Have You Earned A Rest Week Recently?

A rest week - or at least a back off (lighter) week from your usual routine?

This is something i've written about and recommended to people before. I've suggested an easier week for every 6 or so weeks and a week off every 12 or so weeks.

Just make sure you earn it! You should be making some good progress in the weeks that lead up to these more restful times, and feel better for taking some time out. If you feel like the rest was like a backwards step then you either didn't need it - or the session you came back to was just an off day for you, or something else (sleep, colds, stress) influenced it.

I'm in a rest week right now. I think i timed it perfectly. I made some really good progress into my 9th week of training and now my body feels like it wants a little time out to fully recover.

At the same time i was still eager and fired up for each week and each session, and i'm mentally already looking forward to this weeks lighter activities - and next weeks full on training again!

In fact it started today with practising some different skipping and a little core focussed work!

I think this is one of the reasons everyone should have some performance goals they can measure their progress against. Otherwise you might lose that weight, fit into that clothing, tone up etc, etc - but then what?

If you have performance goals then there is always something to enjoy striving for.

If you are training without a sense of improvement and planned rest, chances are you are doing the same thing week in week out - which is far better than doing nothing. But, does it inspire you to really engage with your training and get the most out of it?

Because guess what? If you're not fully engaged and not getting the most out of your training there are a couple of likely results. Firstly you might just drift on and on and on etc. Secondly, you might just drift away, thinking it didn't work or you didn't enjoy it or you got bored.

The first option isn't great but the second one is a sad waste! In the sense that everyone should be able to engage with and enjoy the physical aspects of their life - in such a way that it works and is life long.

If you are in one of our Sussex Bootcamps, then you get a 4 week on 1 week off cycle imposed on you to a certain extent. Each bootcamper needs to make the right choice for the off week for them.

Do you need to keep pushing hard with a similar style of training?
Do you need to keep pushing hard but choose different activities to those on a bootcamp?
Do you need to back off and do a smaller amount of intense work with lighter activity?
Do you need to back off and just do light activity each day?

Check in with how you are feeling, consider what you have been doing over the past few weeks or months, and then act accordingly to stay fresh and progressing.

Have fun!

Steve
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk