@@jayw900yohohohohoh I love it that this imagw of the scientists literally is actually the definition of lab-workers and generally have lottle to no knowledge on actual and theoratical science 😂😂😂😂😂 The same goes fer attendants who collect plants, mushrooms, deep-divers to collect under sea mmaterials and creatures; and the excsvation workers fer the purposes archeology and paleontology as well . 😂😂😂😂😂
After I injured my shoulder, I took about 3 months off from training. Unfortunately, I became small and frail. Within the first couple months after coming back to training, I was hitting lifetime PRs on bench, completely shattering my plateau. Not only had i gained all that I lost, but my body had the momentum to gain more strength and size than ever before. This stuff works. Great video as always Mike
Who TF gets small after 3 months, I let a blown out knee take a year from me and then became 2 years cuz I never finished my garage gym. I never lost size.
@@nicholasdonin1465 You can get small in a week if you don't eat lol. Even if you're eating like normal and take a month off you will probably put on a couple kg of fat and lose a kg of muscle.
When i first started training, I was entirely overtraining going to the gym 6/7 days a week for like two months straight not eating enough. I finally took a break because I do other physical activities as well. Now that I’ve come back I’ve added around 10-25 pounds to a lot of my exercises and I’ve gained noticeable muscle. I only train 3-4 days a week now and eat way more calories than I did as well.
@@sispyhus Eventually you will have to go back to very high volume. Truth is you have to change things up every now and then whether high or low volume. DELOAD too. Took me over 2 years to realize not deloading was holding back gains. Right now less volume/frequency works but until it doesn't. Best thing is to switch things up when you stagnate. There is no one way that always works.
I hesitate to take two days in a row off, yet you expect me to take a month off?? I think you are grossly underestimating how psychologically perverse many lifters are.
@@lost4weeks I've followed the same strategy inadvertantly many times. I maintain my weight while training, and gain weight when I don't. Similar midsection gains followed.
I’m actually at around a month off of training today.. I’m ready to hit it again, and I know well enough to ease my way back in. Last year I ended up taking a month off back in may. Made phenomenal gains last year. Ready to build
Start off with 10 sets per muscle group per week. Don't do anymore pls because a) you will be resesitiated to low volumes and b) you can build higher volumes after few mesos.
One thing I really appreciate about this video and a lot of your other videos about dieting is your emphatic approach towards the mental health aspect of Fitness. Thank you Dr. Mike for making these types of videos, this aspect of getting healthy is something many people rarely talk about!
On a serious note I had heart complications and it caused me not to be able to go to the gym for a month. I was in the best shape of my life. Not being able to go to the gym and losing muscle was the worst psychological thing I had ever had to endure. When I came back I was disgusted by how I looked compared to what I used to look like. A month in things started picking up I gained a lot of weight mostly muscle 2nd month was even better and on the third month I was bigger than I was ever before feeling better than I’ve ever been and still making a shit ton of gains. So Dr Mike isn’t talking shit this is valid and I will for sure do it again. I will encourage everyone to try this. I guarantee you won’t regret it!
The fact anyone would doubt him on this is insane. Maybe all the doubters are the ones who don't train hard enough in the first place to justify the month off. Serious lifters, on the other hand, can attest to this being extremely effective through personal experience.
Thanks for posting this. I'm going through essentially the exact same thing (heart issue keeping me from the gym, takes forever to see a specialist these days) and am in a bit of hole. This encourages me. Hope you're healthy and feeling well.
@@bradleybrown2991 may god be with you my friend. I am 17 and on my birthday I had to wear a heart monitor for a week and there were a bunch of tests I had to undergo and the scans and stuff showed that I was clearly in bad shape. Day of the surgery they found nothing wrong with my heart. Couldn’t find the problems that the mri showed nothing. I am now back in the gym and living life the best I can. Miracles do happen. Keep your head up and you are never alone💪🏼
@@bradleybrown2991 do you mind if I ask if your issue is related to BP? Had high bp lately, hr goes to 170 under high load (22m). Just curious, no need to respond if it’s too much PHI!
@@24creeperkiller No, mine is a rhythm issue. Still waiting on a diagnosis but the thought right now is possible atrial fibrillation or flutter. HR spiking under load is pretty normal from my understanding -- 170 is about 85% of your estimated HR max (220 - your age) which is not unusual for near-maximal lifts. Get your BP under control, though.
Dr. Mike, Thank you for yet another extremely insightful video. Having shoulder surgery yesterday and having this pop up into my feed is such a blessing. Just AC joint arthritis, I compete in the WNBF as a pro and what you're saying in here is essentially what I need and tell people but never take my own advice. Being forced to take this advice along with assurance from you is psychologically very helpful. After listening to one of your most recent podcasts on RP, I just want to personally thank you for everything you do on RUclips. I've been listening to your videos for almost a decade as an OG. I'm so sorry to see the negative hate that comes your way and everything you state and your podcast is spot on about it. You're right, it only really takes one person to mess with your psychology in the comments but never ever forget how you change lives everyday man! This is coming from somebody that never has commented on a RUclips video as a 29-year-old. Take care and enjoy your break from the stage. I wish you health and happiness as you embark on other goals. -Mark
I'm with you on this being a great video I've been suffering from bad tendinitis in my arms and have decided enough is enough take a longer break than usual to try to fix this, I compete as an amateur natural bodybuilder, best wishes with your recovery
@@WaffleShortagethere is scientific evidence that going to the gym has comparable improvements on things such as depression and anxiety relative to anti depressants. It’s actually really healthy.
@@WaffleShortagehow is that not good? Do you think going to therapy or counseling when it helps is not good? Same idea. I was a heroin addict for 10 years and replaced that addiction with the gym. It helped save my life. We ALL have a dependence on something. If it is something positive that’s a blessing
studies show you only need half the time you took off to build back the muscle, so you will need only 2 weeks after a month long break: another study shows no muscle loss after a 3 week break, so dont worry about losing muscle guys
Absolutely true, happened to me few times to take 2-3 weeks off in my 13 years of gym tennure. Except of losing water, some strength and muscle tone it all kicked back in 2-4 week period (depandable on the season, workout plan and volume).
