break time?

so im 8 months in ,  have had a one week breeak like two months ago , lost alotta strenth in that week , ..
 im at the point now where im exhuasted all in the gym and cant finish my routines , i havent been sleeping much , like 4-5 hours a night , and not solid , so i know that has alot to do with the way i feel right now ummm... so i was just gunna ask , does this sound like overtraining? cuz i dont feel i do enough to be overtrained?
 
 from  what ive heard  taking a week off will heal me up ... make me bigger cuz my muscles will be fully healed , ill lose alittle strength but....  have new muscle to  start tearin up in the gym...
 
 i dont do cardio at all i was wondering while on my week off could i do some cardio but no lifting , will that  help me get some endurence ?  or will it just keep me in the exhuasted zone while im trying to recover?
 
 
also , will it cut alot of muscle? cuz i am bulking and wouldnt mind losing alittle body fat but i dont wanna lose muscle cuz i aint done cutting yet
 

It doesn't sound like overtraining, but it does sound like you are not giving yourself prime conditions for muscle building. Those being; good sleep and possibly not the best diet?

It is usually best to totally rest during your rest week. That means no exercise at all, even cardio. This gives your whole body a chance to recover, your nervous system time to recharge and your mind to rest!

That said, you really shouldn't lose that much strength or size on your week off. If anything, you may come back stronger.

"If you think you need a spot, just go harder"

Shane - my maori friend + ex-training partner

I had to cut out 3 weeks of lifting due to holiday overtime. When I came back, my bicep curl went up 5 pounds. I was pretty happy about that. Now i've plateau'd, and nothing else went up, but didn't go down either.

Go ahead and take your week off, it'll do you good.  And GET THAT SLEEP!

Everytime I get on this forum, I get a craving for peanut butter.
18 yrs.
180lbs.
BF% N/A, estimated 17%

ON 100% Whey, water and a whole lot of food!

thanks for the quick responses... i hate taking time offf , makes me feel weak and think that im gunna lose all my gains ,
 
  i have 2 other questions , that are kinda just on my mind... and are irrelivant to this topic..
 
  i started to get strech marks on my biceps , is this normal?.. there purple and very visable but my biceps arent even that big. also will they go away?
 
 and this one is just boggling my mind , i did a couple of sets of push ups , some with my feet on a bench and some just regular and my back muscle , lats and traps are so sore , i thought push ups only worked shoulders and chest , and tris

ORIGINAL: Wannabe_Draper

It doesn't sound like overtraining, but it does sound like you are not giving yourself prime conditions for muscle building. Those being; good sleep and possibly not the best diet?

It is usually best to totally rest during your rest week. That means no exercise at all, even cardio. This gives your whole body a chance to recover, your nervous system time to recharge and your mind to rest!

That said, you really shouldn't lose that much strength or size on your week off. If anything, you may come back stronger.

couldn't have said it better.