How Vacations & Bodybuilding Can Work Together For Sustained Muscle Gain and Fat Loss

Those who pursue bodybuilding have different views on vacations, with some believing that several weeks of regular bodybuilding workouts should be followed with a break from training of at minimum one week, while others fearing the very idea of time off from bodybuilding, to the point that they try to find a gym even when they are on a vacation 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 reduction 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 fat gain in a brief period, and this can cause those who pursue weight lifting 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, following 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 response.

Others aim for vacations from weight training workouts every few weeks, performing their weight lifting and cardiovascular sessions for 4-6 weeks, and then taking a several week sabbatical from weight lifting before beginning another 4-6 week weight lifting and cardiovascular routine. This technique can delay bodybuilding progress significantly, so I recommend, instead, planning breaks from bodybuilding around special events (Christmas, trips to the beach), and saving unexpected vacations for times when illness surfaces (flu, weight training injuries, etc), so that you can easily move away from weight lifting sessions for a couple of weeks during times of the year when you have places to see and friends to spend time with, or when you are sidelined with an unexpected illness or injury.

The amount of muscle lost during a break from weight lifting can be substantial if the time away from such workouts is considerable, so a reasonable period to vacation from weight lifting is one week, and preferably, a vacation from weight lifting should never exceed two weeks, as the body begins to reduce the amount of muscle after a 1-2 week period (depending on individual genetics). If you are taking a vacation that requires a lengthy time away from your normal weight lifting workout session, consider following a reduced frequency schedule, where each body part is trained one time every seven days with lower volume, to encourage muscle maintenance during an extended period away from weight lifting. This technique can be used for a vacation that lasts any length of time, but is vital if your time away from weight lifting will exceed two weeks. Such an approach allows for quick weight lifting workouts that stimulate the muscle sufficiently to delay catabolism.

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

Regarding the number of vacations from weight lifting workouts, this will depend on your individual schedule. Generally, the fewer extended breaks you take, the more muscle you will gain, yet a one week break several times per year is beneficial for the mind and body, but only if such periods away from bodybuilding occur at extended intervals, with at least two months (three is ideal) of consistency preceding a break from weight lifting.

Also, do not forget the importance of proper diet during a vacation from weight training, as abandoning sufficient protein or carbohydrates during time spent away from weight lifting will cause your body to burn muscle, where otherwise only minor negative change will occur. Most are not opposed to eating during vacations away from weight lifting, 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.

Francesco Castano authors MuscleNOW.com, a weight training routine for building muscle mass without supplements or drugs. He also owns IncrediBody.com, an online fitness superstore selling exercise equipment at guaranteed lowest prices.