How Bodybuilding & Vacations Can Co-exist For Sustained Muscle Gain And Fat Loss

Those who pursue bodybuilding have different feelings on time off from weight training, with some believing that several weeks of regular bodybuilding workouts should be followed with a break from training of at least one week, while others fearing the very idea of vacation from bodybuilding, to the point that they try to find a workout facility even when they are on a cruise with family or friends. The true answer to how a weight lifter must deal with vacations in order to avoid any significant adverse impact to muscle building or fat loss is somewhere between these two extremes.

It’s very easy to become compulsive with weight training, to the point where skipping a workout brings about worry of substantial muscle loss or body fat gain in a short period, and this can cause those who pursue weight training to actually try and avoid vacations so that they can remain consistent with their weight training workout routines at all times. This to the outsider seems excessive, and there is no doubt that, mentally, living such a one track bodybuilding lifestyle can bring about emotional breakdown, so avoiding breaks from weight lifting workouts completely is never a logical or reasonable choice.

Others aim for vacations from weight lifting every several weeks, performing their weight training and cardiovascular sessions for 4-6 weeks, and then taking a several week sabbatical from weight training before beginning another month long weight lifting and cardiovascular routine. This technique can delay muscle building progress significantly, so I recommend, as an alternative, planning breaks from muscle building around special events (Thanksgiving, visiting family), and saving unexpected vacations for times when sickness surfaces (flu, injuries, etc), so that you can easily move away from weight training workouts for 1-2 weeks during times of the year when you have places to travel to and friends to spend time with, or when you are surprised with an unexpected sickness or injury.

The amount of muscle lost during a break from weight lifting can be substantial if the time away from bodybuilding is considerable, so a reasonable period to vacation from weight training workouts is one week, and preferably, a vacation from weight lifting should never exceed a two week period, as the body begins to burn muscle after 1-2 weeks (depending on individual genetics). If you are taking a vacation that requires a significant time away from your normal weight lifting workout session, consider following an abbreviated schedule, where each body part is trained once per week with low volume, to try and encourage muscle maintenance during a longer period away from weight training. This method can be used for time off from weight training that lasts any length of time, but is vital if your time away from weight training will exceed a two week period. Such an approach allows for quick weight lifting workouts that stimulate the muscle sufficiently to delay muscle loss.

Frequently bodybuilders believe that since muscles grow during rest, long periods away from weights will cause the body to produce superior progress compared with infrequent breaks from weight lifting, and rest will help with muscle building if in fact enough stimulation has occurred through weight lifting, but this also means that lengthy breaks from weight lifting will not only remove the overload necessary for continued muscle building, but also eventually begin to burn away muscle tissue, as the body constantly adapts to the most recent stress, and will begin to eliminate muscle tissue during extended vacation breaks from weight lifting workouts.

In regards to the number of vacations from weight training workouts, this will depend on your lifestyle. For maximum results, the fewer extended breaks you take, the more muscle you will gain, yet a one week break several times each year is beneficial for the mind and body, but only if such periods away from weight training occur at extended intervals, with at least two months (preferably three) of consistency preceding a break from weight lifting.

Also, do not forget the importance of proper diet during a vacation from weight lifting, as abandoning sufficient carbohydrates or protein during vacations from weight training will cause your body to burn muscle, where otherwise only minor negative change will occur. Most are excited about eating during vacations away from weight training, but just make sure to consume sufficient protein during such periods, and aim for carbohydrates at a sufficient level to sustain daily activities in order to prevent muscle loss.