Deconditioning breaks

[Taco Hoe]

So I keep reading about people taking these deconditioning breaks, should you take one before you see noticeable breaks? Or just take regular rest breaks? Also how long are deconditioning breaks? I’m really not sure what ppl mean by them.

[Kickstand42]

Curious about this as well.

If it’s coming from the fitness world then “deload” weeks are commonly understood

But there’s also some interesting research in an active deload where rather than taking a full week off you do 30-50% of your working weeks workouts. Seems to have some benefit over doing absolutely nothing

So simplified example if you were looking at leg day and you typically do 4 sets of 4-6 squats at 300 you would do something like 2 sets of 8-12 at 150

Not sure if that translates to the PE world though

[madyogi]

So I keep reading about people taking these deconditioning breaks, should you take one before you see noticeable breaks? Or just take regular rest breaks? Also how long are deconditioning breaks? I’m really not sure what ppl mean by them.

Many folks onsite swear by deconditioning breaks, though there's no one-size-fits-all formula. Generally speaking, rest is critical to tissue repair after stress. My personal feeling is that rest should be built into a routine, so something like 1 day on, 1 day off, or 2 days on, 1 day off, or whatever. Then, if you've been gaining a while and "hit a plateau" or your PIs start going bad, I would generally suggest taking a longer break of 10-20% of your last work cycle, so if you've been going for 8 weeks, maybe take 2 weeks off. If you've been going for 6 months, maybe take a month or two off. These longer breaks are what I would consider deconditioning breaks, because they will generally require a period of conditioning before you get back to a more advanced program again.

I have written about various ways to think about rest and so has Usul. Check out our progress logs for more info.

Curious about this as well.

If it’s coming from the fitness world then “deload” weeks are commonly understood

But there’s also some interesting research in an active deload where rather than taking a full week off you do 30-50% of your working weeks workouts. Seems to have some benefit over doing absolutely nothing

So simplified example if you were looking at leg day and you typically do 4 sets of 4-6 squats at 300 you would do something like 2 sets of 8-12 at 150

Not sure if that translates to the PE world though

I've thought about this a lot, and it's hard for me to imagine there's a direct translation. Skeletal muscle is striated, while the penis is smooth muscle. They will deform and repair differently by nature. That said, rest and recovery will be important in both cases.

[Big Al]

There are the post-cycle breaks taken after 6 weeks or so of active training. Once or twice a year, taking a 2 week + break is a good idea for a deep level of recuperation.