When to Rest

[VaultPurple]

I have been training atleat 5 days a week since mid August and my speed is way better than it has ever been. Only problme is I have little spots everywhere that just nag me, like a recovering strained calf or a slight shin splint. I can train through all of these things, an I have been for months. But my question is would it be such a bad thing to take a week off?

I vaulted saterday and took sunday off, then monday I just did some upperbody weights an today (tuesday) I basicaly layed around house and slept (with about 4 hours of Wii to keep me in shape). Then tomorrows Chrismas eve and then Christmas. So should I try to throw in a running work out over the next two days or does anyone think that taking off till sunday would be benificial?

My next meet is January 17 and Im hoping for a big PR there... expically since I tied my PR of13'6 at first meet two weeks ago and January 17th meet the entry height will probably be around 13'9

[newvaulter]

I have always felt that rest is the most important thing you can do--often more important than working out. Something that has worked very well for me has been a full week off every four weeks of training. During the week off, I'll go play frisbee with my friends, or go swimming, or maybe go for a light jog if I'm getting antsy, but NO WORKING OUT! ;-) And I usually find that I feel so much fresher, faster, and jump great the week I come back.

Good luck!

[ACvault]

As long as you feel confident about your level of fitness, a few days of rest is definitely beneficial. I would also recommend not just sitting around and doing nothing for those few days, but try to get in some light cross training.

[bel142]

It takes 20 weeks to improve your Vo2 max 20%, and interestingly enough your Vo2 max can go down 50% of what it took so long to obtain in just about 10 days of inactivity. The same is generally true with muscular strength. However it can be re-obtained much more quickly once the body is conditioned to exercise.

Taking a full week off when thinking about macro-scale training cycles can be beneficial, however, on the micro-scale in terms of one track season one week off can have a seriously negative affect on your performance one or two months down the road. Active rest sessions, even a 20 min run on your 1 or 2 days off can give you an internal rest without loosing what it takes so long to achieve, without beating your body up further.