Common sense would make you think that when you’d compare a person training 52 weeks a year with a person training 16–24 weeks a year, the former would be much stronger than the latter. Yet, as fitness coach Jason Feruggia and any strength coach would tell you, the strength gains aren’t that much different in either of these cases, and the athletes resting for longer can actually experience greater gains[lxxx].
Consequently, breaks are good for you and can help you achieve the same or better results with less effort – given that you’re able to get back into your routine after taking a break. And herein lies the biggest problem – how do you resume a habit of exercise if you’ve been taking it easy for a week or two, or even an entire month in the case of a forced break due to an illness or an injury?
The most important thing you should remember is to never truly stop exercising at all. Complete physical inactivity has a way of promoting laziness that’s hard to escape once the break is over.
If you’re forced to take a break and have to give up all kinds of exercise due to an illness or an injury, at least try to move a little – as much as your doctor allows you to. If you’re taking a break to recover, stop for a week or two with your regular, most strenuous exercises, but keep doing other, low-intensity exercises like taking walks, cycling, etc.
Every twelve weeks, I take a week or two off and don’t lift weights. These breaks greatly reduce the amount of exercise I get, but they only serve as a recovery tool for me – they don’t cause any problems once I restart my routine. Taking a break from the gym doesn’t mean I stop exercising at all. I only pause my weightlifting sessions to let my body recover while I still practice other sports, albeit usually with lower intensity.
In addition, these breaks serve another important purpose – they help me stay motivated to lift weights by preventing general psychological and physical burnout and/or injuries that have a higher chance of happening if you’re over-trained.
If you still maintain some kind of a fitness routine during a break – even if it’s just a few walks a week – it’s still enough to help you resume your previous routine once you’re ready.
What if going back to your old routine means experiencing the old problems you’re not looking forward to, like sore muscles and general reluctance to exercise even if you know you’ll enjoy it once you get back into it?
In such a case, start slow and gradually increase intensity until you feel you’re back to your previous shape and mindset. When I return to the gym after my week-long break, I don’t start with the weights I lifted the last time I was at the gym. I reduce the intensity by 10%, which still makes training feel like a solid workout, but not so challenging that I’m unable to move my body the next day.
The same advice applies to other types of sports. If you go on 2-hour long bike rides four times a week and take a 14-day break from cycling, don’t start with four 2-hour long sessions a week when you go back. Take it easier by starting with two or three 90-minute sessions the first week. It will make it easier for your body to re-accustom to your previous routine, thus reducing the soreness and general reluctance to exercise.
It’s a good idea to develop your own recovery system and stick to it religiously. For instance, I always take a week-long break from the gym every three months. In addition to that, I make sure to increase the number of days recovering from other sports (like climbing) whenever I feel I have low energy. Just one additional day of rest can have huge effects on your overall motivation, thus helping you stick with your fitness routine permanently.
However, don’t fall into the trap of taking breaks on a whim. Plan them in advance so you avoid taking emotionally-dictated breaks just because you don’t feel like exercising on a given day. Such a behavior can lead to destroying your habit and reducing motivation.
Last but not least, don’t feel guilty about taking a break. As long as you take it weeks or months after you develop a permanent habit of exercise (and not the first time you face obstacles), they won’t hurt and can only help.