After wrapping up this last training cycle, it is painfully obvious that I need a break.
I took a look back and realized it has been over a year since I have had some true time off from lifting. From when I started tracking my workouts here, I have finished 6 training cycles (Block Cycle 2018, Classic Position Cycle 2018, Block & Pull Cycle 2018, Classic Cycle 2017, Strength Cycle 2017, Kentucky Open 2017 Prep Cycle) without a break. It might sound strange but I just did not realize that it had been that long of a steady grind. I also didn’t realize that it has been that long since I truly took a rest. Not merely a deload, but a rest. In none of the cycles mentioned did I ever take real time off from lifting. The last break was somewhere in early February when I was transitioning between cycles and even then I was still lifting.
On my last CJ attempt as I wrapped up this last training cycle, my coach asked me if I was going to take another attempt at it and I said no. I knew it wasn’t there and did not want to try it again. She could tell that I had been worn down. In fact, she also said something along the lines of “Normally when you are near the end of the cycle you finish it off with a PR” so she knew this was different. Of course, my goal for that final session wasn’t necessarily a PR, but more of hitting a total and then moving from there. So yes and no. Regardless, I felt nearly dead and when she told me to take a week off it was a light bulb moment that also came with a massive wave of relief.
So that is just what I am going to do. This week I will not be in the gym at all and I will not have my hands on a barbell at all. We also have a hypertrophy cycle picked out after this that is a 4-week strength plan. I have never really done anything like that so it will be interesting to see the results when it is over with.
With that said, I am also going to dial back the macros a bit this week. I had increased the carbs and fats during this last training cycle in order to help with recovery and while that helped, the reality of a week off in front of me means that I don’t need to be eating as much. A little nervous about this macro plan only because I feel so extremely hungry on rest days, and now I am staring at 7 of them in a row. Yet, I know that I cannot eat as much if I am not working out as much.
Overall, I feel like this is the right move to make. I can take a breather for a week, then hit some base strength, and then I can get back into a WL cycle, one that I hope to be able to write myself at that point.