Resisting Time Away From The Gym
It feels great to regularly work out in the gym and make great progress; however, it can be difficult to take a break when the time comes. Not many people like stepping away from anything when they can see immediate positive results.
Part of what keeps trainees motivated in the first place is the incremental increases in personal growth in various areas. This can come from strength, power, muscular size, or just beating personal records from prior sessions (see Why You Might Lose Motivation To Workout).
A part of our ego falls in love with the ‘more is better’ attitude toward the things we become attached to, so we would rather work harder than take a much-needed rest. This can be our downfall, since training progress almost never continues to go up forever (see How The Law of Diminishing Returns Applies To Bodybuilding).
Bodybuilders also fear losing muscle mass, since there has always been information circulating in the community that lean body mass can be lost within a few weeks without training.
Taking time away from constant training can benefit the muscular and nervous systems, which is why breaks should never be regarded as unnecessary. Better known as a deload, these rest periods can benefit muscle growth and fat burning.
When Should You Deload From Your Training
Constant training can be very taxing for the body, and its effects usually appear when we’ve been long overdue for a break. This is where it would be wise to have a recovery protocol to get back on track.
A deload is a scheduled break from your training program, which can be in the form of time away from training or a reduction in volume/intensity by at least 50%. The need for a training deload depends on various factors for each person.
This also applies to more experienced trainees, as muscle adaptation has already occurred in individuals who are acclimated to their routines. Newer weightlifters (<2 years) have not yet undergone this development and can, for the most part, forego deload training.
Age and weightlifting experience are the biggest factors that will determine the timing for a deload. Generally, older trainees will need a deload break more frequently as recovery is slower for these individuals.
Outside of these two main groups, there are obvious reasons to time a deload into your training program.
The first is a lack of motivation or lethargy in preparing to go to the gym, as this is a common sign of burnout among trainees (see How to Avoid Burnout From The Gym).
Neurotransmitters that signal positive reinforcement, such as serotonin and dopamine, may not be released in the blood in amounts seen before experiencing burnout. This is a strong indicator that you should take some time off until you’re feeling better.
The second reason is from feeling aches and pain in your joints or tissues. Lifters need to use intuition for listening to their body for easing off intense training, which can be developed with experience.
To time a deload into your program, you should have a deload period scheduled every 6-12 weeks. Whether you’re bulking or cutting, the caloric intake should be kept at maintenance levels for the during of the deload to keep the recovery process optimal.
Deload periods are usually a week of no training with the exception of occasional light cardio, however if you’re training for strength you can continue training at 50% of your intensity to maintain your progress.
Adding these schedule breaks are one method for breaking plateaus as strength has been shown to be improved significantly after incorporating a deload.
Intermediate and advanced weightlifters can use techniques such as ‘supercompensation’ or ‘overreaching’, which are planned high volume training sessions to overtrain the muscles. This period of overtraining would be followed by a deload period to help you recover and build muscle adaption faster.
The Wrap Up
Intermediate and advanced weightlifters can use techniques such as ‘supercompensation’or ‘overreaching’, which are planned high-volume training sessions to overtrain the muscles. This period of overtraining would be followed by a deload to help you recover and build muscle adaptation more quickly.
