Dr. Bret Contreras

You either get sick or you get injured or you have to go on a vacation and you just don't have access to a gym.

But I tend to...

Just listen to my body.

And there are just times where you're pushing it hard and you just feel beat up.

And it's like, have a few easy days.

It doesn't have to be a week.

It doesn't have to be, could just be three training days and you'll come back refreshed.

But I think it's a vital, necessary, crucial component of long-term lifting.

And if you don't do that, it'll end up hurting you.

You can't just train.

It's like, how do you make sure you're not overreaching?

How do you nail that perfect volume and effort where you're not pushing it too hard, where you're not inhibiting?

and inhibiting your muscle activation because you get things perfect and you can't predict your sleep and your stress and your recovery physiology all the time.

So I think it's a good idea to chill for a little bit and do lesser volume or do different exercises that are just easier on the body.

And then you'll be pleasantly surprised like, well, and what I always like doing with my clients is that's what I like with my Booty by Brett programming is

I want my clients to know you don't have to squat deadlift year-round.

When you're doing a step-up or a lunge with weight, two studies show that one on step-ups, one on Bulgarian split squats, one group did bilateral, one group did single leg, and they both gained the same squat strength.

I'm not going to tell, you know, the world's strongest power lifter, don't squat.

You can maintain all your squat strength with single leg training.

But for the masses, yes, it's a single leg squat pattern is the squat pattern.