How much time off do you take?

[Chaps]

I ran into Krista Shaus at the gym the other day a strength and conditioning coach as well as competitive bodybuilder/powerlifter and writer for t-nation.com. We got talking as i have tendonitis in my ankle and i was asking her advice on time off, she told me she recently took a full 2 months off and suggested i take a month of and basically just do cardio, core and structeral balance work. Anyone take this much time off? I'm thinking of doing 2 weeks off which HIT cardio 3 times a week and training core a couple times, i dunno if i could take a full month off i think i'd lose my mind.

[GYMBRAT]

1 month, ouch I dunno man, and if you have tendinitis in your ankle how is cardio gonna help with that as you'll still be putting stress on it...

[ironwill]

Once i took 12 weeks off, as i couldnt get out of bed....I rebounded better than i expected, and went straight to contest diet mode.....Worked out ok, but i wouldnt do it on purpose...i took 5 weeks off once intentionally...Just got fed up from gym, working, cooking, 70-80 hours of work per week......i did real well when i came back, was the biggest ive ever been....
Im going to take 3 weeks off here real soon for a break, do a pct and then off for 8 weeks, and then eat big and get big , as much as i can while off, then come back on and play.........lol.....

[tiramisu]

I regualarily take as much time off as I need to heal. Lately I haven't needed more than 2 weeks but I'll take as much time as it takes to recover from an injury or overtraining. I'll generally fall back into a starr rehab and do stretching and mobility work. I have found without exception that I come back stronger each time I take a break when it's required.

[519Muscle]

I ran into Krista Shaus at the gym the other day a strength and conditioning coach as well as competitive bodybuilder/powerlifter and writer for t-nation.com. We got talking as i have tendonitis in my ankle and i was asking her advice on time off, she told me she recently took a full 2 months off and suggested i take a month of and basically just do cardio, core and structeral balance work. Anyone take this much time off? I'm thinking of doing 2 weeks off which HIT cardio 3 times a week and training core a couple times, i dunno if i could take a full month off i think i'd lose my mind.

when i had my lumbar strain in my lower back the doc told me to take 6moths off...i was in the gym 2 weeks later.

[devo09]

detraining will start to happen in about 2 weeks. By "detraining" I mean you will start losing gainz

[EpicPhaill]

4 consecutive days max in the last 3 1/2 years. I took about 10 weeks off when I broke my back in 2003

[Maria]

I was just thinking about this, and taking time off.

Do you guys find that after your time off when you get back in the gym you have to start at lower weights then work up again?

Chaps, how is doing cardio resting you ankle? You're using it on even the bike.

[rickyboy36]

I was just thinking about this, and taking time off.

Do you guys find that after your time off when you get back in the gym you have to start at lower weights then work up again?

Chaps, how is doing cardio resting you ankle? You're using it on even the bike.

Depends how long im off.If im off 1-2 weeks,i actually come back stronger

[kloan]

ive had to take 1, 2 and 4 week breaks for various reasons.

1 week, come back the same or stronger, 2 weeks the first 1 or 2 workouts is a bit weaker but then comes back, 1 month off, definitely weaker for the first week back in.

[Delt King]

After my last contest i rebounded nicely for 2 months then took two months off completely... When i came back, i was of course weaker but it's been the best 3 months of training i've had in years and now stronger than ever as well as bigger than ever since the layoff. I might do this every year but maybe cut it to 6 weeks off only next time.

[ironwill]

After my last contest i rebounded nicely for 2 months then took two months off completely... When i came back, i was of course weaker but it's been the best 3 months of training i've had in years and now stronger than ever as well as bigger than ever since the layoff. I might do this every year but maybe cut it to 6 weeks off only next time.

Werd to big bird....I noticed the same results....I thought if its good enough for Ronnie C, its good enough for me...Especially post contest, it was a great rebound when i came back...

[rickyboy36]

After my last contest i rebounded nicely for 2 months then took two months off completely... When i came back, i was of course weaker but it's been the best 3 months of training i've had in years and now stronger than ever as well as bigger than ever since the layoff. I might do this every year but maybe cut it to 6 weeks off only next time.

I dont know how you guys do it.Anything more than a week,I go crazy.I bet you it takes more disicpline not going than going..loll.That would be my case anyways...

[Delt King]

I dont know how you guys do it.Anything more than a week,I go crazy.I bet you it takes more disicpline not going than going..loll.That would be my case anyways...

I found that i had a lot of time on my hands and finished all kinds of projects around the house that i've been putting off. By the end i was hungry to get back in and i've loved every minute of the last 3 months back and have made my best gains in years.

[XCompetitor]

Back when i competed the contests i trained for ran from early spring until the end of June.I would always take off the whole summer afterwards and start back training in mid September.I still do that to this day,although with the Ontario Naturals being in September i may have to break with tradition this year!

[rated_rko]

about a week

[Chaps]

I was just thinking about this, and taking time off.

Do you guys find that after your time off when you get back in the gym you have to start at lower weights then work up again?

Chaps, how is doing cardio resting you ankle? You're using it on even the bike.

The rowing machine was suggested to me actually

[tex]

did you know.....after 2 weeks of no training you lose 10% of your strength.....you should be doing some sort of maintenance work imo......

[Ritch]

Being an ectomorph I lose size quickly. I once had to take 12 weeks off and went from a very lean 215 down to 178. I couldn`t believe it. By that time I couldn`t even incline bench 135 for 12 reps. It took a long time to get my strength and weight back up.

A week off every 8-12 weeks is normally what I do. Even then I find I lose some strength and get sore more than usual from doing less. It`s amazing how big Ronnie still looks after 3 months off. There`s an interview lately with Ronnie at Rx muslce and he`s freakin huge! To make it worse, he hasen`t touched a weight he says in 3 months. Guys who compete I can understand the extended break after a competition as what they put themselves through is just brutal...

[Maria]

I personally don't like taking time off. I usually lift heavy most of the time, but when I need a bit of a break I do a moderate week with a bit lighter weights and a bit higher reps.

[Chaps]

A little update i'm taking a week off with maybe some core work i feel like i need complete rest and i'll be back hitting it hard next week, even 2 weeks is too much time off i love lifting :)

[HULK]

3 weeks ago on squat day, I’ve noticed I was sweating more than usual – went up to 5 plate a side on squat and on the 10th reps felt like my lungs were on fire – finished after another hour and went straight to bed. Turned out I had full blown pneumonia. As I write this, I’m still in bed, lost 27 lbs and climbing up the wall. I’m really nervous about going back to the gym after working so hard to get where I was. But after reading that many of you have became stronger after a lengthy layoff, I’m hoping the same.

[Ritch]

^^^ Not usually stronger when you come back from being sick though...

[HULK]

^^^ Not usually stronger when you come back from being sick though...

Hey, I'm trying look at the positive side...lol

Yes, since I'm a natty, I expect to lose somewhere 25 to 40% of my strength. It going to take me a long long time to get back where I was. The good thing is I have a couple of nagging injuries that are finally healing.