Recovery Weeks -- Do You Believe In Them
- Thread starter lorajc
- Start date
Great, great question. Especially since muscles actually grow while at rest, right?
Personally, I'm going to do Cathe's suggested HC rotation (the entire 12 weeks) to the letter, but I'm putting in rest weeks every fourth week...yoga, core work, etc. Adding a recovery phase worked pretty well for me in the past and I'd love to know Cathe's thoughts on this.
And Cathe...the Hardcore workouts are brilliant. Just brilliant. Thank you!
Personally, I'm going to do Cathe's suggested HC rotation (the entire 12 weeks) to the letter, but I'm putting in rest weeks every fourth week...yoga, core work, etc. Adding a recovery phase worked pretty well for me in the past and I'd love to know Cathe's thoughts on this.
And Cathe...the Hardcore workouts are brilliant. Just brilliant. Thank you!
Cheryl Shakespeare
Cathlete
Very good question, will be interested in what Cathe has to say. This is a common principle in sports training and since I train for marathons and triathlons I generally find the best results by taking a recovery week about every fourth week.
Cheryl
Cheryl
I call "recovery weeks" my family's annual vacation! No way I can take bands with me and do push ups, etc while camping and hiking and showing the kids the natural world.
In the normal run of things, a recovery week is a good idea. You'll come back raring to go with extra energy and in one week, there'll be no noticeable strength loss.
Clare
In the normal run of things, a recovery week is a good idea. You'll come back raring to go with extra energy and in one week, there'll be no noticeable strength loss.
Clare
I also use family vacations as my recovery weeks, and I'm always rested and ready to workout when I return. Of course, most of our vacations include amusement parks, etc., so I normally get lots and lots of walking. I also almost always lose around 3-5 pounds in 1 week while on vacation.
I wondered about this too. My vacations are usually in the Caribbean and I do a lot of swimming and diving - no weight gain, but not a lot of loss either (I love Caribbean food!). I was thinking of taking a week off in July (when we normally go away) and at the end of the year between Christmas and New Year's.
I am by no means Cathe... but i'll throw my .02 in 
I generlly follw a 3 weeks on, 4 weeks off rotation. Not always, sometimes i stay "on" for longer... by "off" i dno't mean completly rest though. I just do easy cardio (long walks, less intense step, etc.) and i usually throw in a total body weight work out with lower weights than normal. I've found taht this gives my body a change to re-group and when i go back to working out hard, my body responds better and is better equipped to meat whatever challenge i give it.
good luck!
I generlly follw a 3 weeks on, 4 weeks off rotation. Not always, sometimes i stay "on" for longer... by "off" i dno't mean completly rest though. I just do easy cardio (long walks, less intense step, etc.) and i usually throw in a total body weight work out with lower weights than normal. I've found taht this gives my body a change to re-group and when i go back to working out hard, my body responds better and is better equipped to meat whatever challenge i give it.
good luck!
As a trainer, I really do preach the rest week, as your body does really need the rest even if you don't feel you do. This helps you keep from a physical plateu as well as a weight one, if you need to lose a pound or two.
But recovery week is something even gold medalist take, as they know you can only push so much for so long and then your going to crash if you don't take a break. Also when you take a rest week, you are actually tricking your body. You slow down, it goes an starts mending any type of stress you've done to various parts of your body and since your on rest week it's not a constant battle with you, as your aren't stressing these muscles as much so it can gain a lot of ground. This when you come back full swing after that week your ready to push it to the max, and you can, and most of the time everyone I've trained does better that next week. There are a few who didn't but they didn't excatly follow rest week. As they decided rest week should be laying in bed, not getting up and doing things.
As one thing I've found is rest week can really be a re-energizer, no matter if your tried from working out, or life, with the lighter workouts of rest week and all the stretching, I usually put into it, it seems to re-energize people and especially myself and then the next week your bouncing around full of life and energy and ready for the hardest workout anyone can throw at you.
