Tommorrow is my last day of TBT. Is it necessary to take time off after TBT before moving onto a new programme? And, how long do you recommend?
I’m planning a week of active rest after my TBT before I start a high volume strength/power routine. Even if you don’t feel like you need a week off it couldnt hurt.
Would TBT be the sort of program that would induce a large delayed effect with increaes in size and strength in a subsequent off week?
Would you still recommend plenty of surplus calories in an off week?
I think it is important to take at least one week off. I am finishing up TBT this week and next week will not do any weights except for maybe one day where I want to check my 1RM for a few exercises to see how much I have improved over the 8 weeks of the program. As it is summer down here in Australia and I have a bit of leave from work after Christmas I am going to shift into a bit more of an endurance phase so that I can do a few triathalons over summer. Lifting will take a bit of a back seat for about 6 weeks and I am going to do CT’s part time lifting workout to try to maintain as much strength and muscle as possible whilst not overly affecting the endurance stuff. By the time I get back into lifting full time in March I would have given my body a good rest and will be ready to go hard at it in the cooler months of the year.
As for eating during the “off” week I am going to follow the advice I read here in an article by JB (I think!) where he says it is important to eat like a “normal” person once in a while and give your body a change. This doesn’t mean that I will be pigging out on junk food (although it is the week leading up to Christmas :)), but I probably will take a break from protein powders and eat a larger variety of foods than what I have been lately.
Ben
i just finished up TBT on fri and i am taking a whole week off from lifting but i am going to done some mild cardio. as for eating, i will be eating less calories than i was when i was in the height of my training. i put on some unwanted fat during the program (my own dumb fault) so i will try to get my body back to the state it was in about 2 weeks ago. long story short, i would eat a little less than you did during TBT if you decide to take a week off.
Uh…what’s TBT?
[quote]greatgro wrote:
Uh…what’s TBT?[/quote]
It’s one of Chad Waterbury’s programs from on here. http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do;jsessionid=931442D571AC341FC6DF91AC39E3FF3D.titan?id=508031
I am just finishing up my 8th week as well (although I am not actually taking the week off… took a few extra days off).
Does anyone else feel that there are sometimes waaaay too many acronyms on this site? At least for newbies? When I first got on here it took me FOREVER to figure out what the hell people were talking about half the time with TTT, TBT, ABBH, FTF, etc.
Kuz
I think there is a guide somewhere in the threads to all the acronyms for the training programs…besides, it’s good to be a little confused for a while. : )
Breakdown,
If you’re unaccustomed to total-body training - especially with three sessions each week - then, yes, you might receive a “delayed” hypertrophy effect. Go on your own instincts. If you feel a little burned, then take off 4-5 days from training before getting back to the subject at hand. As previously mentioned - it can’t hurt, and it sometimes helps.