How Bodybuilding & Vacations Can Co-Exist For Sustained Muscle Gain and Fat Loss
Those who pursue bodybuilding have different opinions on vacations, with some believing that several weeks of consistent bodybuilding workout sessions should be followed with a break from training of at minimum one week, while others worrying about 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 bodybuilder must deal with time off in order to avoid any significant adverse impact to muscle gains or fat reduction is somewhere in the middle of these two extremes.
Its very easy to become compulsive with weight training, to the point where skipping a workout brings about worry of significant muscle loss or fat gain in a brief period, and this can cause those who pursue bodybuilding to actually try and avoid time off so that they can remain consistent with their weight training workout routines at all times. This to the individual who does not live a bodybuilding lifestyle seems excessive, and there is no doubt that, mentally, following such a one track bodybuilding lifestyle can bring about depression and alienation from family and friends, so avoiding breaks from bodybuilding training completely is never a reasonable response.
Others aim for breaks from weight training workouts every several weeks, performing their weight training and cardiovascular sessions for 4-6 weeks, and then taking a 1-2 week sabbatical from bodybuilding before beginning another 4-6 week weight training and cardiovascular routine. This technique can delay muscle building progress significantly, so I recommend, instead, planning breaks from muscle building around special occasions (Christmas, visiting family), and saving unexpected time off for times when sickness surfaces (viruses, weight training injuries, etc), so that you can easily move away from bodybuilding sessions for a couple of weeks during periods of the year when you have places to see and family to spend time with, or when you are sidelined with an unexpected sickness or injury.
The amount of muscle lost during a break from weight training can be significant if the time away from bodybuilding is excessive, so a reasonable period to vacation from weight lifting is one week, and preferably, time off from weight training 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 trip that requires a significant time away from your normal weight training workout session, consider following an abbreviated schedule, where each body part is trained once per week with lower volume, to try and encourage muscle maintenance during a longer period away from weight training. This method can be used for a vacation that spans any length of time, but is vital if your time away from weight training will exceed two weeks. Such an approach allows for very short weight lifting workout sessions that stimulate the muscle sufficiently to delay catabolism.
Many times bodybuilders believe that since muscle growth occurs during rest, long periods away from weight lifting will cause the body to produce superior results compared with rare breaks from weight lifting, and rest will assist in muscle building if in fact sufficient stimulation has occurred through weight training, but this also means that extensive 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 level of stress, and will begin to eliminate muscle tissue during extended vacation breaks from weight lifting workouts.
In regards to the frequency of breaks from weight training workout sessions, this will depend on your individual schedule. Generally, the fewer extended breaks you take, the more muscle you will build, yet a one week break several times per year is beneficial for the mind and body, but only if such periods away from weight lifting occur at distant 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 eating during time off from weight training, as abandoning sufficient protein or carbohydrates during time spent away 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, and aim for carbohydrates at maintenance levels in order to prevent muscle loss.
Francesco Castano authors MuscleNOW.com, a weight training routine for muscle building without supplements or drugs. He also owns IncrediBody.com, an online fitness superstore selling fitness equipment at guaranteed lowest prices.