But seriously take one about every month and try it for a couple months and see how it feels, as it will improve your workouts if you do a rest week correctly and don't just go flop in bed the whole week.
Kit
But recovery week is something even gold medalist take, as they know you can only push so much for so long and then your going to crash if you don't take a break. Also when you take a rest week, you are actually tricking your body. You slow down, it goes an starts mending any type of stress you've done to various parts of your body and since your on rest week it's not a constant battle with you, as your aren't stressing these muscles as much so it can gain a lot of ground. This when you come back full swing after that week your ready to push it to the max, and you can, and most of the time everyone I've trained does better that next week. There are a few who didn't but they didn't excatly follow rest week. As they decided rest week should be laying in bed, not getting up and doing things.
As one thing I've found is rest week can really be a re-energizer, no matter if your tried from working out, or life, with the lighter workouts of rest week and all the stretching, I usually put into it, it seems to re-energize people and especially myself and then the next week your bouncing around full of life and energy and ready for the hardest workout anyone can throw at you.
But seriously take one about every month and try it for a couple months and see how it feels, as it will improve your workouts if you do a rest week correctly and don't just go flop in bed the whole week.
Kit
starlight6
Cathlete
I'll be interested to read Cathe's opinion. I personally strongly recommend them. The first time I took one, it was not planned, but necessary for other reasons. When I came back the next week, I was SO full of energy, & lifting heavier with relative ease.
So now I have one every 2 or 3 months if I can stand it, & have always seen positive results.
Ruth
So now I have one every 2 or 3 months if I can stand it, & have always seen positive results.
Ruth
I'd be interested in know this, too. I wasn't really familiar with the concept of recovery weeks/periods and scoffed at them until I did P90X & they were built in. Since then they've been a staple with me. I even find I can work harder during the "on" times becase I know there's an "off" time coming - a light at the end of the quite bearable tunnel, so to speak. I don't take off totally, but do cardio, yoga, functional fitness workouts, things like that. Total change of pace, and nothing too killer.
Bobbi
Cathlete
Like Ruth, I have inadvertantly taken recovery weeks and I agree, I came on strong and energetic when I resumed my workouts.
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"
Maturity is the ability to do a job whether or not you are supervised, to carry money without spending it, and to bear an injustice without wanting to get even.
-Ann Landers
Bobbi http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif "Chick's rule!"
Maturity is the ability to do a job whether or not you are supervised, to carry money without spending it, and to bear an injustice without wanting to get even.
-Ann Landers
As for how hard to work on the on week to call it an on week. One of Cathe's videos every day should be enough. Bascially you want to work until you either reach your heart rate to 75% - 85$ for at least 30 minutes or more, depending on your endurance level. As for strength training, basically exhausting all your muscles. Where you feel that burn, is good enough to be considered an *ON* day.
Also remember a rest week does not mean lay in bed or watch TV all week. It just means to tone down the workout so your not working up to your max, so it give your body time to repair without you screw it up while you jumping around like a ping pong ball or lifting weights like mad.
A rest week you do workout, but usually you put in a lot more stretch time, cardio that only gets up to 55 - 65% of your max heart rate, strength training that is light, more enduance then it is to wear out your muscles in a few sets of reps. Rest week should still be benifical and burn calories and keep your body moving, it's just not a tough workout. Basically any other tape besides Cathe's, well besides her stretching one.
Kit
Also remember a rest week does not mean lay in bed or watch TV all week. It just means to tone down the workout so your not working up to your max, so it give your body time to repair without you screw it up while you jumping around like a ping pong ball or lifting weights like mad.
A rest week you do workout, but usually you put in a lot more stretch time, cardio that only gets up to 55 - 65% of your max heart rate, strength training that is light, more enduance then it is to wear out your muscles in a few sets of reps. Rest week should still be benifical and burn calories and keep your body moving, it's just not a tough workout. Basically any other tape besides Cathe's, well besides her stretching one.
Kit
G
gtmrfc
Guest
I know someone who believes recovery weeks are necessary; I also would like Cathe's opinion.