I’m a personal trainer, and I’m currently on a week off from my own gym training. The response I’ve had when telling friends about this has been interesting, so it’s time to discuss it properly.
Signs you need to take a break from the gym
I strength train four times per week. I realised a long time ago that it’s my sweet spot in terms of available time, what I enjoy doing, and how my body responds. I spread those sessions out across seven days – sometimes there’s a day between sessions, others I train two or three days back to back, but I get rest days each week.
Because I like to push quite hard, and my current goals are about lifting heavier weights, my body does get tired, and it hits a point where rest days aren’t enough recovery (even when I make sure I’m fuelling adequately with food and water, and getting enough sleep each night). There comes a point when I need a longer rest. But how do I know? I consistently struggle to push myself (one bad day every so often is to be expected); I might notice that I’m more sore and stiff than usual; there are certain movements – the explosive kind – where I don’t have the “snap” or power that I’m looking for. When you know, you know.
What happens if I don’t workout for a week?
Results will vary from person to person, but your worst nightmares (whether they’re about gaining weight, losing strength, or something else) probably won’t come true (unless you happen to injure yourself during your time off, meaning you’re off for far longer than planned). And trust me: I know the fear. During my first year of training, taking a week off made me very anxious – I was mostly worried that I’d lose the will to train, and let myself “slack off” and never go back.
Reader: it didn’t happen.
What did happen was that I went on holiday, had a fabulous time, got some proper rest, and was keen to go back to training once I returned, because I missed lifting weights. Maybe I’m weird?
The getting proper rest bit is what’s most likely to happen. Keep yourself ticking over – make sure you keep moving in a relaxed way, get out and about walking or cycling, catching up with friends or sightseeing. Have a stretch if you feel like you want or need to. Do pelvic floor exercises still if they’re part of your routine (if they aren’t, why aren’t they though?!). And get that magical sleep.
Will I lose progress if I don’t workout for a week?
Did you build your progress in a week? I know that the answer is “no”. The answer to your question is “no” too. If you’ve just been learning something brand new, it might take a minute to find the movement again. If you’ve been training consistently or to a peak, it’s unlikely that you’ll lose much, if anything. For some lucky people, the rest will do them good, and they’ll walk back in and nail a PB (lucky bastards).
Many of us will find that a week off will make us wander back in having mulled things over, and decided whether or not we like the goals we’re chasing. It’ll inspire us to make a couple of changes, aim for something slightly different, and start from where we left off.
When to take a break from the gym
There are a couple of ways to look at this. Firstly, you can do what I’ve mentioned above and listen to your body. Are you feeling more tired than normal (or sick)? Then it’s probably time for a break. Secondly, take a look at the calendar – have you been training consistently for eight weeks plus? Then it could be time. Thirdly, are you enjoying training, or is it a case that you’re having to drag yourself there? Then it might be time to take a week off.
Lots of us will find a natural opportunity to step away for a week. If you’re going away on holiday, have lots of social occasions coming up, or a particularly tight schedule, tying in a week off can be smart. It’s a balance with our mental health too: I and many others train to support our minds as much as our bodies, so if the gym is important for you in this sense and you need that help, think carefully about how to time a week away.
Listen to your body: the best way to keep going, is to be consistent over time, and also to let your body do the job of healing from what you ask of it. That means rest and recovery as well as progressive overload. As with all parts of life – it’s about balance.