How to Stay in Shape on Vacation: Workouts and Relaxation

A typical one- to two-week vacation doesn't completely deplete your fitness, even with significantly reduced training. Strength and muscle mass are typically better preserved than aerobic endurance: small changes in cardiovascular fitness in well-trained individuals can appear after about two weeks of complete training cessation, while in one study of young strength athletes, a two-week break did not result in a significant decrease in leg strength. [1]

Therefore, it's not necessary to repeat your home workout routine while on vacation. If the goal is to maintain, rather than improve, fitness, the intensity of the workout can be significantly reduced. A review of studies on the maintenance of physical performance showed that endurance in the general population could be maintained with two aerobic workouts per week or with a significantly reduced duration, as long as sufficient intensity was maintained; strength and muscle mass in young people under the studied conditions could be maintained with even one strength training session per week. These figures cannot be considered a universal program for every athlete, but they clearly illustrate the main point: significantly less effort is required for maintenance than for progress. [2]

For most physically active vacationers, a practical strategy is simple: walk, swim, or cycle a lot, and do a short workout targeting major muscle groups once or twice a week. Even if the vacation lasts only a week and you want to take a complete break from training, this usually doesn't lead to significant muscle loss. In a randomized study, a week-long break in the middle of a strength program did not impair gains in muscle thickness, power, or local muscular endurance, although the group that trained continuously experienced slightly greater strength gains. [3]

What does it really mean to be out of shape?

Physical fitness consists of several components, and they deteriorate at different rates. These include aerobic endurance, maximal strength, muscle mass, power, coordination, the ability to perform a typical training volume, and sport-specific skills.

Therefore, after two weeks of rest, a person may return to the gym and feel "completely out of shape," even though their muscle mass has remained virtually unchanged. Their usual weights feel heavier, their heart rate rises faster, their movements seem less automatic, and their usual tolerance for high-volume training disappears.

The aerobic system is particularly sensitive to the cessation of training. A recent review of studies in endurance athletes shows that complete cessation of exercise can reduce maximal oxygen consumption due to changes in blood plasma volume, cardiac output, and other adaptations. However, even after training cessation, some of the acquired adaptations persist for some time. [4]

Muscle strength is usually more sustainable. This doesn't mean muscle loss is impossible over a few weeks or months of inactivity, but a short break is not the same as a months-long cessation of training.

How many days does it take for stamina to start declining?

In well-trained individuals, the first measurable changes in aerobic capacity may appear after about two weeks of complete cessation of training.

In a small study of 15 young endurance athletes, a two-week training cessation was associated with reductions in maximal oxygen consumption, time to exhaustion, and maximum stroke volume. Body mass and body fat percentage remained virtually unchanged. [5]

A broader review of data on training cessation also shows that cardiovascular fitness responds to detraining more quickly than some strength parameters. Mechanisms include a reduction in blood and plasma volume and a subsequent decrease in stroke volume. [6]

But a measurable decline in a laboratory value and "loss of all fitness" are two completely different things. If a person walks, swims, cycles a lot, or raises their heart rate to their usual training zone several times during a vacation, they are no longer in a state of complete physical inactivity.

Therefore, a vacation with twenty thousand steps during excursions is physiologically different from two weeks of almost continuous lying by the pool.

How long does it take for strength and muscle loss to begin?

Taking a short break is much less harmful to muscle mass than is often assumed.

In a study of young men with strength training experience, a two-week period of inactivity was not associated with a significant decrease in leg press strength; lean mass was also generally maintained. The study was small and included only young men, so its results cannot be generalized to women, older adults, and professional athletes. However, it does demonstrate that two weeks without lifting a barbell does not automatically mean a loss of strength gains. [7]

Another randomized trial evaluated a week-long deload in regularly training men and women. Over a nine-week program, the group receiving a week-long deload experienced comparable changes in muscle thickness, power, and local endurance to the group who trained continuously. Some advantage of continuous training was observed for strength, but a week-long rest clearly did not "destroy muscle." [8]

With longer periods of complete training cessation, the losses gradually become more significant. A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis of 86 studies found that the effects of training cessation depend on the specific measure and duration of the break: some improvements in body composition and metabolic health are maintained over time, while some adaptations fade sooner. [9]

This means that a week's vacation, two weeks without going to the gym, and two months without any exercise are three completely different physiological situations.

