Want to Take a Workout Break? Know Important Tips on How to Do it Right

Working out at the gym daily is a common habit in active people. But there are times when work piles up, family problems or other issues arise that may cause you to miss a couple of workouts. 

Are workout breaks a bad thing? Do they affect your fitness progress?

No.

Not when it’s done right. To make sure you don’t lose any progress you’ve worked so hard to achieve, we’ll be talking about workout breaks, what they are, how they’re important, its benefits, and tips if you’re looking to take one.

What is a workout break?

Workout break is a certain amount of time that a person chooses not to exercise. These breaks can be taken because of voluntary and involuntary reasons. 

Voluntary breaks are a personal choice, they could be because of time constraints, bodily stress, family or work issues, etc.

Involuntary  breaks can be because of a medical emergency, health issues or to recover from an injury.

hen I say workout break, it is not the same as a rest day. Unlike a rest day which is necessary for your body, taking a break from exercising is optional. 

The person here either switches to a less intense activity or completely stops for a week or more. Now, you may think that taking a break from workouts might give way to detraining effects on your fitness levels but that’s not true. 

According to a research article, a one to two weeks long break does not affect or reduce a person’s aerobic capacity or muscle strength. 

But if you take a break for two months or more, you will lose all your workout progress. 

What are the Benefits of Taking a Break from Work outs?

You might not know this but taking a break from exercising can actually be good for you in many ways.

a. Better Fitness-Life Balance 

Many times people get caught up in work, daily life responsibilities and relationships so much they don’t have the energy or time to do one more thing. 

Pushing yourself to workout daily isn’t productive or healthy. So a workout break might just be what you need to focus your energy and time on other aspects of your life. 

b. No Overreaching and Overtraining Risk 

Overreaching refers to excessive physical training that affects your workout performance and stops you from getting the most out of your fitness routine. 

Overtraining is the result of overreaching that causes serious physical issues for a person ranging from depression to inflammation. 

c. Prevents Exercising Burnout 

When a person has been exercising daily for some time there’s a good chance they might experience burnout. 

When you take a break from the gym it helps in preventing burnout. So when you do go back to exercising, you’re fresh and ready to get back to the old routine. 

d. Increased Motivation 

Be it exercising or other activity, doing it daily becomes rough after a while. Why? Because of lack of motivation. 

But by taking a break you get out of a repetitive cycle meaning when you return to working out, you are motivated to exercise.

e. Rests & Recuperates the Body and Mind

When you listen to your body’s cues and take a break, you give it the chance to rest and recuperate. You might not know but exercising regularly puts your body under physical stress. 

By taking a break, your body gets a few days off the physical stress which is good for overall mental and physical well-being. 

But how do you know if your body needs a break? Let’s get into that first. 

f. Physical Signs that you Need a Break

You can take a break whenever you want. But if you’ve been experiencing these physical or mental symptoms lately then your body needs that break as soon as possible. 

Tips on How to Take a Break from Exercising

Before you decide to go and take a break from gymming, make sure to plan it through in advance. There are mainly two things you need to consider - duration and alternate activities. 

1.Duration 

There is no set number of days or weeks that will help you feel refreshed and ready to go back to working out. That is up to you. But do decide on the duration of the break, so you don’t give up on your fitness journey. 

Taking a week or two off from the gym won’t hurt your progress. But if you’re thinking of taking a long break then prepare for some progress loss in your fitness. 

2. Alternative Physical Activity

During your break, you could do fun physical activities or sports that keep the body moving. Use this break to try out new activities that you’ve wanted to try like swimming, rock climbing, hiking, barre, etc. 

Keeping yourself active makes sure the body is getting some physical work out and that the muscles do not become stiff.

Now that we’ve covered discussing workout breaks, let’s talk about going back to an exercising routine after a break.

3. How to Start Exercising Again After a Workout Break? 

When you return to exercising after a week or a month, your body is going to need a few days to go back to the old fitness routine. Now, how long this will take is dependent on the duration of the break, individual genetic make up, and the intensity of your previous workout.