Healthy Food Chart

Although it depends on age, fitness, level, health conditions, and body types most people should take a full week off about every 12 weeks.

This allows your joints, connective tissue, muscles, bones, nervous system, and every other system in your body that must be activated to a higher level when you’re working out to take a rest. The time off is actually a good thing for repair, regeneration, and regrowth to take place. You’ll usually also come back stronger than before.

Now, if you haven’t reached the 12 week mark, but your body is feeling a little run down I recommend taking that day off and then potentially using that week as an “unloading week.” This means that you will complete the same workouts that you typically would that week with a few exceptions. Those exceptions are making sure that you only do 50-75% of the total sets and reps that you would for that workout. Usually, all you have to do is one less set per exercise and that will decrease your total exercise volume by 33%. And, if you’re doing more cardio than weight lifting what I’d suggest is decreasing your pace and/or total exercise time/distance.

By using an unloading week every 4-6 weeks before your full week off you will continue to push forward through your programs safely and without as great a chance for burnout. Remember, we’re in this for the long term results!