg curls, seated leg curls
calves- standing calf raises, seated, leg press calf raises
biceps- preacher curls, barbell curls, machine preacher curls
 
confused.....you do the entire body on Monday??? Not a fan of the smith machine....what does the split look like?
 
I can take 6 days off and come back strong, aslong as I dont miss a chest workout. My chest loses strength and size very quickly.
 
Missing my ?.......wanted to know what the weekly split looks like? Is this all in one day, every other day?
 
Debaser said:
I'm pretty sure that's a function of your own %max, and is independent of the amount you're pushing. In other words, if your squat 1RM is 500 lbs or 200 lbs, your cns recovery is dependent on how close (percentage wise) you are training to that max (also volume and other factors).

To simplify, training to failure at 200 lbs will warrant a decon. phase now just as much as doing 500 lbs to failure in the future.
Click to expand...


The stronger you get, the easier it is to overtrain.
 
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