Why do muscles sometimes look smaller after vacation?

A change in muscle appearance immediately after vacation does not necessarily mean muscle loss.

The amount of glycogen—the carbohydrate stored in muscles—is related to the water content of muscle tissue. In experimental studies, at least three grams of bound water were found for every gram of muscle glycogen, although the exact ratio can vary depending on hydration status and other conditions.[10]

If a person stops doing their usual high-volume strength training, changes their carbohydrate intake, walks more, or eats completely differently, their muscle glycogen and water levels may change. In a mirror, the muscles temporarily appear smaller, and body weight decreases slightly—but these changes cannot be automatically interpreted as muscle protein loss.

The opposite situation occurs after returning to training and a normal diet: the muscles quickly become visibly fuller again.

Therefore, mirror photos taken on the last day of vacation are a poor way to assess how much muscle tissue a person has actually lost.

Is it necessary to exercise during a week-long vacation?

No. For many exercise enthusiasts, one week off from structured training is perfectly acceptable.

A week-long break can be used as a deloading period, especially if a person has been training regularly for several months before the vacation and is experiencing accumulated fatigue. A 2024 study found no adverse effects of a week-long break on muscle hypertrophy, power, or local muscular endurance in a nine-week strength program, although the continuous program produced better changes in some strength measures. [11]

This doesn't prove that a week-long break always improves recovery or is necessary for everyone. The study also doesn't support the popular notion that rest necessarily creates a special "supercompensation" that makes a person stronger without the training stimulus.

The practical conclusion is much more modest: if the vacation lasts seven days, there is usually no need to worry about the lack of a gym.

A person preparing for a competition, a marathon, or a strict training cycle requires a different approach - even a brief change in load should be agreed upon with a coach.

What to do when on vacation for two or three weeks

If the trip lasts two to three weeks, the minimum maintenance load becomes more beneficial, especially for well-trained people.

A review of the minimal training dose found that in the general population, aerobic capacity could be maintained for up to 15 weeks by reducing the frequency to two training sessions per week or by reducing training volume by approximately one-third or even two-thirds, as long as sufficient intensity was maintained.[12]

For strength, the same review found that maintenance in young adults was possible with one workout per week and even one working set per exercise, as long as the relative intensity was maintained. For older adults, the authors suggested the need for somewhat greater volume—approximately two workouts and two to three sets per exercise. The authors specifically noted the lack of data for highly trained athletes. [13]

This doesn't mean everyone needs to do exactly one workout and one set. The main practical principle is different: during vacation, you can significantly reduce the volume and still retain most of the adaptations.

A minimal strategy for the average vacationer

If a person usually works out three to four times a week and goes away for two weeks, there is absolutely no need to look for a similar gym and transfer their entire home program there.

A practical compromise might be two short full-body workouts a week with active rest in between. Walking around town, swimming, cycling, hiking, or playing active games add aerobic exercise without feeling like your vacation has turned into a training camp.

From a health perspective, the World Health Organization recommends that adults in their daily lives achieve 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, or an equivalent amount of more intense activity, as well as strength training for major muscle groups at least two days a week. This includes any physical activity, including walking and cycling for transportation. [14]

These recommendations are intended primarily for health, not for maintaining athletic performance. Someone accustomed to running marathons or lifting heavy weights will have a different training level. But for the average physically active tourist, they provide a useful foundation: a vacation doesn't require a daily gym session if you maintain regular exercise.

Do you need to exercise every day?

No. Daily exercise is usually not necessary to stay in shape.

The American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 position statement, based on a review of 137 systematic reviews involving over 30,000 participants, confirms the effectiveness of strength training for strength, muscle mass, power, and physical function. For maximizing strength gains, training two or more times per week was beneficial, among other factors, but many other program details had a less pronounced effect than commonly believed. [15]

However, maximizing progress and maintaining what has already been achieved are different goals. When the goal is simply to maintain adaptations over several weeks, available data allows for significant reductions in frequency and volume. [16]

Therefore, the idea of “I have to do twenty minutes of exercise every morning, otherwise I’ll lose muscle” is not well-founded.