Even that ratio requires a long break. You don´t need 5 days to regain 10 days of rest. I have been out for 2 weeks due to medical reasons (not serious) and it made no difference. I went straight to squatting the exact same weight as before. Even during 10 weeks of Covid lockdowns and having nothing to train with except 2 20kg dumbells i could squat and bench 80% of my max on my first training day. It does not change the fact that if i for some reason have to skip one training sessions i start to loose my mind lol
@PeppaPigParody You misunderstand the “half the time” - it’s not half the time of the break you took, it’s half the time it took you to build your muscle. In a somewhat simplified way it means: it took you 5 years to gain muscle, then you lost it/whatever, it is supposed to take you 2.5 yrs to regain it. It’s not an exact science: very individual and depends on all sorts of individual variables.
The only month I’ve taken off in 23 years of lifting was after my dad died, I just didn’t have it. When I came back I blew up and like Dr. Mike said things healed up that I didn’t even know where fucked up, just assumed they were normal wear and tear from lifting so long. I literally felt like a teenager again, and more importantly I was ready to kill it. Also during that month I was eating like 2x a day and sleeping like shit but only lost a few pounds. Excellent excellent video here and 100% on point.
The way yall release these videos makes me feel like you've got somebody watching me. I was just thinking about taking some time for my tendons to chill
@@undead.ratz3 I always feel like, somebody's watching meeeeeeee.... And I have no privacy.... Woah oh ooh oah... I always feel like, somebody's watching meeeeee..... Who's playing tricks on MiEeEEeEEe??
Perfect timing for this video. I am riddled with injuries and am finally listening to my body, after 20 years of abuse in the gym. I’m about 10 days into a 4 week break from the gym. Mentally it is difficult but I know I need it.
I feel you, I've got a surgery coming up next week also with a 6 week recovery period. I've been hearing that any activity in general also slows down muscle loss, so I plan to hit that incline treadmill regularly once I can move around again. Here's hoping we both come back strong.
@@zezeti2246 gyno doesnt necessarily mean supplements. Tons of guys get gyno during puberty and others around the age of 45. I got mine when i was 12, and out at 27 when i finally saved up enough money.
⏰I took nearly 5 weeks off when training for powerlifting after hurting my back on deadlifts at 390 lbs. I slowly worked back into it and at the competition 6 weeks later I hit 501 lbs with no pains at all! 🤯
The slow ramp up after a proper deload is amazing advice. Yeah, it is insulting to take it easy relative to previous PRs, but the crazy stimulus from the resensitivity is worth the trade off. Resetting your SFRs after a break and extending your mesos by taking it slow has been fabulous for the gains, personally.
i like how there's no music in the background, it makes it a little easier to focus on your voice and the thing you're talking about. good info, good video man.
Unfortunately I have had to take 8 months off! Heart attack followed by bladder cancer surgery and chemo. In one week I will start the process of rebuilding my muscles hopefully better than before. Looking forward to the challenge!
Last night, my wrists hurt, my thumb hurt, my left hip really hurt, my shoulder hurt, and both elbows hurt. I’ve been lifting since last November. I’ll be 65 in September, so this video is appropriated more than you know.
Same, convinced myself to take 4 days off and i'm missing it already 2 days in (usually train 5 days a week) Haha. But shoulder hurts, kneck hurts, and joints just generally feel a bit beaten up so trying to focus on how much it'll help that.
This advice has been huge for me. Before taking he time off my joints hurt more often than not. I had a ligament/tendon across my right knee that was constantly tender. At 59 I kind of expected to live with the pain forever. After taking a full month off (while riding my motorcycle cross country) things were feeling ok.Then I started retraining. It has taken me about two months to get most of the way back to where I was strength wise. I am doing deadlifts of 340 x 5, where I was doing 355 x 5 right before the rest period. On the plus side my knees are completely pain free. Shoulders are better than they have been in a long time. Another month I should be fully back in terms of strength. I'll take the tradeoff of getting rid of the joint pain for a few months of retraining. Thanks, Dr Mike!
Taking a month off starting today. Have been going hard for over a year and some tendons etc. are in rough shape, and while I do not hate going to the gym atm, I definitely have not been consistently excited to go for some time. Most muscle groups have not seen any gainz in quite some time and due to aches it has been regression. I plan on keeping you posted.
Haven’t listened yet but I just took a month off and I am experiencing huge growth a month back in. I haven’t taken this long off in years. It’s working for me.
Very true to endurance too. I’ve started doing longer pauses and sometimes in the middle of the year depending on the race calendar and my numbers, my mind and performance just keep getting more and more solid!!
I've been consistent for about a year, and I've had to take a break from the gym because of tendonitis in my bicep. Everything aggravates it, and I've been incredibly frustrated, but this video brings me some comfort. Thanks, Dr. Mike.
The first time I took off a month, I had just started working at the gym as a trainer. I remember doing one easy set of machine preacher curls, and my biceps got outrageously pumped. I stood there like, well, I guess this resensitization shit really works 😂
There is no such thing as resensitization, the whole video is bs. You are just lacking the defense mechanisms which are aquired by repeated bout effect as you train consistently. This taking time off thing is only atrophying your muscles, heck even one week of deloaod is total bs, you only need that if your programming sucks (RP training) and you are overtrained. If you get stronger after that deload period, you know for sure that was the case. I dont get why you all follow Mike religiously and dont watch any sources from oppositions.
Love your stuff Mike. I see Greg Doucette still trying to push your buttons, get a response and then pull more views off your astronomical RUclips gains. Don't feed into his drama baiting. Great content man, great channel!!!
Greg has some good points and is knowledgeable, but the guy is too confrontational and loves to make controversy. I dislike his behavior and mentality even if I respect his knowledge on the sport.
@Korksbebig I agree 100% with this. Greg has a ton of great information, but he also uses any tactic he can to get views/subs. He definitely goes "harder than last time" on clickbait and marketing. Mike is just more likeable overall.
I take a 2-3 weeks long break every year (outside of regular deloading). I stay active - go for walks, swim etc. But I don't lift at all. I think I always look & feel the best right after I start getting back into the groove after the break.
If you stop working out the voices will return so thread carefully my friend. You can always befriend the voices while on a month long break and you can always let them in like be one with the voices.
Dr. Mike, thank you for this video. It really opened my eyes to how beat up from training I was. My lower back, my elbows and my knees hurt. I have troubles falling asleep. I am now taking a whole month off. I have been lifting for almost two decades. I wish, I gave my body a break, instead of jogging a week after my leg surgery, working out through discomfort for years and barely seeing any progress.
taking account the studies, almost always do whats better for you. Deloads almost always, anecdotally are better for most people esecially to prevent injury
If you want to take a month off, take a month off. Just don't BS yourself that you are doing some special muscle gain hack. You just want to take a month off.
