How Bodybuilding & Vacations Can Work Together For Sustained Muscle Building And Fat Loss

Those who pursue bodybuilding have different views 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 minimum one week, while others fearing the very idea of time off 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 fitness enthusiast must deal with vacations in order to avoid any significant adverse impact to muscle building or fat loss is somewhere in the middle of these two extremes.

It’s very easy to become compulsive with weight training, to the point where skipping a workout brings about fears of a significant muscle mass reduction or body fat gain in a short period of time, 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, living such a one track bodybuilding lifestyle can bring about emotional breakdown, so avoiding breaks from bodybuilding training completely is never a logical or reasonable choice.

Others aim for vacations from weight training workouts every few weeks, performing their weight training and aerobic sessions for a month, and then taking a several week sabbatical from weight lifting before beginning another month long weight training and aerobic routine. This technique can delay bodybuilding progress significantly, so I recommend, instead, planning breaks from bodybuilding around special events (Easter, visiting family), and saving unexpected vacations for times when sickness strikes (flu, injuries, etc), so that you can comfortably move away from weight lifting workouts for 1-2 weeks during times of the year when you have places to see and people to spend time with, or when you are surprised with an unexpected sickness or injury.

The amount of muscle lost during a vacation from weight training can be significant if the time away from such workouts is excessive, so my recommended period of time to vacation from weight training workouts is seven days, and preferably, a vacation from weight training should never exceed two weeks, as the body begins to reduce the amount of muscle after a 1-2 week period (dependent upon genetics). If you are taking a trip that requires a lengthy time away from your normal weight training workout routine, consider following a reduced frequency schedule, where each muscle group is trained once per week with lower volume, at least to encourage muscle maintenance during a longer period away from weight training. This technique can be used for a vacation that lasts any length of time, but is vital if your time away from bodybuilding will exceed two weeks. Such an approach allows for short weight lifting workouts that stimulate the muscle sufficiently to delay muscle loss.

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

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

Also, do not neglect the importance of proper diet during a vacation from bodybuilding, as abandoning sufficient protein or carbohydrates during vacations from bodybuilding will cause your body to quickly reduce muscle, where otherwise only minor negative change will occur. Most are excited about eating during vacations away from bodybuilding, but just make sure to consume sufficient protein during such periods, and aim for carbohydrates at maintenance levels in order to discourage unnecessary muscle loss.