Days off Before negative impact

Timber99

Timber99

Cathlete
Even though we all have different opinions on how many days we work per week, etc., which may effect our individual answer, how many days can you take off before a negative impact results? By negative impact, I mean loss of strength, endurance, muscle definition, ability, etc.

I typically work out 6 days per week (sometimes 5, depending on the week ;) ). The only time that I really take more than two days off in a row is vacation (although I still try to exercise on vacation if I can).

I just wondered if it happens after a week, month, etc. Of course, I am sure it is individual, but wondering what your experiences are.
 
I went through this a while back. I feel guilty if i don't work out.
So what I do is I usually do 6-7 days a week.
If i am exhausted and sore and no strength. I will do some abs and stretch dvd.
At least i am doing something.
There are times i will start and say. I am too tired and 20 min in I just say the heck with it today.
They say listen to your body.
We all just want results and it becomes addicting

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=8227804&uid=3969941}(

Anne
 
Hi christine, I don't really know how many days it takes. I usually take one or two off during the week unless I'm sick (which I am right now x( )

In the past my experience with a vacation was that my weakness kicked in after about a week of laying around on the top deck of the cruise ship. :p It took a little bit more effort to lift longer.
 
I stopped working out for a year because I got pregnant and couldn't work out, I simply did not have the energy and wanted to pass out. I started working out at about 3 months post pardum and it only took me a few months to gain my cardiovascular endurance back and just a little longer for my strength to be back where it was. I have no idea how long it took to deteriorate, though.

I had a foot injury that put me out for about 6 weeks, and after a week of starting to run and lift again it wasn't like I had taken a break at all.

Bobbi, thanx for the link, I am checking it out!

Missy
 
That article Bobbi linked to answers the question for cardio.
For strength, I vaguely recall something about 5 days. Something like you have to work the muscle every 5 days or you start to lose muscle. I think this actually applies more to full-body workouts, because you can work a specific muscle just once a week in a split routine and actually come back stronger (maybe because even when you aren't working that specific muscle, if you are working a large muscle group, a certain training effect takes place, even in unworked muscles?)
 
Hi Christine! After I've worked out heavily for 5 weeks my body tells me to take a week off. I'm 52 & I need more recovery time. During my week off I'll do more yoga & stretching. When I didn't take the week off my physiologist told me that I'm constantly breaking my muscle fibers & really one day was not enough of a rest. I had started experiencing overtraining symptoms over the summer & kept injuring myself to boot. I feel 10 times better since I've incorporated this. I've never lost any of my strength either. I would venture to guess though that if you took over a month or more off then you would lose your endurance. HTH, Kathy:D
 
I am happy to say I took a week off from everything, and saw no negative things happen to my body??? But I do have to say the 1st day I came back to exercise I started with ME and I felt like a OLD woman:7

~Nicole
 
For me it's about 2 weeks. I've taken almost 2 weeks off once or twice & noticed a definite difference in my strength training. I always stayed with the same weights but I'd be doing 6-8 reps instead of 8-10, and I was definitely struggling to do it. Oh, & the DOMS the 2-3 days after was pretty major. :eek:
 
Sorry about that. Haste makes waste.

Try these. One is highly technical but the effects are slower than one might think. I am going to put it in a socond reply because it's one of those long ones that make us nave to scroll over to read the post. I have alwyas found that I put it back on more easily when I detrain and resume and I have never returned to my anorexic looking scrawniness of my pre weight training days even with prolonged breaks.


http://umanitoba.fitdv.com/new/articles/article.html?artid=21&print_art=1
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"

Tell me, what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? -Mary Oliver
 
I hope I never know the answer to your question!

However, I have taken 7 days off before due to nasty illness and came back super strong and felt better than ever.

I had to take 4 weeks off after a surgery and it took about 10 days before I was back to where I was pre surgery.
 
I was sick on and off six weeks following the road trip and had to take 4-5 days off at a time. It didn't affect my training at all.

Last year I took whole month off from exercise. I cut my weights down to about 70% of what I normally used and worked up from there. It took me another month to get back on track. I paced myself. I just did mostly weights that first month going back into my program, then slowly put in the cardio as I went along. That way, it wasn't too much for me.

Pinky

ETA: Bobbi, thanks for the links. Very informative!:)
 
Every other year or so, DH and I go to the Virgin Islands and do little but lay on the beach for 7 days. Throw in a little hiking and snorkeling, but it's really a week of rest. When I get home, I have no problem picking up right where I left off. DOMS sets in a bit, but that's the only effect I've seen. I've never taken off longer than a week, except for a period when I became a couch potato for a couple YEARS. Of course, than it was like starting out all over again....
 
Christine,

After being in Germany for a month and NOT w/o with weights I had ABSOLUTELY NO STRENGTH trying to do GSCT my third day back home. When I first did this w/o there was no way I could use 20#'s right after all those push-up. I worked at it until I was able to use 25#'s bench & flyes--at least for 2 sets of 12. Being away and trying it again.........whew I HAD TO GO DOWN TO 15's, ALL 3 SETS of bench & flyes, flat & incline. I was shaking like a wet noodle. That was the first time, and hopefully the last time I will stay away from weights so long.

BTW, I did GSCT this morning and was determined not to use 15#'s. So I pushed myself to use 20#'s throughout this w/o, had to take a longer break, but I did it, all 3 sets of bench & flyes, flat & incline }(.

http://www.PictureTrail.com/haydee1

Haydee
 
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