If you enjoy daily exercise and it helps you feel better, you can continue it. But don't make it a requirement for staying in shape.

Can you preserve muscle mass with bodyweight exercises?

Yes, if the exercise creates a sufficiently serious load on the muscles.

For muscular adaptation, it's not the equipment itself that's important, but the mechanical tension the muscle experiences. In a recent review by the American College of Sports Medicine, equipment type did not demonstrate a consistent, independent effect on the primary outcomes of strength training. [17]

Therefore, push-ups, single- and double-leg squats, lunges, step-ups, glute bridges, calf raises, and resistance band exercises can all help maintain muscle tone if performed in a challenging enough manner.

For example, for someone who squats at home with a barbell, twenty regular squats without weights might be too easy. In this case, they could use Bulgarian split squats, slow down the lowering motion, increase the range of motion, or use a securely held backpack with additional weight.

For a trained person, it is more important to maintain a sufficiently difficult approach than to try to get a huge number of easy repetitions.

An example of a short strength training session without a gym

There's no single, perfect vacation routine. One simple option is to choose one movement for each major muscle group and perform one to three controlled sets of each.

Movement	Example without a gym	What is being loaded?
Squat	squat, split squat, Bulgarian lunge	anterior thigh, buttocks
Hip extension	glute bridge, backpack bend	buttocks, back of the thigh
Arm press	push-ups from the floor or a stable support	chest, shoulders, triceps
Thrust	bent-over rows with a rubber band or backpack	back muscles, arm flexors
Caviar	calf raises, on one leg if necessary	calf muscles
Muscles of the trunk	side plank, controlled leg raises	trunk muscles

The goal of this type of training is not to exhaust yourself, but to provide a familiar strength stimulus to your major muscle groups. If your usual fitness level is high, you can make the exercises more challenging; if you've rarely done strength training before, vacation isn't the best time to suddenly begin a large volume of unfamiliar lunges, jumps, or other exercises that could cause severe delayed-onset muscle soreness.

Hotel furniture should be used with particular caution as exercise equipment. A chair, table, or doorknob is not designed to withstand dynamic loads and may be less stable than it appears.

What's more important on vacation: volume or intensity?

To maintain fitness, it is usually easier to reduce volume than to completely remove a sufficiently intense stimulus.

A review of maintenance training concluded that intensity was the most important variable for maintaining both endurance and strength, while volume and frequency were significantly reduced in many studies.[18]

This is consistent with earlier findings on pre-competition deloading: training volume can be significantly reduced while maintaining more intense training elements.[19]

But intensity doesn't mean performing maximal sets or intervals to complete exhaustion every time during a vacation. The current position of the American College of Sports Medicine is that training to complete muscle failure has not consistently shown benefits for primary adaptations. [20]

For a person on vacation, it is wiser to leave several fairly difficult, but controlled approaches than to do one extreme session and walk around with severe muscle pain for the next three days.

Is it possible to stay in shape by walking alone?

For general health and basic aerobic activity – in many cases, yes. For maintaining a high level of athletic performance – not always.

Brisk walking is considered moderate aerobic activity, and the World Health Organization emphasizes that physical activity from transport and daily life also counts. [21]

If a person leads a predominantly sedentary lifestyle at home and visits a fitness club several times a week, a vacation with long daily walks can even increase their overall range of motion.

But for a trained runner, cyclist, or swimmer, a walk around the city creates significantly less cardiorespiratory strain than their usual workout. If maintaining a high level of endurance is important, it makes sense to include a regular type and intensity of exercise several times during your vacation—for example, running, brisk swimming, or cycling.

Therefore, the question should not be “how many steps did I take,” but “did the body receive a load comparable to at least part of what it is adapted to.”

Is it necessary to take 10,000 steps?

No. There is no universal medical standard of "10,000 steps every day" for staying in shape.

The World Health Organization's recommendations focus on the time and intensity of physical activity, rather than a single required number of steps. They also emphasize that any amount of movement is better than no activity at all. [22]

For one traveler, 7,000 steps through a hilly city, including swimming, may represent a significant challenge. Another person can easily manage 15,000 steps in everyday life, but this won't be enough to maintain their endurance.

