[rlongo924]

Do you guys every just take a full seven days off from working out? I've been boxing, lifting, and running probably 12 times total every week (working out twice a day 6x a week) for the past 8 weeks and I'm starting to feel kind of run down.

I think taking a week off from everything would help, but is that too long of a break? I've made a lot of fitness gains and don't want to have to build myself back up, but at the same time it feels like taking a whole week off could be really rejuvenating physically.

What do you guys think?

[Hannibal]

Yeah. Take that week off.

When I basically sat around and ate steaks for a week and a half, I put on probably two pounds of "lag muscle". You will have to build yourself back up, but don't worry about it. Your new "peak" as a result of work-rest-work cycling is higher than it would have been.

[plague]

I think it's a good idea, especially with the amount of exercise you are doing.

I lift weights 2-3 times a week and find that while taking time off does set me back a bit, it gives my joints some time to recover and helps me to push past plateaus. sometimes you are forced to take a break anyway (getting sick or injured, taking a vacation with no access to weights), so you shouldn't worry too much about losing progress.

[trey]

Take TWO weeks off. Seriously. There is virtually no doubt you are overtraining your body even if you are a young guy.

You will not have to "rebuild" anything, and you won't lose anything significant on your lifts. 1-2 weeks is not long enough for this to happen. Eat well during your break and your body will most likely actually grow during the first week (depending somewhat on the lifting you've been doing versus the running/boxing).

I've experienced this many times over the last few years where after a few months of consistent training, I actually grow during ~10 day recovery breaks (from all exercise). Eat clean and lots and enjoy the added time over your rest period.

[Hades]

Agree with all the above.
Make sure to stock up on eggs, cheese, broccoli, whole milk, and meat. You're gonna need at least a week of omelets and steaks to recover on, if you've been training eight consistent weeks.

[rlongo924]

thanks for the advice, all solid tips.

[Giovonny]

take a few days off and stretch alot

and alot of water