@Ryan_DeWitt Depends on the person, many can gain benefit from taking a month off, many won't and have fine enough recovery. Everything in fitness is dependent on the individual, we all have similar bodily functions but we are unique to each other in many ways. It's obnoxious to see the fitness community being so ignorant to scientific research. If you want to encourage someone, encourage them but don't act like a monkey about thinking it's BS.
Honestly speaking, if you just drag nagging issues for a while with normal periodization its kind of better to just suck it up and try a long pause, especially if you went. Long time
almost 44yrs of age now, been training for 25yrs now 4 weeks training and 1 week deload. thats 1 meso 3 mesos and then i take 2 recovery weeks: 1 week deload and 1 week OFF rinse and repeat once a year i take a FULL MONTH off (usually during holiday in thailand or vietnam) and just chill. works like a charm
So you just a casual lifter for health benefits then judging by your respetitively small size clearly natural aswell ...I mean that's cool but I'm 45 an trained 30 years I take 2 week off a year thats it an I sit nicely at 14% body fat an 16 stone all year round but I'm also on testosterone....your training schedule would be wasted on when using anabolics
I literally just took a month off and fell into a black hole of hedonism. Back now but still can't stop eating 800 calories of pringles and candy and gooning for hours everyday.
That video came with perfect timing! I ve been hitting it hard for one year, put on 20kg(45 pounds), went from skinny fit to everyone is touching my arms and shoulders fit, but also got all sorts of aches and pains from overtraining. My central nervous dystem is wrecked, my knees collapse randomly, i feel like i got ran over by a train all the time. I felt like i needed a 'holiday' from training. And now it all makes perfect sense! Thanks dr Mike, you are my savior. And i love the muscles on your skull. And the content on youtube is great! Big fan over here
I’m 37. I became motivated to see what type of peak physique I can obtain last August in 2023. I am 5’10” and was 120lbs in April of 2023. I went hard with body weight from August - December and I got some dumbbells and a curling bar with some weights for Christmas. Being that I am starting pretty late and I am sort of old for training I did notice the CNS fatigue at one point and I may have taken 1-2 weeks off during that first 6 months. I’m an orthodox Christian so during the Lenten fast I decided I was not going to train and just focus on the fast. So I had roughly 40-60 days of no training. I went from 120lbs in April of 2023 to 160lbs before the fast in 2024. During the fast I dropped back down to around 140lbs and from June until today I went from 140lbs to 165lbs. The recomposition I have seen from June until today has been awesome. Saturday is my last day of training for this month and I am going to take a week off. Then go hard again in August. I’m hoping to hit a peak physique at around 185lbs -200lbs by the time I turn 40.
Thats amazing dude. I’ve been super consistent, never taking more than a couple weeks completely off since I started training around 2 years ago. I realized that pretty soon when school starts (1st year of college) I’m gonna be under a lot of pressure trying to adjust to the schedule and probably won’t have much time to train. Seeing testimonies like yours makes me less anxious about losing gains or falling out of routine.
I am pleased to someone else integrating training and the liturgical calendar. As a Roman Catholic, I schedule my annual cut during Septuagisma(pre lent) and Lent.
I’m 5’10, 192Lbs. 29. And about 30 over. Maintenance is about 1715 calories a day. What about how to find out if your body is retaining water or storing fat? I’m eating about 1100 calories a day. And put on 9 Lbs in a week. It’s really depressing. And how can I correct these things if that is the case ?
I used to talk to people about the chances of getting DOMS after taking 2 weeks off and I called that compound-rebuild because the deepest of issues finally get a chance to heal
@@MenacedAssassin well if science is defined as the study of something and testimonies are used towards gaining a conclusion, this can still be considered scientific
Great vid. Thanks Dr. Mike. For me taking few weeks off is mentally extremely challenging. But I could go 1-2 weeks active rest/ deloading. Sometimes even completely switching to another Sport is great I think. Just some rest in a physical and mental way, like holiday for the Body.
Very happy to come across this video. I’ve been needing some time off that is loner than a week for a while, as I have been dealing with micro injuries for a few weeks now. Hopefully after a month, I can go back to grinding extra hard.
The pain makes so much sense now. I work as an events waiter and i put a lot of stress on my shoulders/upper back while moving things and yesterday and today was the first time i used my days off for rest instead of training i woke up today with my upper back basically crippled sending lightning through my entire body witb every cm moved
i trained for 10 years without a week off. I was a national level powerlifter. Then covid came and they closed the gyms. And I could not train. And I never came back to my last numbers or even my muscle mass, after coming back. It destroyed my carrier and my gains forever.
Maybe go for 1 week off every two months in addition. Especially when you have just started training and you go all in, your muscles grow faster than your connecting tissue, thus high risk for injuries. The muscles can maybe handle it, the tendonts and joints cannot.
I have to take 6 weeks off later this year to recover from surgery and I’ve been dreading it… but this is cool. I’m nearly broken in 72 different locations anyway.
Switching training routine for MMA/boxing now, will compete in future and want to go high grade. I took time off before obviously multiple times for a variety of reasons and tried most training programs. Powerbuilding is decent tbh. Right now I'm taking a break and doing world record pullup/pushup 24hrs training. WIll get there eventually.
Love training in December lol. There could be 1 foot of snow on the ground but I know it's going to be me, and 2 or 3 of the regular dawgs. No shenanigans.
I love that this guy has an academical background because it explains the slides he makes in the videos that seem so similar to those presentations we would give our advisors and research groups about our work. Keep with the good videos Doc!
The release of the video coincided with the fact that I was feeling tired and decided to take a break for 2 weeks. Turns out the gym was the only thing keeping my depression at bay lol. Going back tomorrow, can't take it anymore.
I've already been doing this for years. Though I can't train as hard to warrant a full month. But sprinkle the 1-2 weeks off throughout the year a few times a year. Works extremely well and it's common sense.
So I took a month off from training because I was on holiday, and then there was inclement weather that shut down the gym. During that time I lost like 8 to 10 pounds and looked super lean. I came back like 2 weeks ago and it has been craazzzyyy the amount of strength I have now. As a woman, my arms have never been as strong as I would like and now they are so much stronger and I am able to lift more and punch stronger than EVER before. I would totally recommend a month off if you meet the qualifications that he said in the video. After watching, I am going to cool it because I went too hard too fast, but man, everything he said was so true for me. 10/10 video!
