How Bodybuilding & Vacations Can Work Together For Maximum Muscle Gain and Fat Reduction
Those who pursue bodybuilding have different feelings on vacations, with some believing that several weeks of regular bodybuilding workouts should be followed with a vacation from training of at least one week, while others worrying about the very idea of vacation from bodybuilding, to the point that they try to find a gym 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 loss is somewhere between these two extremes.
It's very easy to become obsessive about weight training, to the point where skipping a workout brings about fears of a substantial muscle loss or body fat gain in a short period of time, and this can cause those who pursue weight training 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 outsider seems excessive, and there is no doubt that, mentally, living such a one track bodybuilding lifestyle can bring about depression and alienation from family and friends, so avoiding breaks from weight lifting workouts completely is never a worthwhile response.
Others aim for breaks from weight lifting every several weeks, performing their weight lifting and cardiovascular sessions for a month, and then taking a several week sabbatical from weight training before beginning another 4-6 week weight lifting and cardiovascular routine.
This technique can delay muscle building progress significantly, so I recommend, instead, planning breaks from muscle building around special occasions (Thanksgiving, summer vacations), and saving unexpected time off for times when sickness strikes (flu, weight training injuries, etc), so that you can easily move away from weight training workout 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 surprised with an unexpected sickness or injury.
The amount of muscle mass lost during a vacation from weight lifting can be substantial if the time away from such workouts is considerable, so a reasonable period of time to vacation from weight lifting is seven days, and preferably, time off 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 routine, consider following an abbreviated schedule, where each muscle group is trained one time every seven days with low volume, at least to encourage muscle maintenance during a longer period away from weight lifting.
This method can be used for time off from weight training that spans any length of time, but is vital if your time away from bodybuilding will exceed two weeks.
Such an approach allows for short weight training workouts that stimulate the muscle sufficiently to delay catabolism.
Many times bodybuilders believe that since muscles grow during rest, long periods away from weights will cause the body to achieve superior results compared with infrequent breaks from weight training, and rest will help with muscle building if in fact sufficient stimulation has occurred through weight lifting, but this also means that lengthy breaks from weight training 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 stress, and will begin the muscle reduction process during extended vacation breaks from weight training workouts.
Regarding the frequency of breaks from bodybuilding workouts, this will depend on your individual schedule.
For maximum results, the less extended breaks you take, the more muscle mass you will gain, yet a one week vacation several times per year is helpful for the body and mind, but only if such periods away from bodybuilding occur at distant intervals, with at least two months (preferably three) of consistency preceding a break from weight training.
Also, do not forget the importance of proper eating during time off from weight lifting, as abandoning sufficient protein or carbohydrates during vacations from bodybuilding will cause your body to burn muscle mass, where otherwise only minor negative change will occur.
Most are excited about eating during leisure time 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.
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 loss is somewhere between these two extremes.
It's very easy to become obsessive about weight training, to the point where skipping a workout brings about fears of a substantial muscle loss or body fat gain in a short period of time, and this can cause those who pursue weight training 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 outsider seems excessive, and there is no doubt that, mentally, living such a one track bodybuilding lifestyle can bring about depression and alienation from family and friends, so avoiding breaks from weight lifting workouts completely is never a worthwhile response.
Others aim for breaks from weight lifting every several weeks, performing their weight lifting and cardiovascular sessions for a month, and then taking a several week sabbatical from weight training before beginning another 4-6 week weight lifting and cardiovascular routine.
This technique can delay muscle building progress significantly, so I recommend, instead, planning breaks from muscle building around special occasions (Thanksgiving, summer vacations), and saving unexpected time off for times when sickness strikes (flu, weight training injuries, etc), so that you can easily move away from weight training workout 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 surprised with an unexpected sickness or injury.
The amount of muscle mass lost during a vacation from weight lifting can be substantial if the time away from such workouts is considerable, so a reasonable period of time to vacation from weight lifting is seven days, and preferably, time off 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 routine, consider following an abbreviated schedule, where each muscle group is trained one time every seven days with low volume, at least to encourage muscle maintenance during a longer period away from weight lifting.
This method can be used for time off from weight training that spans any length of time, but is vital if your time away from bodybuilding will exceed two weeks.
Such an approach allows for short weight training workouts that stimulate the muscle sufficiently to delay catabolism.
Many times bodybuilders believe that since muscles grow during rest, long periods away from weights will cause the body to achieve superior results compared with infrequent breaks from weight training, and rest will help with muscle building if in fact sufficient stimulation has occurred through weight lifting, but this also means that lengthy breaks from weight training 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 stress, and will begin the muscle reduction process during extended vacation breaks from weight training workouts.
Regarding the frequency of breaks from bodybuilding workouts, this will depend on your individual schedule.
For maximum results, the less extended breaks you take, the more muscle mass you will gain, yet a one week vacation several times per year is helpful for the body and mind, but only if such periods away from bodybuilding occur at distant intervals, with at least two months (preferably three) of consistency preceding a break from weight training.
Also, do not forget the importance of proper eating during time off from weight lifting, as abandoning sufficient protein or carbohydrates during vacations from bodybuilding will cause your body to burn muscle mass, where otherwise only minor negative change will occur.
Most are excited about eating during leisure time 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.