Step count is useful as a guide to daily activity, but it does not measure strength training, climbing intensity, swimming, cycling, or gym training.

How to Maintain Endurance Without Long Workouts

If you are short on time, you can shorten your workouts but still include several periods of fairly intense work if you are already accustomed to such loads.

Research on low-volume interval training shows that short interval programs can effectively stimulate aerobic adaptations. However, high-intensity interval training is not a prerequisite for maintaining health or fitness and is not optimal for everyone. [23]

On vacation, a simple option might be a short, regular jog, a brisk swim, a mountain climb, or a bike ride. If you've never done intense intervals at home, it's not a good idea to start doing them on your own in the hot sun on vacation just to save time.

On the other hand, a trained runner can replace some of his long workouts with short maintenance runs. This is consistent with the general idea of maintaining intensity while reducing volume, although the specific program depends on the sport and initial training. [24]

Can a vacation be a useful release?

Yes, reducing training load can be a normal part of the training process.

Pre-competition taper training is used in sports, where training volume is intentionally reduced to reduce accumulated fatigue while maintaining athletic adaptations. Research shows that high volume is not required to maintain performance as long as key training stimuli are maintained. [25]

However, a regular vacation cannot be automatically equated with a professionally planned sports decompression period. For athletes, the duration and structure of such a period are planned based on the sport, stage of the season, and competition.

For the amateur, it's more beneficial to view vacation as an opportunity to reduce the pressure of the training schedule: to maintain movement and a few basic stimuli, but not to try to achieve progress at any cost.

If persistent fatigue, irritability, decreased motivation to train, or a feeling that each workout is harder than usual have accumulated before the trip, a temporary reduction in volume may be especially appropriate. If there's a persistent decline in performance, pain, or other symptoms, the cause, of course, may not be solely due to training load.

Don't turn your vacation into a training camp

One of the typical mistakes is to compensate for the lack of a regular gym with an excessive amount of unusual activity.

For example, someone might typically walk 5,000 steps a day, but while on a sightseeing vacation, they suddenly start walking 20-25 kilometers, climbing stairs, and simultaneously doing jumping jacks and lunges every morning. While they may technically be "exercising less," the overall strain on their feet, calves, knees, and tendons can be significantly higher than usual.

The same thing happens on the beach: running on soft sand is mechanically different from running on a treadmill, long swims are different from a typical twenty-minute workout, and a mountain hike is different from a walk through a flat city.

Therefore, it's best to gradually increase the volume of new loads. The principle of gradually increasing training loads is also used in sports medicine: abruptly exceeding the body's current capacity to tolerate loads increases the likelihood of overload and reduces performance. [26]

How to exercise in the heat

In hot climates, maintaining your usual training plan should not be a priority over safety.

The CDC recommends rescheduling physical activity for cooler mornings or evenings whenever possible, limiting activity in the mid-day, starting slower, and gradually increasing intensity. If you experience weakness or lightheadedness, stop exercising and move to a cooler area. [27]

For travelers arriving from cooler climates, heat adaptation takes time. The CDC Yellow Book 2026 notes that most physiological changes associated with heat acclimatization develop within approximately ten days of regular exposure to heat; if no prior adaptation has occurred, it is recommended to limit the intensity and duration of exercise during the first week. [28]

Therefore, a person who can easily run ten kilometers at home at 18 °C should not expect the same speed on the first day of vacation at 33 °C and high humidity.

Slowing down in this situation is not a loss of fitness, but a normal reaction of the body to additional heat stress.

What to do on vacation in the mountains

Altitude also changes training capabilities. Even good physical fitness doesn't protect a person from altitude sickness.

The CDC recommends acclimatization after a rapid ascent above approximately 2,450-2,750 meters (8,500-9,000 ft). During the first 48 hours at altitude, only light physical activity is recommended; respiratory and circulatory adaptation occurs most rapidly in the first 3-5 days. Maximum performance at altitude remains lower than at sea level, even after adaptation. [29]

Therefore, an attempt to “stay in shape” should not become the reason for a hard workout immediately after arriving in a high-altitude city or ski resort.

If a headache occurs along with nausea, dizziness, or severe weakness after a rapid ascent to altitude, exercise should not be used as a way to "catch your breath." This is a matter of altitude adaptation and possible mountain sickness. [30]

Sleep is sometimes more important than extra exercise.