The timing of this video coming out is insane! I'm about to go on vacation for a month, but while I love the gains I got in the past 7 months of consistency, I also feel like I need a break but I feel too bad in doing so. Thank you! You always help me out!
Yeah I took a break around Covid time… Took an extremely long break🤦🏽♂️. In 2022 Got diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. I’m still on a “break”, lost a significant amount of weight and my depression is now on 💯. I’m 49 yrs old. Stopped trt months ago… 13:57 - Dr.Mike breaks down my every symptom and ahhhh my life needs to heal 🤕
My membership runs out in December which luckily coincides with January when the gyms are a zoo. I am gonna take a 2, 3 or even 4 weeks off every year now in January. Listening to Mike Mentzer made me realize the value of rest.
As someone who just this week developed some intense joint pain after training pretty damn hard for over a year straight, this could not have come at a better time for me and I suddenly feel amazing about the time off that I have no choice but to take. Thank you for reading my soul Dr. Mike.
The voices in my head come back if I take a whole month off.
😈goofball
Month?!? try 2 weeks ... and I get the shakes!
Lifting heavy circles make sad voices in my head go away
Voices in my head never leave
the gay thoughts?
I've been off for 5 straight years and now I'm Ronnie Coleman level jacked.
Truly inspiring story. Realizing you want to take it to the next level and commit to something like that…lol
It´s Michael Scott.
A month off is for females
I take 30 years off in between sets
@@SparkleSurprise-nv5diPretty much.
13:02 "im no scientist"
-DR mike, the exercise scientist
I love this comment
B-but... He doesn't wear a lab gown. All scientists wear lab gowns.
@@daze4135
and dark, thick rimmed glasses.
@@jayw900 Mmmmh... Dark, thick and rimmed 🤤
@@jayw900yohohohohoh I love it that this imagw of the scientists literally is actually the definition of lab-workers and generally have lottle to no knowledge on actual and theoratical science 😂😂😂😂😂 The same goes fer attendants who collect plants, mushrooms, deep-divers to collect under sea mmaterials and creatures; and the excsvation workers fer the purposes archeology and paleontology as well .
😂😂😂😂😂
After I injured my shoulder, I took about 3 months off from training. Unfortunately, I became small and frail. Within the first couple months after coming back to training, I was hitting lifetime PRs on bench, completely shattering my plateau. Not only had i gained all that I lost, but my body had the momentum to gain more strength and size than ever before. This stuff works. Great video as always Mike
Who TF gets small after 3 months, I let a blown out knee take a year from me and then became 2 years cuz I never finished my garage gym. I never lost size.
@@nicholasdonin1465 You can get small in a week if you don't eat lol. Even if you're eating like normal and take a month off you will probably put on a couple kg of fat and lose a kg of muscle.
@@nicholasdonin1465 Are you fat?
When i first started training, I was entirely overtraining going to the gym 6/7 days a week for like two months straight not eating enough. I finally took a break because I do other physical activities as well. Now that I’ve come back I’ve added around 10-25 pounds to a lot of my exercises and I’ve gained noticeable muscle. I only train 3-4 days a week now and eat way more calories than I did as well.
@@sispyhus Eventually you will have to go back to very high volume. Truth is you have to change things up every now and then whether high or low volume. DELOAD too. Took me over 2 years to realize not deloading was holding back gains.
Right now less volume/frequency works but until it doesn't. Best thing is to switch things up when you stagnate. There is no one way that always works.
Man you're getting progressively more hillarious, sometimes it's almost stand-up comedy grade shit. Love your content!
Smart and hilarious as hell!
Last time I took a month off it turned into 4 years
This is what I’m afraid of. That’s why I don’t miss any workouts. I always think I’m one missed workout away from not doing it for the next 5 years.
Happened to me too but 6+ years off.
covid and engineering school fucked me up
😂😂😂😂😅 this comment !! 😂
Haha!...I've been there
I hesitate to take two days in a row off, yet you expect me to take a month off?? I think you are grossly underestimating how psychologically perverse many lifters are.
Agreed
A month off is for females
@@SparkleSurprise-nv5di you're not a conflagerater ...
I do not have the funds to invest in Therapy for a month.
@@Suntzu1968hahahaaaa!
Don't train for months, got it! Thank you Dr. Mike, I've been growing like crazy
Woah what a freak !!! - Big lenny
Have you gotten a swole midsection?
@@perman07yea! How did you know?
@@lost4weeks I've followed the same strategy inadvertantly many times.
I maintain my weight while training, and gain weight when I don't.
Similar midsection gains followed.
I’m actually at around a month off of training today.. I’m ready to hit it again, and I know well enough to ease my way back in. Last year I ended up taking a month off back in may. Made phenomenal gains last year. Ready to build
Start off with 10 sets per muscle group per week. Don't do anymore pls because a) you will be resesitiated to low volumes and b) you can build higher volumes after few mesos.
One thing I really appreciate about this video and a lot of your other videos about dieting is your emphatic approach towards the mental health aspect of Fitness. Thank you Dr. Mike for making these types of videos, this aspect of getting healthy is something many people rarely talk about!
@@Fighter4Streettf u on about bro
@@pandajohn5911 Honestly, I'm not sure why I wrote that, it was possibly a joke for another comment and I accidently wrote it here.
Scott forgot GROWTH HACK in the title
On a serious note I had heart complications and it caused me not to be able to go to the gym for a month. I was in the best shape of my life. Not being able to go to the gym and losing muscle was the worst psychological thing I had ever had to endure. When I came back I was disgusted by how I looked compared to what I used to look like. A month in things started picking up I gained a lot of weight mostly muscle 2nd month was even better and on the third month I was bigger than I was ever before feeling better than I’ve ever been and still making a shit ton of gains. So Dr Mike isn’t talking shit this is valid and I will for sure do it again. I will encourage everyone to try this. I guarantee you won’t regret it!
The fact anyone would doubt him on this is insane. Maybe all the doubters are the ones who don't train hard enough in the first place to justify the month off. Serious lifters, on the other hand, can attest to this being extremely effective through personal experience.
Thanks for posting this. I'm going through essentially the exact same thing (heart issue keeping me from the gym, takes forever to see a specialist these days) and am in a bit of hole. This encourages me. Hope you're healthy and feeling well.
