Periodic rest weeks - question

Hi, Another question :slight_smile:

I am not training for any event. Just try to continueously getting stronger/faster on Zwift. My current fitness score is 87. Goal for 2025 is to improve my 20 min power with 10%, if possible (now at 4.17wkg)

Based on my fitness-chart, trying to figure out “periodic rest weeks”

  • How many days/weeks should such a period be? or
  • If my fitness is now 87, should I train light until I get down to fitness score X? is that down 10% or when have I rested “enough”?

I understand the value/importance of rest but since I find it very boring, some metric/value would help/inspire me to get the rest done :slight_smile:

Thank you

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I don’t have practical advice, but the other day I read about French scientific research where advanced runners did no exercise at all for 2 months. Average vo2max dropped more than 10%. But after 2 months doing their previous training again, their vo2max was higher than before the break!
Proving that even a long rest period can have benefits, that we don’t have to be afraid of resting (or recovering from an injury).

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I checked my source and saw that I gave an inaccurate summary. But the bottom line is still that a break makes the muscles more sensitive to training stimulus.
Source: A Scientist Finds Surprising Advantages from a Long Training Break

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