WHEN AND HOW LONG OF A BREAK?

[straightup]

hey ive been straight vaulting since the start of my season in november. my question is when is the best time and how long should i take off to recover. i am drained phsically and mentally. i have taken a day here and there off but not very often.

[powerplant42]

Wouldn't the natural time to take a break be right after the end of the outdoor season for a few weeks?

[EIUvltr]

Unless you're doing a ludicrous amount of straight poling, it's unlikely that is the cause of your fatigue. If you're really that drained you should probably look at how much sprinting you're doing, lifting and your programming in general. Also diet, sleep and stress management are huge.

You are likely overreaching a bit and a good rule of thumb is to take a week off or at least take it very very easy. A beach involved helps too. If you wanted to be more scientific about it, you could monitor heart rate variability to check the state of your CNS and endocrine systems but that can get kinda pricey. A week off should be fine.