@@bradleybrown2991 may god be with you my friend. I am 17 and on my birthday I had to wear a heart monitor for a week and there were a bunch of tests I had to undergo and the scans and stuff showed that I was clearly in bad shape. Day of the surgery they found nothing wrong with my heart. Couldn’t find the problems that the mri showed nothing. I am now back in the gym and living life the best I can. Miracles do happen.
Keep your head up and you are never alone💪🏼
@@bradleybrown2991 do you mind if I ask if your issue is related to BP? Had high bp lately, hr goes to 170 under high load (22m). Just curious, no need to respond if it’s too much PHI!
@@24creeperkiller No, mine is a rhythm issue. Still waiting on a diagnosis but the thought right now is possible atrial fibrillation or flutter. HR spiking under load is pretty normal from my understanding -- 170 is about 85% of your estimated HR max (220 - your age) which is not unusual for near-maximal lifts. Get your BP under control, though.
Hearing you speak an English accent is fucking mental mate, absolutely love it!
How the heck I read it this in 2 accents, fk mental😂
Dr. Mike,
Thank you for yet another extremely insightful video. Having shoulder surgery yesterday and having this pop up into my feed is such a blessing. Just AC joint arthritis, I compete in the WNBF as a pro and what you're saying in here is essentially what I need and tell people but never take my own advice. Being forced to take this advice along with assurance from you is psychologically very helpful.
After listening to one of your most recent podcasts on RP, I just want to personally thank you for everything you do on RUclips. I've been listening to your videos for almost a decade as an OG. I'm so sorry to see the negative hate that comes your way and everything you state and your podcast is spot on about it. You're right, it only really takes one person to mess with your psychology in the comments but never ever forget how you change lives everyday man! This is coming from somebody that never has commented on a RUclips video as a 29-year-old. Take care and enjoy your break from the stage. I wish you health and happiness as you embark on other goals.
-Mark
I'm with you on this being a great video I've been suffering from bad tendinitis in my arms and have decided enough is enough take a longer break than usual to try to fix this, I compete as an amateur natural bodybuilder, best wishes with your recovery
Gym is really a therapy for many of us not so much about gains
that's not good lol.
Truer words have never been spoken
@@WaffleShortage you're right, its great.
@@WaffleShortagethere is scientific evidence that going to the gym has comparable improvements on things such as depression and anxiety relative to anti depressants. It’s actually really healthy.
@@WaffleShortagehow is that not good? Do you think going to therapy or counseling when it helps is not good? Same idea. I was a heroin addict for 10 years and replaced that addiction with the gym. It helped save my life. We ALL have a dependence on something. If it is something positive that’s a blessing
studies show you only need half the time you took off to build back the muscle, so you will need only 2 weeks after a month long break:
another study shows no muscle loss after a 3 week break, so dont worry about losing muscle guys
Absolutely true, happened to me few times to take 2-3 weeks off in my 13 years of gym tennure. Except of losing water, some strength and muscle tone it all kicked back in 2-4 week period (depandable on the season, workout plan and volume).
Even that ratio requires a long break. You don´t need 5 days to regain 10 days of rest.
I have been out for 2 weeks due to medical reasons (not serious) and it made no difference. I went straight to squatting the exact same weight as before.
Even during 10 weeks of Covid lockdowns and having nothing to train with except 2 20kg dumbells i could squat and bench 80% of my max on my first training day.
It does not change the fact that if i for some reason have to skip one training sessions i start to loose my mind lol
It depends on age and gender, as well. I need more time than what I rested, as a 45y old female.
@PeppaPigParody
You misunderstand the “half the time” - it’s not half the time of the break you took, it’s half the time it took you to build your muscle. In a somewhat simplified way it means: it took you 5 years to gain muscle, then you lost it/whatever, it is supposed to take you 2.5 yrs to regain it. It’s not an exact science: very individual and depends on all sorts of individual variables.
Damn, I lose muscle in like 2 days. If i don't do back exercises in 2 days i notice the pain haha.
My leg muscles stay for really long though.
The only month I’ve taken off in 23 years of lifting was after my dad died, I just didn’t have it. When I came back I blew up and like Dr. Mike said things healed up that I didn’t even know where fucked up, just assumed they were normal wear and tear from lifting so long. I literally felt like a teenager again, and more importantly I was ready to kill it. Also during that month I was eating like 2x a day and sleeping like shit but only lost a few pounds. Excellent excellent video here and 100% on point.
My condolences for your loss
The way yall release these videos makes me feel like you've got somebody watching me. I was just thinking about taking some time for my tendons to chill
Fully stopping is actually not good for Tendinopathies.
I’d recommend looking into tendon loading principles
@@undead.ratz3 I always feel like, somebody's watching meeeeeeee....
And I have no privacy.... Woah oh ooh oah...
I always feel like, somebody's watching meeeeee..... Who's playing tricks on MiEeEEeEEe??
@@vincenzogrosso1324 naah, so long as ye do stretch and/or mobility and/or yoga fer that month, ye are great to go fer an entire month or two.
@@Dave.Mustaine.Is.Genius ill rekon ye dunneed anyting for dee tenduns?! yArr goenna be joss fineywith the daily walks?!
Perfect timing for this video. I am riddled with injuries and am finally listening to my body, after 20 years of abuse in the gym. I’m about 10 days into a 4 week break from the gym. Mentally it is difficult but I know I need it.
Howd it go? You back yet?
Im having my gyno taken out soon, and this video Calmed me TF down about those 6 weeks needed to revover from the op.
I feel you, I've got a surgery coming up next week also with a 6 week recovery period. I've been hearing that any activity in general also slows down muscle loss, so I plan to hit that incline treadmill regularly once I can move around again. Here's hoping we both come back strong.
Does that make you regret taking "supplements"?!
@@zezeti2246 not in any way! I didnt Get mine from taking stuff. I got mine from abusing Amphetamins.
@@zezeti2246 gyno doesnt necessarily mean supplements. Tons of guys get gyno during puberty and others around the age of 45.
I got mine when i was 12, and out at 27 when i finally saved up enough money.
@@zezeti2246some people just develop from puberty, like me. i would stop making assumptions about stuff you’re not informed on
⏰I took nearly 5 weeks off when training for powerlifting after hurting my back on deadlifts at 390 lbs. I slowly worked back into it and at the competition 6 weeks later I hit 501 lbs with no pains at all! 🤯
Natty?