If your vacation starts with an early flight, an overnight flight, and jet lag, trying to get in a hard workout right away may make less sense than getting a good night's sleep.

Expert consensus on sleep in athletes notes that insufficient and disrupted sleep can impair physical and cognitive performance; the impact depends on the sport, the duration of sleep disruption, and individual characteristics. The authors do not propose a single, universal amount of sleep for every athlete, emphasizing an individual approach. [31]

A meta-analysis of endurance studies also found a moderate impairment in performance after sleep deprivation, with continuous work of more than 30 minutes being more severely affected than short bouts.[32]

So after a night of almost no sleep, there's little point in going through an intense workout just to keep up with your schedule.

A walk, light swimming, and normalizing sleep may be a more rational solution on this day.

Should you take sports nutrition on vacation?

Not necessarily. Maintaining your shape comes from the training stimulus and proper nutrition, not from the supplement itself.

For health, the World Health Organization recommends a diet based on sufficiency, balance, moderation, and variety. Protein is essential for muscle tissue, and active individuals may have higher protein requirements than sedentary individuals. [33]

But a two-week vacation doesn't automatically require switching to protein shakes. If your regular meals include suitable protein sources—for example, fish, meat, eggs, dairy, legumes, soy products, or a combination of these—not everyone needs a special supplement.

Protein powder may simply be a convenient option if you know you'll have trouble maintaining a regular diet while traveling. By itself, it doesn't compensate for the complete lack of strength training.

Should you count calories on vacation?

Staying in shape doesn't require most people to spend their vacations counting every meal they eat.

Short-term weight gain during travel can reflect not only the accumulation of fat but also changes in the amount of food in the intestines, salt, carbohydrate, and fluid intake. Therefore, weighing oneself immediately after returning provides little information about changes in body composition.

In a small prospective study of 122 adults, vacations of one to three weeks were associated with an average increase in body weight of approximately 0.32 kg (0.08 lb), and the study found no decrease in physical activity during vacation; the authors suggested that excess energy intake played a major role. The small size of the study makes it difficult to say exactly how much weight gain a typical vacationer gains. [34]

It's more practical to maintain a normal eating structure, not turn every restaurant meal into a competition, and remember that a few desserts over a vacation won't ruin your fitness, just as a few workouts won't fully compensate for constant overeating.

Can alcohol impair your fitness while on vacation?

One episode of moderate drinking alone won't "burn muscle," but regular drinking while on vacation can indirectly interfere with your fitness goals.

Alcohol adds energy to the diet, can impair sleep quality, and reduce desire to exercise the next day. Therefore, the effects often manifest not through a single direct mechanism, but through a combination of higher-calorie diets, reduced activity, and less restorative sleep.

From a fitness standpoint, it's more practical to think of alcohol as an additional part of your energy intake, rather than as a drink that "doesn't count" because it's liquid.

Combining alcohol with intense exercise in hot weather or at high altitudes, where the body is already experiencing additional physiological stress, is especially undesirable. The CDC recommends avoiding alcohol for the first 48 hours after arriving at high altitude. [35]

How to maintain running form

It is more beneficial for a runner to maintain at least a small amount of running training than to replace all training with strength exercises alone.

If you typically run four to five times a week, you can significantly reduce the volume on vacation. A few short runs maintain the specific movement, familiar impact, and elevated heart rate.

There is no need to try to make up for a missed weekly mileage in two days. Reduced training dose data shows that endurance can be maintained with significantly lower volumes as long as sufficient training stimulus is maintained. [36]

In hot weather, the pace should be reduced and, if possible, the training should be moved to a cooler time of day. [37]

If the holiday takes place at altitude, the first days require an additional reduction in intensity, regardless of the level of running fitness. [38]

How to maintain strength

For strength training, it makes more sense to leave a few fairly heavy movements, rather than trying to maintain all of your normal training volume.

