working out people, do yu ever take a break?

[sophie]

If you\'re a dedicated workout person, do you believe that a few days offf will turn you into a lump of butter (ie, going on vacation and deciding to just relax and be lazy)? I am dedicated to exercising as often as possible but if I miss a day or two (or even three) I don\'t get too stressed out about it. What do you think?

have you ever heard the theory that you can work out for 6 weeks, and lose all your muscle tone in 7 days?

[xxxPantero]

here\'s my way of working out.......


i make sure i have fun when i go to the gym..... i don\'t go when i\'m sore

i go when i\'m sad to cheer myself up
i go when i\'m angry to work it off
i go when i\'m happy to keep my mood up

i work out whatever body part is not sore or is just weak
i work out whatever exercise i want to for variety
i make up new exercises (although it\'s probably been done before, i\'ve just never seen it)

i make the gym an activity for myself, not a chore - that way it\'s easy to stay committed

i go anywahere from 1-5 times a week, depending on everything!

someone in the gym commented \"wow, you got a lot bigger\" and he is a big guy, so obviously something is working for me

oh and i stopped taking ZMA a long time ago - couldn\'t deal with the acne side-effect

[jose]

A few days off won\'t affect your body at least from my experience. I workout five days a week and Saturday/Sunday are my off days. So I think you can take that vacation as long as after the third day you do something(push-ups, sit-ups, or riding a bicycle).

[belgareth]

I only work out 2-3 days of the week. If I skip a week, I can feel my joints becoming tighter and need to do more stretches to loosen them. If I haven\'t sparred in a couple weeks, such as on vacation, my speed and reflexes are reduced. A lot of that could be a result of the years piling up.

[Elana]

I have to do some sort of exercise everyday. Crunches and squats everyday, and yoga 3-4 times a week, either at home or at the studio.

[Watcher]

1 week off is the max i would do, sometimes i just stop for a few days as it can affect energy levels or just go ahead and have sex is another way to get a workout as well.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Hey Sophie,
Sorry to give you advice so late but I just joined a few days ago. As a bodybuilder going on 12-13 years now, I\'ll tell you what works. Every 6-8 weeks, take a full week to 10 days off. Not only do you regain the enjoyment mentally, raring to go psychologically BUT your muscles fully recuperate. If you\'ve hit the weights hard during your workouts, your body will thank you for it. Contrary to what a lot of people seem to think, you won\'t lose muscle. Don\'t feel guilty about it. That\'s important!!! For what it\'s worth, there\'s my .02 and feel free to inquire about anything else. I\'ll send my consulting bill(LOL).

[sophie]

thanks, shyhunk!! and to everyone else for your responses also. I had an issue on another BB with a woman who claims that you could lose ALL your muscle in 7 days by not working out. I know this is not true, but wanted to hear it from a pro. I am kind of erratic on workouts, but have been pretty good about exercise for 2 years now,and I only notice detrimental effects if I go (at least) longer than a week without working out.

In fact, I agree with what you said, I sometimes notice better results if I take a break and then start up again. And, no guilt for sure, this is a lifetime thing for me, what\'s a week if I need one off now and then? I always get back on, because it feels good and the benefits outweigh anything else.

your consulting fee is in the mail /ubbthreads/images/icons/laugh.gif

[druid]

man lots of overtrainers on this board /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif

sophie listen to the bodybuilder guy. when you exercise -- especially weight lifting which is high intensity -- you generate stress hormones which tear down muscle. So rest is AT least as important as exercise. Go look up the work of a man named mike menzter.

[Watcher]

Please note - couplins PCC and EW applied just before sleep can help a male get plenty of good quality sleep, makes the brain thinks its just been exposed to a high quality woman and having had sex we recover great, it tricks the brain into putting the body into a deep sleep and then therefore a good nights sleep.
This can aid recovery.