who takes regular breaks from training?

[bodhitree]

does anyone? I take a couple 'rest' days a week, but, with the exception of being sick, I never take longer than that (exercise wise, I don't go to the gym to train with others every day). If you do take long breaks, do you think they are beneficial? Why?

curious
booteeeetree

[sanjuro_ronin]

I train everyday, though Sunday is IP day only.
I try to take a week off every couple of months if I string together 8 weeks of constant training, I have found that works very well for me in all regards.

[xcakid]

I took a 12yr break once. :D

For me it Fri/Sat/Sun. I train CMA 4x a week. And supplement that with weight training 3X a week. Then I party my ass off all weekend. Its a viscious cycle but it works for me at the moment.

[Oso]

I've probably been 3-6 days a week at different times in my life for about 25 years now.

during that time I've only taken time off for injuries, a very few vacations and once when the girl I'd been with for 6 years left me. That was the longest at about 3 months.

injury time outs have been more frequent over the last 2-3 years...shoulder being the longest at 6 months. Though I did 2 seminars during that time ( a short 4 hour one at about 7 weeks post surgury and a 12 hour weekend one at about 4 months) I didn't really train for about 6 months except for stance training and qigong.

[RD'S Alias - 1A]

I seem to go through cycles where I just get lazy for a few months.

I still practice, but not as often and I don't train hard.

My best training routine was 3 days training, 1-2 days off for 4 to maybe 6 weeks, with a week off then start over.

I would do my hardest days first, and scale down so the third day was about 70% of the first day.

I got the best result on that program....however, I was also using a training wine then, and it was one of those super strong ones that you only take once every 3 days. Which is why I did my hardest workout the first day, when the effect was at it's full strength, and then by day 3 my workout was what it would be with no herbs in my system.

Given the fact that the Training wine allowed me to train harder, longer, and sped recovery times I am not sure how much of my above average results were form that, or the schedule.

Maybe without the training wine, training that hard 3 days straight would burn me out.

My Daughter's gymnastics coach allways scheduled recovery days. She never trained them more than 2 days in a row without a day off, up untill they were much higher level athletes like approaching Elite level. Her most advanced Athletes trained 5 days a week.


The Old Chinese training method is to train every day, but not to exceed 70% of your ability. The Modern is to train much harder, but to push to more like 98% of your abilities and take recovery time in between.

So to answer the question, I'd have to ask "How hard do you push yourself during a training session?"

[ngokfei]

Beginners should train between 2 and 3 days per week

build up to 4-5 days a week. Now this is hard training, not the walking through forms BS.

Just a like a competitor you pyramid towards a goal.

In my younger days:rolleyes:

5-6 days consistent for about 2 years
generally took about a week to a whole month off depending upon what I was doing.

lazy, rest, injury, family BS, etc.

Just play it by ear

The sign that I've been overly lazy is when I'm sore after mowing the grass (2 acres though):D