@@KillerSkullX yea. The 390 was for sets of 5-6. Not a 1 RM.
@@CamberFitnessI was gonna say lol
Been doing this hack every month this year 😂😅
As much as i love this, i refuse to hit like because it will raise you from 69.
You must be huuuuge!
Every month of my life dear
I tried taking a month off to grow more, but then my balls got all blue and hurty
Youre not supposed to watch Dr Mike during the month off
😂
😂
Mike is ridiculously good at analogies. That line of ambulances thing for your body not healing while you're training is wild. Great stuff.
Meanwhile me in August:
LIGHTWEIGHT BABYYY YEAAAH
The slow ramp up after a proper deload is amazing advice. Yeah, it is insulting to take it easy relative to previous PRs, but the crazy stimulus from the resensitivity is worth the trade off. Resetting your SFRs after a break and extending your mesos by taking it slow has been fabulous for the gains, personally.
"Oh no! I have to work way less hard to get the same gains as before?"
Stop mesoing around, son
@@nates5703what gains? You're just regaining what you lost lmao
Meso this meso that mesomesomesomeso
i like how there's no music in the background, it makes it a little easier to focus on your voice and the thing you're talking about. good info, good video man.
Blood for the blood god
There is also no mucous in the background which is doubly as good.
My 1 month turns into 10 years...
😂😂😂
This is awful advice for many! They end up completely fucking up their physique because one month turns to two and so on and so on.
@@kane6529i mean if you have no sense of time or discipline not getting jacked ain’t your biggest problem
@kane6529 to be fair, he did say it's only for the most dedicated serious bodybuilders, not the casual to semi serious.
Same. 😂
Unfortunately I have had to take 8 months off! Heart attack followed by bladder cancer surgery and chemo. In one week I will start the process of rebuilding my muscles hopefully better than before. Looking forward to the challenge!
Sounds rough, but seems like it couldn't beat you down mentally. Inspiring. Keep pushing.
Last night, my wrists hurt, my thumb hurt, my left hip really hurt, my shoulder hurt, and both elbows hurt. I’ve been lifting since last November. I’ll be 65 in September, so this video is appropriated more than you know.
Appreciated.
Currently dealing with multiple injuries and refusing to take a break, this might’ve come at the perfect time….
Same. I'm falling apart and nothing is working... But a whole month?! 😢
Same
Same... i was negotiating with my physiotherapist between 4 and 6 days off. 😂😂
Max level insecure
Same, convinced myself to take 4 days off and i'm missing it already 2 days in (usually train 5 days a week) Haha. But shoulder hurts, kneck hurts, and joints just generally feel a bit beaten up so trying to focus on how much it'll help that.
You're a natural on camera, keep shining!
Are you sure about that👽
nice sneak diss
You had me at “You’re on a yacht with Supermodels.” I’m in.
Personally I wasnt sold by the supermodels, but the supermodel skeletons was too much to resist
@@abdalhadifitouri131where did he talk about skeletons of supermodels???
This advice has been huge for me. Before taking he time off my joints hurt more often than not. I had a ligament/tendon across my right knee that was constantly tender. At 59 I kind of expected to live with the pain forever. After taking a full month off (while riding my motorcycle cross country) things were feeling ok.Then I started retraining. It has taken me about two months to get most of the way back to where I was strength wise. I am doing deadlifts of 340 x 5, where I was doing 355 x 5 right before the rest period. On the plus side my knees are completely pain free. Shoulders are better than they have been in a long time. Another month I should be fully back in terms of strength. I'll take the tradeoff of getting rid of the joint pain for a few months of retraining. Thanks, Dr Mike!
Taking a month off starting today. Have been going hard for over a year and some tendons etc. are in rough shape, and while I do not hate going to the gym atm, I definitely have not been consistently excited to go for some time. Most muscle groups have not seen any gainz in quite some time and due to aches it has been regression. I plan on keeping you posted.
I started yesterday bro. Good luck and heal up
Haven’t listened yet but I just took a month off and I am experiencing huge growth a month back in. I haven’t taken this long off in years. It’s working for me.
Very true to endurance too. I’ve started doing longer pauses and sometimes in the middle of the year depending on the race calendar and my numbers, my mind and performance just keep getting more and more solid!!
I f******g loved the British accent. Much love from the UK brother.
2 weeks off. My elbows have been popping and locking up for no reason. Dying to get back.
So this is Gym edging. Got it. Thanks Dr. Mike.
I struggle with my “off day demons” though, I might not survive a month
Same but time off might be exactly what we need for that.
Its called, being insecure and gay
@@user-vg5ie5hm1u no mate I don’t turn gay when I have a day off, is that what happens to you or your boyfriend?
@@user-vg5ie5hm1uare you insecure and gay?
@@BaldwinFitness gayboys cant take a day off be ause they are insecure.
You Will get a boyfriend one day dork
Came for the good info. Stayed for the oddly specific, highly wild, and very relevant Dr. Mike analogies.
You had me until Blade Trinity, now I'll question everything.
Team3dAlpha right all along
I've been consistent for about a year, and I've had to take a break from the gym because of tendonitis in my bicep. Everything aggravates it, and I've been incredibly frustrated, but this video brings me some comfort. Thanks, Dr. Mike.
Try looking at Squat University. I think they have a video on bicep tendonitis. Idk if it applies to you, but it's worth a shot.
I needed this video today. Been feeling shitty for taking a week off to heal my hands and this has given me a new perspective. Thanks Dr Mike ❤
The first time I took off a month, I had just started working at the gym as a trainer. I remember doing one easy set of machine preacher curls, and my biceps got outrageously pumped. I stood there like, well, I guess this resensitization shit really works 😂
There is no such thing as resensitization, the whole video is bs. You are just lacking the defense mechanisms which are aquired by repeated bout effect as you train consistently.
This taking time off thing is only atrophying your muscles, heck even one week of deloaod is total bs, you only need that if your programming sucks (RP training) and you are overtrained. If you get stronger after that deload period, you know for sure that was the case.
I dont get why you all follow Mike religiously and dont watch any sources from oppositions.
@@joojotin bro i legit havent uorked out in over a month and my lifts and size are all the same lol, so nah, u aint losing muscle
@@johankaruyan5536
Of course you are. Maybe not a lot. Maybe the reasons for doing it are better in the long run. Whatever. But you're losing muscle.
