WAG Are breaks good or bad? Does your gymmie make breaks?

[sportymom]

Hey guys! DD and I are writing this together and hope to get some answers

DD (Mia) is currently training 3 hours a day, 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday). She is always energized and gives her all, there is no single day she is not motivated.

Usually at home, she is very active as well, runs around and does some gymnastics (no dangerous stuff, usually handstands, Round-Off BHs, Cartwheels on a line, press handstands, stretching).

But sometimes, which is usually on the free days from Friday-Sunday, she is tired and sore, so she rests on Friday. She likes to just go for a walk with me and our dog, go for a swim and sometimes, when the weather is bad, just launch around with a book or watching TV.
Then on Saturday she usually feels energized and fresh again, but she says her body just doens't wake up and she feels weak. Then she feels guilty for not doing anything on Friday and sometimes panics that she has "lost all her musces!". This doens't happen if she pushes through the tiredness on Friday and still does something on Friday. Then she keeps going.
Usually, as soon as she has been in the gym on Monday, it is fine again.

In my opinion, when she is doing a rest day not doing anything, her metabolism just slows down and so it's hard to get it going again.

I now just wanted to know if you or your DD has the same "problem".
On the one hand, I want her to rest, because rest and relaxation is so crucial in sports! But on the other hand, is this stage of tiredness causing anything bad with her muscles/ability of skills? I know muscles don't dissappear from one day to the other. But I guess you get my/our point...

She has the same "problem" at this moment. She hasn't been to gym this week because it was closed due to construction works.
She did some home stuff on Monday and Tuesday, but felt a little tired and not motivated to train at home yesterday and so she gave her a break. I have to say that she doesn't feel sick on those days at all, just a little tired and sometimes sore and she doesn't have the desire to train alone at home because she can't push herself a lot, so she just watches a movie, goes on her computer, reads a book or meets up with friends and they hang around which I think is totally fine! But if she doesn't have gym the next day, she says it's hard to get rid of this tiredness and get active again.

She asked me if it was better to "push" through the lazy days and do some stuff on those days to not get into this stage or if it is ok how it is?

She said that she wanted to do a little workout on the free days now, especially if she has the next few days off.

Have you the same experiences? What is your opinion on that?

 

[Sari]

I think if she feels like she needs a day off, she should take it, especially if there's no gym that day.
Our bodies actually need a little rest from time to time and her muscles aren't going to magically disappear, even if she doesn't train for days at a time!

 

[wheezy]

Rest is the most important thing to rebuild and repair. My gymmies are pretty lazy to the untrained eye, when at home of course! We have been off as well sure to the same thing, and I am sure there will be a lot of complaining and frowns next week!

 

[profmom]

My DD's summer program is pretty carefully calibrated to build strength with rest days in between, using both the time in the gym and the three days per week that they are not. E.g., if they do heavy strength on Tuesdays, they have a trampoline rotation on Wednesdays. Fridays can be tough because they have Thursday and the weekends off. If Thursday is your DD's strength day, then it makes total sense that she needs Friday to recover. She should listen to her body -- a tremendously valuable life skill to learn.

 

[ollieblueeyes]

Agree with PPs., our gym does heavy conditioning the day before they have a 2 day break in practice. I am sure this is done on purpose for recovery. There would be a lot more injury if gymnasts were doing heavy conditioning non-stop. I would tell her to keep listening to her body and to rest when she needs.

I also would make sure she is getting the right kind of foods to assist in the recovery days. Is she eating enough fats and protein? My 12 yr old DD does not have a strong appetite due to medication she takes. If I let her she would skip meals or eat junk resulting in migraines and tiredness like you are describing. She learned early that she needs plenty of protein and fats along with healthy carbs to keep up with the demands of this sport.

 

[Amusibus]

My personal experience is this: When I did gymnastics, in a long ago time and far away place, if I would miss a week for vacation or whatever, then the following week I'd feel super strong and powerful. I thought the rest actually benefitted me because my muscle soreness would go away completely.

From a parent's point of view, I don't mind the rest periods because they balance out my daughter mentally, meaning keep her from feeling burnt out. I don't think their skills or strength deteriorate at all, unless it is prolonged, like in an injury.

 

[BachFlyer]

I think the breaks are very important for a gymnast, and the more hours they do, the more rest they need. My dd used to boing off of the walls and furniture constantly until she hit the upper levels. Now she is L10, and she never practices any true gymnastics at home anymore (she does jump on the trampoline and likes putting her little sister through conditioning circuits lol). It's not that she doesn't love gymnastics, but I think her body and her brain are at a saturation point, and just need downtime. A day or two (or even a week) of rest have become the opposite of negative...they are crucial. I imagine the same would apply for all levels of gymnastics, and all sports, really.

 

[Tbrov]

Train at home? What?? (Unless on vacation, and coach has given specific daily exercises.) They get enough training at the gym, whatever their level. As level increases, so will training time. My girls are like cats when they are home, draped across the furniture, reading, on the computer, etc. They can be active - swimming, hiking, bike rides, but it's their choice. Sometimes they just feel like lying around.

 

[Orangesoda]

Im no gymnastics expert, but I definitely know a thing or two about rest! kidding. Sort of.

I know when I play soccer or go running in the morning, I feel energized throughout the day. And when I do very little (like an extreme example being sitting in the car all day on a road trip or something), I end up feeling exhausted and lethargic by the end of the day. Could the same concept apply? Like rest begets rest? And excercise begets energy? Just a thought.

You're a good mom for brainstorming and together with your daughter. I'm sure you guys are a good team

 

[sportymom]

Im no gymnastics expert, but I definitely know a thing or two about rest! kidding. Sort of.

I know when I play soccer or go running in the morning, I feel energized throughout the day. And when I do very little (like an extreme example being sitting in the car all day on a road trip or something), I end up feeling exhausted and lethargic by the end of the day. Could the same concept apply? Like rest begets rest? And excercise begets energy? Just a thought.

You're a good mom for brainstorming and together with your daughter. I'm sure you guys are a good team

Thank you so much! Yes, that's weird....