Throughout my 8mo this of cycling I have never took dedicated recovery week. Now I feel niggle sluggish and weak. Can people please convince me why I should take recovery weeks.
Maybe this is why you need some time off.
Could be physical or mental or if you’re unlucky both.
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I don’t know - can we?
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Because you are sluggish and weak.
Honestly if your volume is low enough you don’t really need recovery weeks. However it sounds like you are at the point where you need some recovery so take some time and do some easier riding.
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How low are we talking? You can bury yourself on 3 workouts a week if you’re determined! 
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Depends on the athlete and their training history.
If I keep my volume ~10hr/week with 1-2 hard workouts I don’t need any specific recovery weeks.
However bump that to 18-22hr and they become essential.
If you can’t convince yourself, how would anyone else try?
What do you think having a recovery week will do?
Depends on your goals. If you just like cycling, keep on. If you are training to become faster, understand that it is really the recovery phase that makes someone faster.
Recovery doesn’t mean you have to stop riding. Go do something different. Go on a group ride with a slower group. Go mountain biking. Ride some paved trails or some exploring in your neighborhood.
I think you said it yourself – if you’re feeling sluggish and weak, that’s a sure sign that you need some recovery.
After 8 months of riding/training, it’s very likely that you could benefit from some complete rest (no activity at all, just hanging out on the couch). Training is physically and mentally demanding, and it can seriously wear you down if you don’t rest/recover adequately. If you ignore rest and recovery, it’s possible to grind yourself down to the point where it takes months to bounce back from excess fatigue/burnout due to an overload of mental or physical stress (or both).
Here are some TR resources on recovery that you might find useful:
- Cycling Recovery Tips: Why Recovery Is Important and How to Improve It
- Recovery: The Elements of Getting Faster
- The Complete Recovery Week Guide for Cyclists
- Recovery FAQ
Remember that even World Tour pros take mid-season and post-season breaks to rest up. They also regularly take recovery weeks throughout their training plans. If the superhuman pros benefit from rest and recovery, then we mere mortals surely can, too!
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What do you expect of us, you told us you don’t feel well.
You know that you get stronger during rest weeks — and the only decision you need to make whether you want to get stronger or not. If you want to get stronger, take rest weeks and take regular breaks from your training.