Taking a break from working out

[lynnesq2]

Hi all:
I've heard that sometimes it's good to take a week or whatever off from working out, for various reasons, one supposedly is to feel 'refreshed' when you come back to it. However, my question is: has anyone done this and found that their cardiovascular fitness has decreased? someone told me it shouldn't decrease in a week, but i ended up decreasing my cardio workouts to about 1 or 2 per week for a few weeks. When i went back to a tape that used to be easy for me, i felt so out of shape!!! Help!
Lynne

 

[Aquajock]

Hi, Lynne! I think the relative value of taking a week off from working out can depend on a lot of things, primarily the intensity, frequency and duration of your training program prior to your mini-vacation. If you're doing it really hard-core, trying to achieve peak performance several times a week, then taking a week off is almost a necessity; in fact, many elite athletes are known to take a MONTH off (which would drive me crazy) to rest, repair and restore. The same may NOT be the case for consistent exercisers who are more interested in general fitness and long-term slower strength gains.

You mentioned you cut down to 2 cardio sessions per week for several weeks; it could be that that extended length of time with lesser cardio may have caused a bit of a decrease in functional capability. Don't worry about that, as long as you increase the frequency of our workouts back to their previous level.

I read an interesting line in one of my exercise physiology texts once: Fitness cannot be stored. Truer words were never spoken, and there's also the old Use It Or Lose It truism. HOWEVER, fitness CAN be reclaimed regardless of how much / little you've lost.

Welcome back from your break!

Annette Q. Aquajock

 

[lis1]

Lynne,
I took about 3-4 weeks off from exercising because of a minor surgery. fyi - I'm 24 and in good shape. When I started back up, I started slowly (2-3 cardios a week). I did Cathe's All Step tape first and was pleasantly surprised to find that my HR got up there. I was kind of glad that I didn't just breeze though it-I got a good workout. But it wasn't like I was out of shape.

I think I was back to my old self in a week or so. And it was nice to feel the soreness from starting to lift weights again after the break.

A break once in awhile isn't a bad thing. If you do lose some cardio fitness, it'll come back soon after you start up again and you'll probably enjoy your workouts even more.

 

[naughtoj]

I agree with Annette. You found your old tape harder probably because you had decreased your cardio to 2 days per week beforehand. I think the less you workout the less important it is to schedule the week off. But I think if you are like me, one of those that gets all those little aches and pains all the time, that you should take a week off every now and then. High impact cardio is what does me in. I cannot imagine needing a week off of weights.

Overall though it is always better to be safe than sorry...

Janice