Working Out Properly Causes Wear and Tear
Working out is healthy, but can also wear your body down. The process of lifting weights is especially hard on the body. Whenever you lift hard enough to really challenge yourself, your muscles sustain microscopic cellular damage called "microtears". They're so tiny they're not considered injuries and you won't even be aware of them, but they're still important. Your body heals those microtears, and in the process strengthens the muscle and makes it grow. Without the damage, your body wouldn't have any reason to build itself up, so those microscopic tears are necessary.But healing and building new muscle also takes energy, and if you're challenging yourself, then at some point you'll probably pick up one or two minor injuries in your muscles, joints, or connective tissues. A little soreness in the shoulder, a little tenderness in the knee, whatever. Even cardio-based workout programs will cause wear and tear that needs to heal, but with lifting, rest is especially important to consider. That's why experts recommend that you plan on taking time off from working out periodically. For weight trainers, many experts suggest you take an entire week off for every six to twelve weeks of training.
De-Loading
You could literally take the week off, staying away from the weights entirely. Lots of folks do that. Or, if staying away from the gym entirely would drive you as crazy as it would me, you could do what's called a "de-load" week. That means doing very light workouts, usually with fewer sets, lighter weights, and more reps per set. You could add in some light cardio.This period of recovery is so important, some workout programs even include a plan for time off every "X" weeks. Other people prefer to decide when to take time off based on how their body feels. Sometimes, life kinda steps in and forces you to take time off because you're traveling or you get the flu or everything at work explodes.
...But I'll Lose All My Gainz!
Don't worry. Science tells us that, if you're eating a healthy diet, you won't start losing strength or muscle mass in only 7 days. Some studies have found people can go two weeks or more without noticing any drop in performance when they come back to the weights. In fact, it's very, very common for lifters to report that when they return to working out after a week off, their performance enjoys a significant boost. Their strength and size gains are much better after having taken some time off. Seriously, time off won't hurt your gainz, it'll help them in the long run!After Your Time Off
So you took a week off or de-loaded for a week, and now you're gearing up to get back to lifting. How you feel at that moment is kind of a fascinating study in human psychology. Some folks get back to the gym feeling a massive energy boost, like a team of wild horses couldn't hold them back. Others worry that they've forgotten everything they ever learned about working out, and are nervous as a result. Whatever you're feeling as you walk out onto the gym floor, you should know you're not alone. Just get out there and lift. Do your reps and don't over-think that week off that you took. You're gonna do great work, so just do it.Take care of yourself! Rest, recover, and get back to work!
The Friendly Lifter
