overtrained??take time off while ON cycle??

[patitucci]

i made a thread few weeks ago. i am doing a cycle of test right now, started doing 300mg/week, everything was fine but i wasnt feeling much energy or strength gains.
i decided to up the dose to 500mg/week by week 7 (last week, im on week 8 now)
but now im thinking i may be overtrained.
at the end of week 6th i had a cold and i could train on fri (back day) , next week i added almost 10lbs on deadlift and some good weight in the other excercises(rows, etc). maybe it has something to do with upping the dose to 500mg but i didnt gain any more water weight and it only happened in back day.
its not just that, lately ive also been feeling some pains , not really injuries or anything but im a bit afraid , 1st was shoulder pain while bench pressing, i started doing some rotator cuff ex. and it helped a lot , then some wrist pain , then pain while squatting.
while i was off cycle, everytime i felt like this. i would just take a week off but im now on my 1st cycle and i really dont wanna take anytime off specialy now that i upped the dose to 500mg.
till last week i was training 3 times a week, pretty heavy, mostly powerlifting routine, this week i tought of adding 1 day, but now i dont think i will.
im eating pretty good, but the main goal of my cycle was to gain strength, i did gain some good lbs of muscle but its not the problem now.
i do get good sleep and everything.
lastly, when i planned the cycle i was going to do 8 weeks, then decided to do 10weeks (last 4 of 500mg) , now im just thinking of stopping the cycle right now, take 1 or 2 weeks off (during pct) and then do a new cycle next year.
thats all, what do you think.
other option would be to take few days off(really need a break on legs and pec day) and then just keep with the cycle and extend it 1 more week (total of 11 weeks)
cya

 

[rjx]

Listen to your body. If you need time off, then you need time off. Taking a week off while on cycle is not bad since it will help with recuperation and you grow while resting. If after you have rested you still feel the same, end the cycle and focus on recovering.

 

[JayC]

Overtrained?? ...very possible, but I'm having a hard time coming to that conclusion seeing that you only train 3 days a week (assuming you use a 7 day week, that's 4 days of rest.. which should be fine). I get the EXACT same shoulder/wrist pain, bro! That's usually my que to add a day or two of rest to my routine and that usually takes care of it. Also consider using a Glucosamine/Chondroitin Supp. This helps immensly with routine joint pain/discomfort. With that said, I'm wondering what your split looks like?? You don't have to get too detailed, just what a regular training week looks like for you, etc.. That will help with assesing the issue.
Also, you didn't specifiy, but if you are using Test Cyp or Eth I would not go any less then 10-12 weeks (leaning more toward the 12 week side). Those longer esters work thier wonders on longer cycles. I think you are ok to continue as is, maybe thowing in some light days and even a rest week to alleviate the pain and recover. Doing this while ON CYCLE is fine!! You don't need to stop to take a little rest. All up to you of course, as this is just my opinion.

 

[Old Balls]

Like RJX said...listen to your body, it sounds like yo ualready know the answer. It is hard to take time off during a cycle, but you grow after the lift, so extra time will give your body the chance to heal up and your lifts will be better for it IMO.

 

[patitucci]

yes im using test CYP , im gonna work back tomorrow. and rest during most of next week, wont do legs or pec.
my split used to be day 1:legs, 2ec, tris, shoulders, 3:back,bis , i was going to do shoulders in a 4th day but all this happened and i decided to take some days off.
i will do back-bis tomorrow, which im feeling good doing it. and then rest till next thursday or friday.
thanks again for your help.
bye

 

[Thoms]

Listen to your body. If you need time off, then you need time off. Taking a week off while on cycle is not bad since it will help with recuperation and you grow while resting. If after you have rested you still feel the same, end the cycle and focus on recovering.

Took the words right out of my mouth. Added to that, you grow most when you rest.
Don't use time off as an excuse for not training though. I trained 6 days a week as a natty without overtraining.

 

[patitucci]

Took the words right out of my mouth. Added to that, you grow most when you rest.
Don't use time off as an excuse for not training though. I trained 6 days a week as a natty without overtraining.

i know what u mean, im really not sure if what i feel is overtraining or what, its just that i used to love training, and now im not feeling really well while training, feel lethargic all day, lack of energy and strength. will see if some days off help , otherwise i will stop the cycle .
thanks again for your help.

 

[Thoms]

i know what u mean, im really not sure if what i feel is overtraining or what, its just that i used to love training, and now im not feeling really well while training, feel lethargic all day, lack of energy and strength. will see if some days off help , otherwise i will stop the cycle .
thanks again for your help.

What I usually do, is stick to the 6 days/week regimen, and take a week off after a month. Works great for me; I feel motivated during workouts, looking forward to the week of vacation. I first experienced this when I felt sick for a while and took 2 weeks off, maintaining my caloric input. I grew like a weed. When I talked to some guys on national level, they said they experienced this as well, with guys going on vacation and returning bigger after 2 weeks without working out. This probably only works after a rebound from overtraining.