@@Ben-zr4ho bro im not i literally measured and i didnt lose anything
@@Ben-zr4ho just factually untrue unless you're improperly fed, like genuinely. how much protein are you intaking?
Took 5 weeks off from an intercostal rib injury and lost 30 lbs over that time. My appetite tanked like crazy. All came back after about 3 months.
You lost THIRTY pounds in five weeks? Must’ve been on gear then.
@@PetterNe nope i probably only ate like 1k calories a day. lost like 20lbs fat and 10 muscle lol
@@brandonyoung4910 Damn, that’s harsh, man!
@@PetterNe eh it’s only happened once haha.
This is great to hear because I'll be getting surgery soon and was worried about being out the gym for a month and losing gains.
I lost about 3 kg over 6 weeks, and my joints are better than ever. Thank you for the video. Now I understand why this happened.
Love your stuff Mike. I see Greg Doucette still trying to push your buttons, get a response and then pull more views off your astronomical RUclips gains.
Don't feed into his drama baiting. Great content man, great channel!!!
Greg has some good points and is knowledgeable, but the guy is too confrontational and loves to make controversy. I dislike his behavior and mentality even if I respect his knowledge on the sport.
@Korksbebig I agree 100% with this. Greg has a ton of great information, but he also uses any tactic he can to get views/subs. He definitely goes "harder than last time" on clickbait and marketing. Mike is just more likeable overall.
I take a 2-3 weeks long break every year (outside of regular deloading). I stay active - go for walks, swim etc. But I don't lift at all.
I think I always look & feel the best right after I start getting back into the groove after the break.
Gotta say thanks Mike. This video showed up at the exact right time as I am questioning my decision to do this
If you stop working out the voices will return so thread carefully my friend. You can always befriend the voices while on a month long break and you can always let them in like be one with the voices.
Dr. Mike, thank you for this video. It really opened my eyes to how beat up from training I was. My lower back, my elbows and my knees hurt. I have troubles falling asleep. I am now taking a whole month off. I have been lifting for almost two decades. I wish, I gave my body a break, instead of jogging a week after my leg surgery, working out through discomfort for years and barely seeing any progress.
Really good to hear this! Currently halfway through a month off powerlifting after knee surgery!!
All science youtubers recently: you dont actually need to deload for hypertrophy. Dr.Mike: Okay i see, you should take a month off.
Not what he said, though
taking account the studies, almost always do whats better for you. Deloads almost always, anecdotally are better for most people esecially to prevent injury
If you want to take a month off, take a month off. Just don't BS yourself that you are doing some special muscle gain hack. You just want to take a month off.
@Ryan_DeWitt Depends on the person, many can gain benefit from taking a month off, many won't and have fine enough recovery. Everything in fitness is dependent on the individual, we all have similar bodily functions but we are unique to each other in many ways. It's obnoxious to see the fitness community being so ignorant to scientific research. If you want to encourage someone, encourage them but don't act like a monkey about thinking it's BS.
Honestly speaking, if you just drag nagging issues for a while with normal periodization its kind of better to just suck it up and try a long pause, especially if you went. Long time
almost 44yrs of age now, been training for 25yrs now
4 weeks training and 1 week deload. thats 1 meso
3 mesos and then i take 2 recovery weeks: 1 week deload and 1 week OFF
rinse and repeat
once a year i take a FULL MONTH off (usually during holiday in thailand or vietnam) and just chill.
works like a charm
So you just a casual lifter for health benefits then judging by your respetitively small size clearly natural aswell ...I mean that's cool but I'm 45 an trained 30 years I take 2 week off a year thats it an I sit nicely at 14% body fat an 16 stone all year round but I'm also on testosterone....your training schedule would be wasted on when using anabolics
@@odin-ss1zx i use steroids and am 103kg dude. 191cm tall.
This video is perfect timing for me; my joints are currently toast and I've been trying to plan my next move
I absolutely needed to hear about the joint de-load. I really appreciate your videos and keep being yourself man.
I literally just took a month off and fell into a black hole of hedonism. Back now but still can't stop eating 800 calories of pringles and candy and gooning for hours everyday.
Amazing, talking of cycles really helped me better contextualize the video from last week as well
I'm here for Scott the Video Guy
You're a good human being.
Heading into shoulder surgery I needed to hear this. Thank you!!
That video came with perfect timing! I ve been hitting it hard for one year, put on 20kg(45 pounds), went from skinny fit to everyone is touching my arms and shoulders fit, but also got all sorts of aches and pains from overtraining. My central nervous dystem is wrecked, my knees collapse randomly, i feel like i got ran over by a train all the time. I felt like i needed a 'holiday' from training. And now it all makes perfect sense! Thanks dr Mike, you are my savior. And i love the muscles on your skull. And the content on youtube is great! Big fan over here
Gotta love Dr. Mike's sense of humor. Anyone else notice the shake weight in the background?
I’m 37. I became motivated to see what type of peak physique I can obtain last August in 2023. I am 5’10” and was 120lbs in April of 2023. I went hard with body weight from August - December and I got some dumbbells and a curling bar with some weights for Christmas. Being that I am starting pretty late and I am sort of old for training I did notice the CNS fatigue at one point and I may have taken 1-2 weeks off during that first 6 months. I’m an orthodox Christian so during the Lenten fast I decided I was not going to train and just focus on the fast. So I had roughly 40-60 days of no training. I went from 120lbs in April of 2023 to 160lbs before the fast in 2024. During the fast I dropped back down to around 140lbs and from June until today I went from 140lbs to 165lbs. The recomposition I have seen from June until today has been awesome. Saturday is my last day of training for this month and I am going to take a week off. Then go hard again in August.
I’m hoping to hit a peak physique at around 185lbs -200lbs by the time I turn 40.
Thats amazing dude. I’ve been super consistent, never taking more than a couple weeks completely off since I started training around 2 years ago. I realized that pretty soon when school starts (1st year of college) I’m gonna be under a lot of pressure trying to adjust to the schedule and probably won’t have much time to train. Seeing testimonies like yours makes me less anxious about losing gains or falling out of routine.
I am pleased to someone else integrating training and the liturgical calendar. As a Roman Catholic, I schedule my annual cut during Septuagisma(pre lent) and Lent.
I’m 5’10, 192Lbs. 29.
And about 30 over.
Maintenance is about 1715 calories a day.
What about how to find out if your body is retaining water or storing fat?
I’m eating about 1100 calories a day.