A review of the minimum effective dose suggests that as little as one strength training session per week can maintain strength and muscle mass in young adults for a relatively long period if sufficient relative load is maintained.[39]

A randomized trial of reduced-training interventions also found that one or two strength training sessions per week maintained squat strength and quadriceps cross-sectional area over an eight-week reduced-training period, while the group that stopped training completely lost some of the gains. The participants were previously untrained young men, so the results have limitations, but they illustrate the effectiveness of a minimal maintenance dose. [40]

If you don't have access to a gym, try more challenging bodyweight exercises, a resistance band, or safe added weights.

Training to complete muscle failure is not necessary to maintain fitness. [41]

How to Maintain Muscle Mass After 60

It is especially helpful for an older person not to turn a vacation into several weeks of complete immobility.

The World Health Organization recommends that people aged 65 and over maintain aerobic activity and strength training; in those with reduced mobility, balance exercises are also important. [42]

A review of the minimum maintenance dose also highlights age differences: while some studies found that very little strength training was sufficient to maintain muscle mass in young adults, for older adults the authors suggested the need for approximately two strength training sessions per week with multiple sets. [43]

This doesn't mean that an older traveler needs to find a gym. Chair squats, chair rises, calf raises, resistance band exercises, and regular walking can all maintain essential physical fitness if they are appropriate for their health and activity level.

For someone with significant balance issues, heart disease, recent surgery, or serious joint conditions, a personalized program is more important than general online recommendations.

What to do after returning home

After a short break, you don't necessarily have to start a "return to form from scratch" program. But your first workout shouldn't be a test of how much you can handle after a break.

After one week of rest, most people who exercise regularly can return fairly close to their usual program, based on how they feel.

After two to three weeks of complete cessation of exercise, it's logical to initially reduce the volume slightly: perform fewer sets, kilometers, or intervals, and then gradually reintroduce them during subsequent workouts. The general principle of gradually increasing load is used in sports medicine, since too abrupt an increase in training stress relative to current fitness can impair exercise tolerance and increase the likelihood of problems. [44]

A person who continued to walk a lot and exercised several times while on vacation will require significantly less adaptation than someone who has been completely sedentary for three weeks.

If there was an illness, injury, severe diarrhea, fever, or other condition during the vacation, the return to training is determined by recovery from the illness, and not just the length of the break.

Practical strategy depending on the length of your vacation

Duration and purpose	A practical approach
Up to 7 days, regular fitness	You can take a complete break from the gym and just stay active.
1-2 weeks	Walking and active rest plus 1-2 short strength training sessions per week
2-3 weeks	It is advisable to maintain strength training and some aerobic exercise.
More than 3-4 weeks	It is better to organize a regular maintenance program
Strength athlete	Reduce volume but keep exercises challenging enough
Runner or cyclist	Maintain some specific aerobic exercise
Hot climate	Reduce intensity in the first few days, train in the morning or evening
Highlands	For the first 48 hours, limit yourself to light exercise and allow time for acclimatization.
Accumulated fatigue before vacation	It is acceptable to use part of the trip as a period of unloading

What is often misunderstood

"Two weeks without training will completely destroy your muscles." Available research does not support this. In a small study of young strength athletes, leg strength was maintained after two weeks without training, and a week-long break did not impair muscle hypertrophy in another controlled experiment. [45]

"When you stop training, the muscles go first." Aerobic capacity in well-trained individuals can respond to cessation of exercise quite quickly, while the decline in strength in the first weeks is often limited.[46]

"You need to exercise every day for at least 20 minutes." There's no universal standard for maintaining fitness. Studies of reduced-dose training show that maintenance volume can be much lower. [47]

"Walking is useless because it's not exercise." The World Health Organization counts walking and other everyday physical activity as part of total movement. But for a trained athlete, light walking alone may not be enough to maintain specific endurance. [48]

"After a vacation, you need to immediately give your muscles a shock workout." There is no physiological basis for this approach. A gradual return to exercise is usually wiser than a sudden increase in volume. [49]

"If your weight increases by a kilogram, it's a kilogram of fat." Body weight also changes due to water, glycogen, salt, and gastrointestinal contents; glycogen itself is associated with a significant amount of intramuscular water. [50]

Key points from experts

Iñigo Mujica is a PhD candidate in the biology of muscle performance and physical activity and sport and an associate professor in the Department of Physiology at the University of the Basque Country. His official university profile confirms his work in the field of exercise physiology, and his research has included the study of training load reduction and detraining for many years. [51] In a review of the minimum training dose, co-authored by Mujica, the research team concluded that physical performance can be maintained with significant reductions in training volume and frequency, as long as sufficient intensity remains. This is particularly useful for holidays: the goal is temporarily shifted from progress to maintenance. [52]

Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, is a professor of exercise physiology and director of the Master of Science in Exercise Performance and Fitness at Lehman College, City University of New York. His official profile lists his specialization in muscle hypertrophy, body composition, and the effects of various strength training parameters. [53] In a randomized trial by his group, a week-long break from strength training did not impair gains in muscle thickness, power, or local muscular endurance, although a continuous program was superior for some strength measures. The result does not prove that complete rest is beneficial for everyone, but it does illustrate how exaggerated the fear of losing muscle in one week is. [54]

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose muscle in a week without training?

Significant muscle loss in one week is unlikely in a healthy, regularly trained individual. A controlled study of a one-week deload found no reduction in muscle hypertrophy compared to continuous training.[55]

And in two weeks?

Some aerobic fitness may already be starting to decline, especially in well-trained endurance athletes. Strength and muscle mass are generally better preserved; in a small study of young strength athletes, leg strength was maintained after two weeks of detraining. [56]

How much training do you need on vacation?

For most people who want to maintain fitness, a significantly smaller volume than at home is sufficient. Research on performance maintenance suggests roughly one strength training session and two aerobic workouts per week as a possible minimum, but this is not a one-size-fits-all program for everyone. [57]

Is it possible to just walk a lot instead of going to the gym?

For general health and basic aerobic activity, yes. For maintaining high strength or athletic endurance, walking doesn't always replace specific exercise.

Is swimming enough?

Swimming is a good aerobic activity and works multiple muscles, but it doesn't completely replace heavy strength training for someone accustomed to it. It can be used as part of a maintenance program.

Do you need to take resistance bands for fitness?

It's not essential, but a lightweight resistance band is handy because it allows you to add pulling exercises that are more difficult to do with just your own bodyweight.

Do push-ups and squats help preserve muscle?

Yes, if they are challenging enough for your fitness level. Very easy exercises performed without significant muscular effort create a smaller maintenance stimulus.

Should you train to failure?

No. The current position of the American College of Sports Medicine does not show a consistent benefit of necessarily taking each set to complete muscular failure.[58]

Can vacation be used as a week of complete rest?

For the average sports enthusiast, it's perfectly acceptable. Especially if the trip lasts about a week and there's been regular training leading up to it. If you're preparing for a competition, the decision depends on your training plan.

Why does the first run after a vacation seem so much harder?

The aerobic system is sensitive to the cessation of habitual exercise, and heat, jet lag, lack of sleep, and the absence of a familiar running rhythm also affect performance. Even a slight, temporary decrease in performance does not mean complete loss of endurance. [59]

Why do I look less "pumped" after vacation?

One reason may be changes in muscle glycogen stores and associated water. This can affect muscle volume and mass without an equivalent loss of muscle tissue. [60]

Should I immediately return to my previous weight after vacation?

After a week's break, many are able to work close to their normal level. After several weeks of complete cessation of exercise, it's wiser to initially reduce the overall volume and gradually reintroduce it.

Is it possible to exercise intensively on the beach in hot weather?

This is only possible taking into account the temperature and adaptation. The CDC recommends reducing the load in the first few days, avoiding the hottest times of the day, and stopping training if you feel weak or lightheaded. [61]

Main

To stay in shape while on vacation, don't train as much as you would at home. Maintaining results requires a smaller training stimulus than further progress. A short vacation of about a week can even be used as a break from structured training; for a two- to three-week trip, it makes sense to incorporate one or two strength training sessions and some aerobic exercise. [62]

Endurance typically responds to complete cessation of exercise earlier than muscular strength. Therefore, a runner or cyclist would benefit from maintaining at least a few short, specific workouts, while a strength athlete can significantly reduce volume while still performing fairly challenging exercises. [63]

The most beneficial vacation strategy is to avoid turning it into three weeks of complete sedentary living or a boot camp. Walking, swimming, cycling, adequate sleep, and a few short workouts can maintain a significant portion of your physical fitness without the exercise interfering with your vacation.