Week Off-Overloading

I’m about to take a forced week off (Spring Break), and I am planning to increase my frequency right before (I’m about at 4x a week now) up to maybe as much as every day before Spring Break (which starts on Thursday). Today should be my rest day, but I really want to go the gym, and also, I always attempt to mix everything up, especially in terms of exercise variation and rep range. What do you think?

I’m no expert on the process, but various people have talked about gaining muscle during an off week, as you are describing.

Just make sure you have enough gas in the tank to have fun when you get there!

Sounds good (frequency), but instead of taking off the week from training entirely, why don’t you cut the volume and frequency and still train a little bit.

For the past month or so, what have you been training for? Hypertrophy focused, strength focused?

-The Truth

[quote]zarathus wrote:
I’m about to take a forced week off (Spring Break), and I am planning to increase my frequency right before (I’m about at 4x a week now) up to maybe as much as every day before Spring Break (which starts on Thursday). Today should be my rest day, but I really want to go the gym, and also, I always attempt to mix everything up, especially in terms of exercise variation and rep range. What do you think?[/quote]

Go ahead and train your ass off the week before your week off - I just did that myself, and I swear my muscles are bigger after my week off. Planning regular time off or at the very least unloading is the best thing you can do for your training, as long as you train hard otherwise. Downtime allows you to train harder when you’re in the gym.

Take a step back, and you’ll be able to take two forward. It works. Plus the break is as much a mental thing as a physical one. You’ll go back into the gym ready to tear the place up!