Scheduling time off

[Qea]

Hi y'all

First off, to those who remember me, I'm back! :) Been away from the forum for more than a year now.


Back to my question, how do I schedule time off/rest week into my training?

1) take a week off after x number of weeks of hard training

2) take a week off when I feel plateued or physically/mentally fatigued?

No. 1 sounds more systematical but it would suck if I'm in the 'zone' still, breaking PR's and stuff, and have to force myself to step back when I'm still raring to go.

And if the point of having time-off from the gym is to avoid overtraining, wouldn't going by No 2. imply that you've already hit a state of being overtrained?

A little confused here

[MixmasterNash]

If you're making gains and feel good, you probably don't need scheduled rest. Similarly, if you're feeling burnt out or exhausted or unotivated at any time, it's probably worth taking some time to rest.

[Adam]

do #2.

Sometimes i can go months without needed any time off.
When my diets off and im not getting enough sleep along with having too much stress i need a week off/light every month.

[Qea]

So you guys are saying its better to listen to your body and go by feel rather than following a regimented approach?

Wouldn't it defeat the purpose of avoiding overtraining if you implement time off only when you're in it already? :confused:

[RichLockyer]

Wouldn't it defeat the purpose of avoiding overtraining if you implement time off only when you're in it already?
Unless you're blasting too much cardio, you are not going to overtrain on a 2, 3, or even 4 day split. Just keep it down to working each muscle group once a week and you'll be fine.

What a lot of people mistake for overtraining is simply lack of rest, calories in general, or protein. The word "overtraining" is thrown around WAY too often and without base.

[Adam]

^^^^^^^^^^^
i agree with rich