How Vacations & Bodybuilding Can Co-Exist For Maximum Muscle Gain and Fat Loss

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 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 gains 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 fears of a substantial muscle mass reduction or 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 workouts at all times. This to the outsider seems excessive, and there is no doubt that, mentally, living such a Spartan existence can bring about emotional breakdown, so avoiding breaks from bodybuilding training completely is never a reasonable response.

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

The amount of muscle 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 training workouts is one week, and preferably, time off from weight lifting should never exceed two weeks, as the body begins to burn muscle after a 1-2 week period (dependent upon genetics). If you are taking a trip that requires a lengthy time away from your standard weight lifting workout session, consider following a reduced frequency schedule, where each body part is trained one time every seven days with low volume, to try and encourage muscle maintenance during an extended period away from weight training. This technique can be used for a vacation that lasts any length, but is especially important if your time away from weight training will exceed two weeks. Such an approach allows for very short weight lifting workouts 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 achieve superior progress compared with infrequent breaks from weight lifting, and rest will help with muscle gains if in fact enough 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 growth, 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.

Regarding the frequency of breaks from weight training workouts, this will depend on your individual schedule. Generally, the less extended breaks you take, the more muscle you will build, yet a one week vacation several times each year is helpful for the mind and body, but only if such periods away from weight training occur at extended intervals, with at least two months (three is ideal) of consistency preceding a break from weight lifting.

Also, do not neglect the importance of proper eating during time off from bodybuilding, as abandoning sufficient protein or carbohydrates during vacations from weight training 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 weight training, but just make sure to ingest sufficient protein during such periods, and aim for carbohydrates at a sufficient level to sustain daily activities in order to prevent muscle loss.