Now might be the time to take a week off from working out
‘Overtraining’ is real. Spring is a good time to recuperate
Are you a serious, disciplined athlete who has been working out religiously to get ready for your planned summer activities? If so, congratulations. But here’s a good tip: right now is the right time to take a week off.
Don’t train or practise for a week. The reason for the timing is the change of seasons. The winter season has ended. The active competitions of summer have yet to begin.
A week off right now will not diminish any of your physical ability. Instead, that week off will give you even more athletic power and strength.
If you want proof, search the question, “Why should hard-training athletes take a week off for recuperation?” You will find hundreds of links to research, studies and articles about the necessity of taking a week off to give your body time to recover from both training and sports activity.
A week off from physical activity should not be limited to just an annual thing. The popular website Livestrong.com suggests that athletes “should take a week off at the end of your season or every two to three months,” and quotes a doctor as saying that such a frequent rest period “is highly beneficial for muscular growth and adaptation.”
Pushing your body to lift heavier weights, to run faster or to cover more miles on the bike can result in a condition called overtraining.
This is a serious issue for athletes who demand too much from their body. This is especially true for athletes who are leaving their 20s or are already into the next decade of their lives.
Overtraining is a real thing. Some of the symptoms include irritability, muscle aches, lower physical ability, lower physical performance and loss of appetite. It happens when your muscle cells are being used so much that they don’t have time to replenish the nutrients they need to function. It actually takes cellular energy to absorb the required nutrients. Without enough rest and recuperation, cells can be pushed to the point where they no longer have the energy to absorb essential nutrients. When that happens, the condition of overtraining may last for months, even years.
It can happen to you even if you’re not a competitive athlete. There are many folks who suddenly get the urge to get back to the good shape they once were in, so they hit the gym hard. They then become addicted to working out. Many become obsessed with their diet and their training schedule. They ignore the effects of their bad moods and increased irritability on others; they honestly don’t see how affected they are by the overtraining syndrome.
Taking a week off from workouts and strenuous activity every few months is one of the best ways to prevent overtraining. Find a sports doctor and make an appointment to discuss how often you should take a week off from workouts and other physical activities.
There is no “one size fits all’ when it comes to resting the body and allowing it to recuperate on a cellular level. But learning to feel when your body needs rest will also make you aware of when you need a week off.