Day in, day out, you’re training hard and working out, pounding the weights and doing that dreaded cardio. Now whether you hit the gym, three, four, or five days a week or more, the primary key to success is consistency. We all know that weight training, cardio exercise, and diet are the three most important factors for building the body that you desire. But there is a fourth factor that is often overlooked and plays just as important a role in your bodybuilding success and that’s recovery!

Recovery is crucial in order for the body to continue to make progress - whether it’s gaining muscle or losing body fat. In addition to physical recovery (from one workout to the next), there is that all-important mental recovery to consider. Even though we might take a couple of days off from working out every week, pounding our bodies month after month often requires more than those nominal one or two days. But taking a week or two off will do wonders for breaking you out of a training rut and stimulate your body into making faster and better gains.

Lift for life

Ask most bodybuilders who have been working out for 20 years or more what the key to their longevity is, and we’ll bet that at the top of the list is recovery. For most experienced bodybuilders, periodically taking one or two weeks off from the gym pays big dividends towards durability and progress. After every 8-10 weeks of consistent training, take one or two full weeks off to fully recuperate. Physically, this will allow the body to heal any minor strains, sprains, and joint pain it already has or is beginning to develop. Of course we fully understand that this is not always easy for a compulsive hardcore bodybuilder to do. Many people fear that they will lose muscle size and strength if they take a week off. Trust us - this won’t happen. It takes a minimum of 3-4 weeks of complete hysical inactivity for your muscles to start atrophying and losing size. In fact taking a week or two off will probably produce the exact opposite effect - you’ll come back bigger and stronger than ever as your body is given a chance to fully recover.

Keeping it clean

During your week or two off, try to keep you’re eating habits clean but not fanatical. Stick to your usual diet, but throw in an extra cheat meal to really give the metabolism a change. One reason many of us do not like to take a week off is the fear of gaining weight. If you still eat clean, you will not gain any fat. If the weight scale does go up by a couple of pounds, don’t panic as most of it will be from fluid retention and the extra glycogen that your muscles are storing.

Besides the physical benefits of taking a week off, let’s discuss the benefits of this for your nervous system. After a strenuous 8-10 weeks of all-out training, your nervous system also takes a whipping. Often, overtraining is caused because of a lack of recuperation by the nervous system. You may find yourself tired, weak, irritable, and even losing your motivation to exercise. A much-needed break from working out is vital to avoid complete burnout.

So what’s the bottom line - give yourself a break! After months of hard training, take at least one week off and enjoy other activities that life has to offer. You will be doing both your mind and your body a great service. Then when you get back to the gym, you will feel refreshed, energized, motivated, and stronger than ever. This is perhaps the ultimate reward for taking time off.

By Bob Howard

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