Strategic Deconditioning

[imported_gspartan]

Hi Guys,

i have a quick question. During the 9-14 days we SD, can we do push ups, body weight dips, body weight, pullups/chins, and sit ups on say mon, wed and frid? On these excercises we are using our own body weight and no additional weight, so if anything we are just getting some blood into the muscle with no added weights. I guess the thought of taking 9-14 days off with no training at all sounds kind of difficult for me.

Thanks

 

[ratty]

In my opinion from what i have read on here the less you do during the SD the more effective it will be...

By that i mean when you do return to your workouts again the growth response will be greater than if you did do some low resistance work..

If you don't do any resistance work during your SD and if you undereat (less than maintenance calories) then you will lose some muscle.

I don't see why you couldnt do some low resistance work like push ups tho, as long as you greatly reduce the volume aswel say maybe 1 set so when you come back to your hypertrophy work you increase the load and volume..

Just my opinion as there is no research proving the effectivness of SD (i dont think) im sure i have read its more trial and error on bryan's part.

 

[Lol]

Whether the detraining effect from a no-loading week or two actually has any great RBE resetting effect is still up for debate. 'Something' definitely happens even after a single no-load week but no-one seems to be able to agree on what that is.

Most folks who take their training seriously are now inclined to either take a week off about four times a year or to take de-load weeks between cycles of whatever type of strength/hypertrophy training they are into.

My suggestion for 'SD' would be to have a nice easy week. Do a couple of higher-rep full-body sessions, maybe leaving out all the iso stuff. Stay away from failure and only do a couple of sets for each exercise. Don't exhaust yourself. These shouldn't be depletion style workouts but more just a way to get your blood pumping around. If you do cleans or snatches, do some technique practice sessions with a light weight.

I do think that if you have a relatively active SD you should probably start your 15s at no less than 75% of your 15RM, maybe even 80%.

 

[Fausto]

I agree in part with LOL, my honest opinion is that for a effective SD, it is best to lay off any activity for 1 week at least!

 

[imported_electric]

I personally take 1-2 weeks completely off when on SD. No workout, no cardio and I eat maintenance. I think that while eating maintenance I won't lose any significant amount of muscle and I will improve my body's response to the next cycle. I don't believe there will be a marked difference if you do a couple dips, chins or pullups but watch out or you might get excited with your workout and overdo it.

 

[TunnelRat]

Sit on your butt for a week.
Use the remote.
Have people bring you things.
Make her open your beer before she hands it to you...

 

[Wildman]

Heh. I like TR's response.

My personal opinion is that you will get more out of your 15s after an SD than you would otherwise had you continued to train. Following many of the posts here and the logs as well, it would seem that many who post here feel that they do not get as much from the 15s. Some have even went as far as removing them from the program all together. Perhaps they would find more benefit from a longer SD with little or no strenuous activity, I think so.

Myself, I found the 15s challenging and rewarding when I used a two week SD and less so when I used only a single week of SD. My log comments certainly reflected this as well as my memory. I have always included an SD in my programs, HST or not. I value the time away from the gym because I realize that I will come back stronger, more energized, and healed up from all the small tears and such.

I think LOL had a good point in his post, or at least this is how I understood it. If you are going to chose to do some light training during your SD, then perhaps you should consider starting the 15s at a slightly higher weight. Since you will not have lost as much conditioning as a lifter who had taken the time off completely, you would probably benefit more from starting at a slightly higher weight. The lighter weights would not be as stimulating for you.