Weight lifting can be intense and stressful to your body. In order for your body to respond with muscle gains, you have to first recover from those workouts.

After all, you grow when you're resting, not when you're training in the gym. Too many people think they have to work out as hard as possible, as often as possible, in order to make gains. But those that have large, muscular physiques have learned that the key to success is heavy, intense training, followed by adequate rest.

By taking a week off after every few months, you allow your body the chance to completely recover from the heavy demands you placed on it. This time is a recovery time, in which muscle growth will be the main goal. So you want to make sure you get proper nutrition, including keeping your protein intake high.

This rest period is every bit as important for muscle gains as is your training. Without this rest, you're going to overtrain and all your muscle gains will stall.

One of the biggest problems I see with young people is that they think the more they do, the better results they get. They don't buy into the law of diminishing returns, which states that you'll keep making gains, up to a point, unless you do certain things. And these things are recovery, rest, and nutrition.

Many people can't stand to be out of the gym for a week, fearing that they'll lose what they've gained. The opposite is actually what happens. After a week off, you'll come back bigger and stronger.

You'll also be more focused and psychologically rested. You'll be ready to hit the weights again with newfound energy and intensity.

So if you're feeling tired, worn out, sluggish, or just plain sore, take some time off and recover. If you're at a plateau, a week off is usually all that's needed to break out of that plateau.

The way to keep making gains is to learn how to listen to your body. Know when it needs rest and time off. If you don't allow your body to recover, you can't keep making muscle gains. If you don't eat enough and sleep enough, your gains will suffer as well.

So, understand the importance of rest and start taking a week off after each 8 to 10 weeks of training. I guarantee, once you start doing that, your muscle gains will happen a lot faster.