What Happens if I Take a Vacation?

[thetouch11]

I'm not sure where to post this, but what generally happens if someone takes a break, let's say for 7 days, from working out because they are on a vacation.

How much progress would this person lose? In my case, I am an ecto/meso, and for now I just take multivit and whey. I could guarantee I won't eat unhealthy, but I do not know how much time I will have to workout. If the gym facility where I will be is nice, I will try to go, but I won't have supplements with me.

For those of you who deal with this, what is your solution? Force yourself to a gym anyway? Just keep up with cardio / pushups / crunches? Or is it okay to literally take a break for the entire duration?

 

[lennoxchi]

I'm not sure where to post this, but what generally happens if someone takes a break, let's say for 7 days, from working out because they are on a vacation.

How much progress would this person lose? In my case, I am an ecto/meso, and for now I just take multivit and whey. I could guarantee I won't eat unhealthy, but I do not know how much time I will have to workout. If the gym facility where I will be is nice, I will try to go, but I won't have supplements with me.

For those of you who deal with this, what is your solution? Force yourself to a gym anyway? Just keep up with cardio / pushups / crunches? Or is it okay to literally take a break for the entire duration?

it's good to take a break once and a while. a week is not going to kill you. if where you're going has a gym, most will let you get a week membership. progress will not be lost in a week. i asked this same question a couple of years back when i was going on a business trip. the thing i did was to pay a little extra to get a hotel with a good gym in it. did my exercise in the morning, so it did not interfere with my work duties or in your case, your vacation. and the eating thing, you can eat well no matter where you go, even wendy's has a chicken sandwich. but for God sakes man, enjoy your vacation. even if you don't do any exercise. you're not going to lose anything in a week. and you don't need those supps to exercise, think about the word itself. Supplement, it only supplements what you do right anyway. take a supp. and don't workout, know what happens? nothing, that's what happens. i'm going through the same thing right now, i had surgery last Friday on my lower insestines, hurts like a mother right now. i'll get back when i can and i know i'll be just fine. now taking a month off, that might be a different story. a week, no problem

 

[drivehard]

I don't know about you guys, but I love to work out on vacation! I love going to new gyms and finding new machines/lifts/etc. It really seems to help me get out of a rut sometimes. I find the workouts I get while away on vacation are totally different than the normal ones I get. I usually get a much bigger pump, and get DOMS like crazy from new movements. I have always been able to find a gym nearby to where ever I am staying that will let me get day passes. Working out is a MUST while on vacation for me...otherwise I feel like a worthless POS about halfway through it...but maybe thats just me.

But yeah, you won't lose anything, and taking time off is a good thing. You can run anywhere you go if you want to keep your cardio going. Most importantly HAVE FUN!

 

[tattoopierced1]

taking time off is a good thing.. most people put too much thought and process into lifting.. enjoy life, and dont let lifting get in the way of that, but rather to use it to help make life better.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[BurghHardcore]

Like the guys said, taking time off will not be a problem. Depending on how long and hard you've been going, it could actually do you some good. Even at the very least, just to stay a little loose, you could do some pushups, crunches, body squats, cardio (especially if you're vacationing at a beach :bandit. But most importantly, like Lennoxchi said, enjoy yourself man. After all, it is your VACATION. Go, rock out, party, eat as clean as you can and you're good to go. If you happen to not get any work in while your on vacation that's just a better reason to hit it hard when you get back bro! Cheers!

 

[jcp2]

I think most people take this **** way too seriously, and that is why most people on this or any board, or any gym for that matter in their early 20's will not be training 10 years from now. You need to balance your traning into your life, your worried about a week off, lol. If i don't force myself to take a week off here and there they would have to wheel me in the gym in a wheelchair, lol. What the hell are you going to do when you have work, family obligations? take the week off, have fun and forget about the gym. If you train hard and heavy enough you should really be taking a week off every 10-15 weeks anyway.

