Taking time off???

[Zuman]

I've been committed to indoor rowing for about 18 months now and this year I've typically rowed six days a week with occasional interruptions for travel, etc. This "Concept 2 Year" (beginning in May), I've done about 1.8 million meters, and will complete the 200k Holiday Challenge on Tuesday of next week.
I'm thinking of taking a break from rowing after that until the New Year, just to see how my body responds. I'm a healthy 68-year old lightweight at 5'9" and 155lb, and I've lost 20lb over the last year due to changes in diet and exercise.
Has anyone done this? Did you discover anything?
Thanks!

[Dangerscouse]

Having a break can be a good thing, as you recharge your batteries and your body rests and recovers BUT you will temporarily lose some performance, and I use a rough rule that for every week off, you need double that to get back to where you were before the break.

The body starts to 'tidy up' after three days of rest, as being fit isn't an optimal state as it takes more energy to maintain it, so be prepared for a couple of weeks of slightly struggling with your previous paces

[nick rockliff]

Why stop completely? Why not just do 2 or three sessions a week?

It's much harder to get motivated after a complete stop.

[mitchel674]

Why stop completely? Why not just do 2 or three sessions a week?

It's much harder to get motivated after a complete stop.

I'm with Nick. If you're home and have access to your erg, why not just do 2 steady state sessions per week? Something like an easy 10k would at least keep your body in rowing shape. You are considering a 3 week break with no rowing at all. I tend to get antsy for some rowing after just 7 days off.

[MPx]

You're only talking three weeks - that will just provide an annoying setback and if its something you want to do you should be able to get back to current form within a couple of months. I've had an erg for 23 years and have had a few lengthy breaks - the longest from early 2013 to the end of 2016 , but a couple of others of circa a year in previous periods. Its hard to know how much is down to aging and how much down to the lengthy period, but each "comeback" has taken much longer than the previous one and involved a much greater volume of work. After my most recent restart it took until mid 2018 before I was regularly putting in decent (for me) performances. Enforced short breaks of only a few days now get me struggling again so I prefer to just keep ticking over if poss and very rarely take consecutive days off. But it does depend on your goals, if its just measured by fitness then you wont loose to much, and you'll get it back anyway. If you're a data/pace/performance junkie then it'll be a bit more distressing.

Oh and I second Nick's point. If its part of what you do, then you just do it. If its not part of what you do it will get increasingly difficult to find time for it once you've filled its slot with other things.

[JoanneR2]

Well that explains a lot. We have just taken 5 weeks off to move from France to Spain and only got the rowing machines moved here a week ago. I couldn't believe how hard it was to get through 5k, a distance that is normally not too difficult, and my split time is down by 3 seconds... Looks like it will take some weeks to get back to normal (not that that is very good) and it isn't that someone "fixed" my machine in transit....

[Zuman]

Thanks, all, for your experience and insight.
I did complete the 200k Holiday Challenge today, so I've reached my decision point. I've decided to go with an every-other-day row through the New Year instead of the six-days-a-week program I'm currently on, and instead of taking the three weeks off entirely.
I don't exactly know how hard I'll work, but I suspect I'll start easy and then get more impatient and competitive as time goes on...

[Cant Climb]

Thanks, all, for your experience and insight.
I did complete the 200k Holiday Challenge today, so I've reached my decision point. I've decided to go with an every-other-day row through the New Year instead of the six-days-a-week program I'm currently on, and instead of taking the three weeks off entirely.
I don't exactly know how hard I'll work, but I suspect I'll start easy and then get more impatient and competitive as time goes on...

I'm the opposite. I use the Holiday Challenge as a springboard to get back into shape and then into the big winter rowing months.
I'm 50 and rarely take days off. It's just not worth it and as I age I feel that active recovery is 10x better than doing nothing. Doing nothing
seems worse and worse as I age.

I had Lyme disease overt the summer and still feeling the effects of 'Post Lyme' with episodes of fatigue and brain fog but I'm at least back on the Ergometers (I own all three - row, ski, bike). I had weeks off in the summer because I literally has zero energy. First time I've done that in years. I missed the ergo's so much - having the health to Ergo is something I embrace now, even though I'm not at my best.