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Joe:
The good news is that youth makes it easy to bounce back from hard workouts. The bad news is if you don’t periodically take breaks from your routine your progress will slow to a snails pace.

Working out has a number of positive effects on the human body. It can build your self esteem as well as muscle size and strength. However it’s important to remember that proper rest is needed to give your body time to recover. Failure to take breaks can result in over training, injury or mental burn out.

Over training is a very common problem. It happens when you workout so hard that your body reaches the point of exhaustion and cannot recover properly. It’s usually caused by a lack of rest, proper nutrition or a combination of both. Symptoms may include a loss of strength, fatigue and long periods of muscle soreness. Over training can be avoided by simply taking a few days off from your workout routine. The trick is to give yourself a break before your body starts giving you signals that it is in need of some extra rest. This helps you to stay fresh and ready for new challenges. It will also help you avoid plateaus - periods of little or no progress.

If you workout hard all summer why not allow your self 1-2 weeks of rest when summer is over. Try to stay away from the gym and pursue other hobbies. I can promise you won’t get out of shape in such a short period of time. In fact your body will be refreshed. When you start back results will come even faster. I usually try to plan 3-4 extended breaks a year. Each break last approximately 7-10 days. This allows me to rest my body and focus on more important parts of my life.

Taking breaks can also help you avoid unwanted injuries. When your body becomes tired it is much more likely to become injured. Have you ever had one of those days when you just don’t have the energy to workout? Maybe you shouldn’t. Statistics show that most injuries happen when a person is tired or fatigued. Sometimes you have to listen to your body to know what’s right for you. A day off for rest is a lot better than 6 months of rehabilitating an injured muscle or joint.

Taking breaks will also keep you from getting mentally burned out. Remember working out is a great stress reliever. It can help you wind down from the daily grind of everyday life. When working-out becomes boring it will be less effective. If you have to drag yourself to the gym I doubt you will put much effort into your training.

So if you’re feeling guilty about taking a rest from your workout routine think again. In my opinion there is no faster way to bring your progress to screeching halt than to deny your body the rest it needs.