 

[Zero V]

During my last bulking period... I took about 7 days without going to the gym...I put on more muscle, and came back stronger... Not sure why, its like my body got a well deserved rest. If you are hitting the weights crazy hard like I was, it will probably do you some good.

Keep the diet going though for what your doing!

 

[310lifter]

During my last bulking period... I took about 7 days without going to the gym...I put on more muscle, and came back stronger... Not sure why, its like my body got a well deserved rest. If you are hitting the weights crazy hard like I was, it will probably do you some good.

Keep the diet going though for what your doing!

same thing happened here.

i make sure i get a week off here and there. your body NEEDS the rest.

more times than not, you will notice that you come back stronger after a week's rest.

 

[jpk]

A lot of little things finally will heal up during your time off. The hardest part to handle is the visible lack of muscle tone. But it is this relaxed state that allows deep healing of all the accumulated damage from heavy lifting. Also, you will lose a little water weight and some salt and glycogen with it. Actual muscle loss is minimal even over a few weeks.

Unless you're a competitive BBer, you should totally enjoy this guilt-free vacation! That doesn't mean you should get sh!t faced every night either though.

 

[Joshua86]

Try to keep your protein intake high. If you can, find a way of doing resistance exercises to keep your muscles working. At least you can do pushups and body weight squats wherever you are.

Honestly, one week off isn't going to cause much harm. Think of it like this; you lift and diet to improve your physique and your life, so, go enjoy life! I see people that are SO strict ALL the time that they pass up a lot of good things. I could maybe see if you're a competitive bodybuilder and THAT is your main goal, but if you're just doing all this to improve your own body and lifestyle, one week off isn't that big of a deal if you're going to be having fun!

Hope that made sense!! :laugh:

 

[jtp217]

Chill out, eat some good food, sleep in and have fun man.

 

[Cinn]

taking time off is a good thing.. most people put too much thought and process into lifting.. enjoy life, and dont let lifting get in the way of that, but rather to use it to help make life better.

Hope that makes sense.

QFT. Lift to live, not live to lift.

 

[brk_nemesis]

well.. one thing is for sure,.. if you did "lose" anything you would come back from vacation pissed as sh!t,.. and as a result, make up for it in no time.:laugh:

 

[CJPopovich]

I always lose a couple of pounds on a vacation, it pisses the wife off, lol. Enjoy your vacation and use your hunger for training to drive you in a new direction once you come back. 1 week is nothing.

 

[H8duke]

I'm not sure where to post this, but what generally happens if someone takes a break, let's say for 7 days, from working out because they are on a vacation.

How much progress would this person lose? In my case, I am an ecto/meso, and for now I just take multivit and whey. I could guarantee I won't eat unhealthy, but I do not know how much time I will have to workout. If the gym facility where I will be is nice, I will try to go, but I won't have supplements with me.

For those of you who deal with this, what is your solution? Force yourself to a gym anyway? Just keep up with cardio / pushups / crunches? Or is it okay to literally take a break for the entire duration?

It's highly recommended to take a week off every 3 months or so.You'll be fine....enjoy the vacation!

 

[Handyman]

Muscles grow in response to stimulus. When they become used to the stimulus, they stop growing. You need to steadily increase the stimulus ("progressive resistance") for them to continue growing, but there is a limit to how quickly you can increase resistance and how much resistance you can ultimately handle at the moment. At some point, the response to stimulus stalls, or plateaus. By taking a break, there is some deconditioning that takes place, and if the break isn't too long you shouldn't lose much, or any, size. This deconditioning will make your muscles more responsive to stimulus once again, even when using much lower resistance than before the break.

IMO Your vacation should help you grow faster when you get back, so enjoy yourself. Just don't let your diet go to crap, and use the extra time away from the gym to get some extra cardio in.

 

[LT*]

I always lose a couple of pounds on a vacation, it pisses the wife off, lol. Enjoy your vacation and use your hunger for training to drive you in a new direction once you come back. 1 week is nothing.

