funny what happens when you take time off...

[needsize]

I hate taking time off from any of the big lifts as I hate to lose strength that I worked so hard for, but sometimes you have to fo various reasons...
I havent deadlifted much at all in the last 3 months as it interferes with bringing up my upper back, which is my weak spot. I finally decided to go back to the deads, and a few weeks in, my strength has gone nuts. Today I smoked up 515lbs for 8 reps, and felt like I had more. This is right around the best I have ever done. Next week if I can match that with a little more weight, I might video tape it
My training partner did the same thing. Has a bad wrist so he didnt bench for 6 weeks. first week back puts up 335lbs for an easy 6 reps, which tied his best set. Today was two weeks later, and the bastard put up a beautiful single on 405lbs.
As much as I hate to admit it, there might be something here

 

[from zero]

Interesting indeed. I remember a while ago I pulled something in my lower back. Hindered my deadlifts for a good month or so. Came back, and my first deadlift workout, I hit a PR. Weird ...

 

[Sub-Zero]

maybe muscles are so used to growing they keep growing even when you stop...and because you stopped, you put less stress on them, allowing them to grow more, and then you came back with alot of mental want to put it up, since you hadnt in a while...!


i am a genius, i should write a book.

 

[sorerotators]

Not surprising! Considering your recent pics!

 

[supersizeme]

you are much bigger and stronger than you were three months ago, plus you have muscle memory working in your favor from having done deads at that level before. it's the same thing that happens when you get sick and drop some pounds. when you get back in the gym you are weak as hell but the strength and size comes back quickly.

 

[guldukat]

That, and when you train your ass off for a long time, you're dealing with serious cumulative trauma. A break of training lighter or taking some time off altogether lets you get back out of the hole.

I think it's mostly a CNS thing, what I call a "rebound." Mike Mentzer saw this and based his latter-day training regimen around it...sadly, he overlooked the context (e.g., train hard 3 months and get a little overtrained, then take two weeks off...he thought you should just take 2 weeks between every workout). It's useful but mostly in that I think it underscores the need to "back off and jack off" after a good six weeks or so of drilling your body into the ground. 6 weeks on, 1 week light or the like works.

The only other thing I might take from it is that the lower back can benefit from a bit more rest than some other muscles. Arthur Jones is said to have researched this when working with MedX; I don't know the specifics, but I can say I grow best from very hard deadlifting only when I cut the frequency back a bit. If I try to squat, deadlift and leg press hard all in the same week, something suffers...progress is possible, but only incrementally and for a short period. Spreading the three out over 2 weeks allows bigger gains for longer.

 

[coolcolj]

It's called Delayed transmutation - term from Zatsiorsky

ok now you finally understand about loading and unloading

When you take a break from the deads, which do hit the CNS hard, you actually give your CNS breathing space to recover, and then you peak.
Deads are the heaviest load one will have the body bear. So it is also the most taxing on the CNS, especially so since its a load your holding in your hands, lots of nerve endings there.

The same for your training partner, probbaly his body had been under a background of neural fatigue, a break from benching was enough to give him the space to reduce the fatigue. And then boom PR.

You don't need to take a break completely, just lighten the load and frequency a bit. And it's not a single exercise type thing, it's to do with the body as a whole.
I need to unload soon as well myself

 

[needsize]

weird thing is I was only deadlifting every 2nd week for a while, and my deads were aweful, I thought that would be enough of a break. I'm thinking I really show do this with squats too, I havent been making much headway on them and my body isnt getting any younger

 

[Dial_tone]

Time off spent working on all those lil assistor muscles = good. Man, I'd like to deadlift 500 just once.

 

[needsize]

Time off spent working on all those lil assistor muscles = good. Man, I'd like to deadlift 500 just once.

like you said on my pics thread, its time to bring up the weak spots

 

[anthrax]

Good job needsize

I would just add you also have to take into account motivation

when coming back after a break you are more motivated than when you 've got used to your program

 

[alltraps]

thanks for the props bro. when i took those 6 weeks off, i was actualy scared to bench again, as i thought i would be doing 2 plates a side for a single max. it shocked me to feel so strong. i think the wrist injury was timed great for this cycle. i messed it up right at the begining, so i couldnt bench. but with all the shit kicking in, i was growing anyways. now that i stopped growing as much, hitting the heavy pressing movements will induce some serious growth.

300# here i come baby

 

[needsize]

thanks for the props bro. when i took those 6 weeks off, i was actualy scared to bench again, as i thought i would be doing 2 plates a side for a single max. it shocked me to feel so strong. i think the wrist injury was timed great for this cycle. i messed it up right at the begining, so i couldnt bench. but with all the shit kicking in, i was growing anyways. now that i stopped growing as much, hitting the heavy pressing movements will induce some serious growth.

300# here i come baby

whatever is was, it worked, and you went from weighing less than me to 260lbs already...bastard

 

[super_rice]

hey needsize, what's the word on those videos?

thanks

 

[Dial_tone]

I've been the machine kid for a long time. I haven't do a free weight bench or squat in probably 6 years (mainly because I didn't lift at all for 5 of those).

 

[coolcolj]

weird thing is I was only deadlifting every 2nd week for a while, and my deads were aweful, I thought that would be enough of a break. I'm thinking I really show do this with squats too, I havent been making much headway on them and my body isnt getting any younger

But your body as a whole CNS wise was still being cranked hard I'd imagine, I don't know your training though, but that fortnightly dead session coupled with the other training your doing is enough to keep your CNS from recovering fully.

I know when my CNS is fully recovered eveyrthing feels light and snappy, I can tell when warming up if I'm there or not.
There is a certain sensation, even when using heavy weights it feels good, it doesn't kill me etc

the thing is when your CNS is fatigued it goes in stages, firstly sprinting, jumping and olys start to drop off in performance. Anything speed based suffers first.
Then it's usually one strength lift that will begin to stall - usually big compund lifts like squats, deads and for me chins and presses etc, the more msucles in the lift used, the eariler it starts to get effected. Chins and presses for me die first when I start to over-reach.
As you continue going into deeper fatigue, more and more lifts start to stagnant and then go backwards.
When all your lifts go backwards your officially overtrained

 

[WalkingBeast]

Anyone know what happens when you go from heavy benching (370 for a single) to doing cable flies instead? haha Because of my back I havent been able to bench, but am still getting my chest sore from cable flies. Scares me to see where my strength and size will be at afterwards. Is it possible to gain size or strength this way? Also I havent been able to hit my back in a few weeks, think itll shrink down? Injury is pissing me off. Any feedback is appreciated!

 

[WalkingBeast]

Anyone?

 

[needsize]

Anyone know what happens when you go from heavy benching (370 for a single) to doing cable flies instead? haha Because of my back I havent been able to bench, but am still getting my chest sore from cable flies. Scares me to see where my strength and size will be at afterwards. Is it possible to gain size or strength this way? Also I havent been able to hit my back in a few weeks, think itll shrink down? Injury is pissing me off. Any feedback is appreciated!

if you check out what I said about my training partner alltraps, he was stuck doing all bullshit machines for 6 weeks, and when he came back he kicked my ass, so you should be okay, depending on how long you take off.

super rice, just posted a squat video today

 

[SquatPukeSquat]

once you return after a few weeks of benching you'll be back to normal, or stronger. when i was playing ball, i had to take a week or two off every once in a while to let myself recuperate fully (although i would still do timed miles 3 times a week). the first time i took time off i figured my strength would be screwed, but i came back stronger. now i know you guys are talking about longer layoffs than a week, but it's all related in some way. later.