I’m not talking about a quick deload or taking a week off to recover. I mean more like a legit 1-3 month stretch where you barely train at all or just stop entirely. Basically a full detraining phase.
I've been going at this hard for nearly 7 years now and I feel like I've hit a serious wall. Honestly, I've plateaued and I'm even starting to get weaker, plus my body just feels totally beat up and my motivation is shot. I still want to train in theory, but at this point, it feels like going to the gym is doing more harm than good.
I was just wondering if anyone here has any experience with taking an extended break like that and could share how it went for them. Did it help you reset or was it a mistake? Thanks!
i actually did something similar a couple years back after grinding for like 6 years straight. at first it felt super weird and kind of depressing not hitting the gym every day, but after a few weeks my joints felt way better, sleep improved, and i wasn’t constantly beat down.
when i came back, my strength wasn’t gone like i thought it would be—muscle memory is real—and mentally i was way more fired up to train again. honestly, taking that long break probably saved me from burning out completely. it’s scary at first, but sometimes your body and brain need that full reset.
i actually took a 2-month break after about 6 years of nonstop training and it was wild at first—felt lazy, weak, and like i was losing everything. but around week 3-4, my joints stopped aching, sleep improved, and my motivation came back like crazy.
when i returned to the gym, my strength bounced back faster than i expected. mentally it felt like hitting the reset button. honestly, it probably saved me from a full burnout. scary at first, but sometimes your body really does need a full break.
honestly, i took about 2 months off after 6 years straight and at first i freaked out thinking i’d lose everything. but weirdly, it ended up being exactly what i needed. my joints stopped screaming, my motivation slowly came back, and when i returned to the gym i actually felt stronger mentally even if the weights felt lighter at first. the body bounces back faster than you think, sometimes the reset is more valuable than grinding through the burnout.
i did a full 2-month break last year after hitting a serious burnout and honestly it was weird at first—i felt like a total weakling and guilty for not training. but by the end, my joints felt amazing, my motivation came back, and when i eased back in, i was hitting PRs again way faster than i expected. sometimes the body just needs a hard reset.
i’ve done something similar after like 6 years straight and honestly it was a weird mix of scary and amazing. first couple weeks felt like i was losing everything and i hated not being in the gym, but after a month my body started feeling way less beat up and my motivation actually came back. when i finally got back to lifting, the weights felt lighter and i could focus more on form instead of just grinding numbers. definitely not for everyone, but sometimes hitting pause is the only way to actually level up again without burning out completely.
i've done something similar after about 6 years of solid lifting. honestly the first few weeks felt weird and lazy, but by month two i had way more energy and my joints actually felt good again
taking a full break freaked me out at first too, like “am i gonna lose everything?” but most of my strength came back in a month or so once i eased back in
i’d say if you’re feeling burnt out like that, a real break isn’t a mistake—it’s more like hitting the reset button for your body and motivation
just don’t go crazy with food or completely stop moving; even light walks or bodyweight stuff helped me keep some conditioning while my body recovered
honestly sounds like burnout more than anything- 7 years is a long grind
ive taken a couple months off before and came back way more motivated tbh
sometimes your body just needs a real reset not another deload
losing a bit of strength short term isnt the end of the world if you feel better overall
mental fatigue is real- no program fixes that