We just came back from Aruba, and I lost 3lbs. I did workout a couple of times, but no where near the intensity I do when I lift in my basement. I was really just going for a good pump. I figured I just didn't eat near what I usually do when I'm home.

To the OP, relax on vacation, I've take up to 14 days off with no loss in muscle. Glycogen stores will diminish, but those come back after a workout or two.

 

[dg806]

taking time off is a good thing.. most people put too much thought and process into lifting.. enjoy life, and dont let lifting get in the way of that, but rather to use it to help make life better.

Hope that makes sense.

Agree. Let your body rest and heal.

 

[jbradley1981]

We just came back from Aruba, and I lost 3lbs. I did workout a couple of times, but no where near the intensity I do when I lift in my basement. I was really just going for a good pump. I figured I just didn't eat near what I usually do when I'm home.

To the OP, relax on vacation, I've take up to 14 days off with no loss in muscle. Glycogen stores will diminish, but those come back after a workout or two.

Dude aruba can do that to you, I go every year for 2 weeks. When I am on vacation i love to live it up! I drink and eat like an idiot and have a blast. Before I go Eat very very clean for about 7 weeks, then while I am there I take support supps like I am on a cycle (mostly for bp, and liver reasons), then I come home after 2 weeks of eating and drinking and feel like garbage, but its worth it once a year. When I am in aruba i try to excersize at least 5 days while there, but 14days of eating/drinking makes me kiss some lean gains goodbye!!!

 

[MHA]

Man I took 2 weeks off like a month ago. Went to mex drank every day, ate fatty food every day, no ex. And when I got home I was not down any weight. I went up not good weight though cause when I came back I was so weak! But I'm back to normal now.

 

[MoTiV]

As a fellow ecto who over-eats on vacations just to make sure I don't lose any hard earned muscle I know what you mean.

Taking time off is a good thing like everyone says, your body needs a break especially if your workouts revolve around weight training.

I found what works for me and puts my mind at ease is to do a grueling, grueling workout the day before I go on vacation. This usually involves a crazy squat routine and afterwards I feel satisfied that I'll need a week to recover from it anyway and I enjoy my vacation and don't hit the weights until I get back.

 

[searl12]

A lot of little things finally will heal up during your time off. The hardest part to handle is the visible lack of muscle tone. But it is this relaxed state that allows deep healing of all the accumulated damage from heavy lifting. Also, you will lose a little water weight and some salt and glycogen with it. Actual muscle loss is minimal even over a few weeks.

Unless you're a competitive BBer, you should totally enjoy this guilt-free vacation! That doesn't mean you should get sh!t faced every night either though.

doesnt it? lol jk, get sht faced every other night, just rot by the pol and recover the other times,.

 

[jpk]

doesnt it? lol jk, get sht faced every other night, just rot by the pol and recover the other times,.

Amen! Getting blutered every other night is just an alcohol pulse cycle right? Works with Superdrol, should work for tequila.:lick:

 

[brownstown89]

when i go outta town i party alll the time try to get with as many girls as possible, eat doughnuts, taco bell, mcdonalds, pizza watever i want get hammered, smoke some much greeen have fun...

then come back and its all buisness.

 

[fritzer]

i take a week off every 8 weeks

you can go 4 weeks if diet is in check without loosing much at all and not loosing strength
i have taken up to 5 weeks with no problems at all

 

[Chubbinmuffin]

Fish oil has been shown to slow muscle atrophy.

 

[searl12]

i take a week off every 8 weeks

you can go 4 weeks if diet is in check without loosing much at all and not loosing strength
i have taken up to 5 weeks with no problems at all

I couldnt agree more, people think they shrink even if they miss a few days when in reality is could be a loss of glycogen or water.

a month on then a week off isnt a bad idea either, after a month try it and you will look thick and full after your weak off.

(obviously assuming diet is on)
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