And put on 9 Lbs in a week.
It’s really depressing.
And how can I correct these things if that is the case ?
@@kylethedalekwatch Dr Mikes previous video on Starvation mode. That will explain it for you.
@@flammungous3068 I have!
And I got mixed answers.
I used to talk to people about the chances of getting DOMS after taking 2 weeks off and I called that compound-rebuild because the deepest of issues finally get a chance to heal
All the non-scientific content I needed for today
@@MenacedAssassin well if science is defined as the study of something and testimonies are used towards gaining a conclusion, this can still be considered scientific
Yea connective tissue takes a beating after a while and you need an extended layoff.
@@MenacedAssassinanecdotes are not data, but they are data points
@@drip369except "the study of something" isn't how we define science dumbfuck
Great vid. Thanks Dr. Mike. For me taking few weeks off is mentally extremely challenging. But I could go 1-2 weeks active rest/ deloading. Sometimes even completely switching to another Sport is great I think. Just some rest in a physical and mental way, like holiday for the Body.
Very happy to come across this video. I’ve been needing some time off that is loner than a week for a while, as I have been dealing with micro injuries for a few weeks now. Hopefully after a month, I can go back to grinding extra hard.
The pain makes so much sense now. I work as an events waiter and i put a lot of stress on my shoulders/upper back while moving things and yesterday and today was the first time i used my days off for rest instead of training i woke up today with my upper back basically crippled sending lightning through my entire body witb every cm moved
i trained for 10 years without a week off. I was a national level powerlifter. Then covid came and they closed the gyms. And I could not train. And I never came back to my last numbers or even my muscle mass, after coming back. It destroyed my carrier and my gains forever.
This is my experience too, but I’m 43 and definitely lost a step.
Lol , yeah that’s definitely “taking the breaks” fault- for sure. Cool story tho
Done and done. Barbados here i come!
Please tell me thats not another 46 minute video without a single real scientific study being mentioned
Shits legit my guy. 3 weeks in after taking a month or more off and I swear I’m bigger and stronger than I was before
I've worked out everyday for 1 year and 9 months (consistently)7 days a week, with one day a month of rest, I will try this and get back to y'all,
You better let us know
1 month off each ~ 6 months sounds fine to me. I'm training 6 months now and some joints are killing me.
Maybe go for 1 week off every two months in addition. Especially when you have just started training and you go all in, your muscles grow faster than your connecting tissue, thus high risk for injuries. The muscles can maybe handle it, the tendonts and joints cannot.
life gets in the way one month in 4 is a break just to catch up on the backlog of crap im too tired to do
This is the kind of advice that gets you a case of Godzilla parasites.
I have to take 6 weeks off later this year to recover from surgery and I’ve been dreading it… but this is cool. I’m nearly broken in 72 different locations anyway.
Switching training routine for MMA/boxing now, will compete in future and want to go high grade. I took time off before obviously multiple times for a variety of reasons and tried most training programs. Powerbuilding is decent tbh. Right now I'm taking a break and doing world record pullup/pushup 24hrs training. WIll get there eventually.
Love training in December lol. There could be 1 foot of snow on the ground but I know it's going to be me, and 2 or 3 of the regular dawgs.
No shenanigans.
Yup
Take a month off, working out is killing your gains
*gainz
😂😂😂😂
If I'm not working out, my maintenance is unreasonably low. I'll chonk up quick.
real same
Happened to me this July after injuring my foot. Now I need to lose 7kg 🙈
@@palapeura375 , shit... I hope that works out.
@@palapeura375
You need to lose more my man. Always double what you think you need to lose. Expect 30 lbs at least.
I eat significantly less if I don't lift. I've taken this month off (unintentionally) and lost 2kg. I've just been jogging but no lifting.
Dr Mike you’re on another level with this one today! Love the humor. love the self talk. Good info and thank you
I love his sense of humour, but I also love that Dr. Mike is actually really respectful towards others (like the resolutioners).
1 month off for massive gains
12 months off for 12x MASSIVE GAINS
I just did my first workout on 8/26 after 4-5 weeks off. Glad to hear this.
I love that this guy has an academical background because it explains the slides he makes in the videos that seem so similar to those presentations we would give our advisors and research groups about our work.
Keep with the good videos Doc!
second blade was clearly the best
I took a month off from the gym and still doing the same diet regimen. Face bulk is going crazy.
The release of the video coincided with the fact that I was feeling tired and decided to take a break for 2 weeks. Turns out the gym was the only thing keeping my depression at bay lol. Going back tomorrow, can't take it anymore.
I've already been doing this for years. Though I can't train as hard to warrant a full month. But sprinkle the 1-2 weeks off throughout the year a few times a year. Works extremely well and it's common sense.
The thumbnail refference to pablo's picture is pure gold
So I took a month off from training because I was on holiday, and then there was inclement weather that shut down the gym. During that time I lost like 8 to 10 pounds and looked super lean. I came back like 2 weeks ago and it has been craazzzyyy the amount of strength I have now. As a woman, my arms have never been as strong as I would like and now they are so much stronger and I am able to lift more and punch stronger than EVER before. I would totally recommend a month off if you meet the qualifications that he said in the video. After watching, I am going to cool it because I went too hard too fast, but man, everything he said was so true for me. 10/10 video!
The timing of this video coming out is insane! I'm about to go on vacation for a month, but while I love the gains I got in the past 7 months of consistency, I also feel like I need a break but I feel too bad in doing so. Thank you! You always help me out!
Yeah I took a break around Covid time… Took an extremely long break🤦🏽♂️.
In 2022 Got diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. I’m still on a “break”, lost a significant amount of weight and my depression is now on 💯. I’m 49 yrs old. Stopped trt months ago… 13:57 - Dr.Mike breaks down my every symptom and ahhhh my life needs to heal 🤕
My membership runs out in December which luckily coincides with January when the gyms are a zoo. I am gonna take a 2, 3 or even 4 weeks off every year now in January. Listening to Mike Mentzer made me realize the value of rest.
im in uni so i get about 1 month of break 2 times a year, its always good when you come back
As someone who just this week developed some intense joint pain after training pretty damn hard for over a year straight, this could not have come at a better time for me and I suddenly feel amazing about the time off that I have no choice but to take. Thank you for reading my soul Dr. Mike.
i had 6 months off, after 4 years of consistent training. 3 months later of re-training hitting PBs and lifting heaviest weights I've ever done.