I have a confession to make. I'm a fitness trainer and, this year, I've had more weeks off the gym than I've had training. I say it's a confession because it's something I imagine other people would be ashamed of. But not me - because I know that gym breaks are a normal and important part of our training life.
It all started at the beginning of the year when, just as everyone else was setting their January resolutions to get fitter, I came down with a case of gluteal tendonitis. The itchy and raging pain in my hip meant that I was off the weights, opting for Pilates workouts and gentle movement to try and rehabilitate the tissue.
Then I went travelling. I did some workouts in the grounds of my hotel room and, for one week, we did have access to a gym which I hit up around three times. But upon returning to the UK, my hip was still feeling off after lifting weights. Rather than pushing through, I stuck with workouts that didn't irritate it, which meant going back to Pilates and mindful running.
That I could run was a good thing, given I had signed up for a half marathon in April. Long distance trips around the park and sprints on the treadmill became my go-to workouts. It was only after completing the race that I managed to get back to properly exercising in the gym.
I had a few great months of training - but then I had to take time off to prepare for and recover from an operation. Which brings me to now: eight months into the year and only around 13 months of consistent gym work under my belt.
I'm not worrying. It's not that I'm lacking exercise motivation - rather, I just know that there are seasons for goal chasing and seasons for recovery. Times when building strength is vital and other times when our focus goes to other things, like running or rest. Stages where our bodies benefit from challenge and stages where the last thing it needs is to be pushed to its max.
So if you're taking a gym break, my key message is not to panic. And if you want to know more about why and when gym breaks can actually be good for you, I'm here to share some of the science and socialised information around training breaks, along with PT Nancy Best, founder of Ladies of Crunch. Don't miss our explainers on workout recovery, how to get motivated to workout and how to restart your fitness routine after a break, too.
Why gym breaks can actually be good for your wellbeing
How do you know when it's time to take a gym break?
As you can see from my story, there were many reasons that this year has been filled with gym breaks, from my schedule to injury.
"Having a break from training is usually related to a physical or emotional circumstance," says Best. "Whether that’s an injury that you need to rehab or a really time-intensive project at work, it’s very common to have a period of time where you’re not sticking to your normal training programme."
So take it from two fitness pros: it's totally fine to take a break from the gym. We worry about this because online, we are bombarded with everyone's highlights. It seems that people are in the gym every day, hyping up their "no days off" attitude and making us feel silly for not having time, energy or the ability to move.
"There’s lots of noise in the fitness world about the importance of consistency, but taking a break can sometimes be the key to maintaining sustainable results. Even professional athletes build in breaks," reminds Best.
Off-seasons are vital for fitness pros, often taking entire months off of their usual routine, while others factor in what's known as a de-load week. This is a week of fewer, lighter or no workouts that are intentionally factored into their schedule.
"I like to think about exercise like I do my job… I'm not giving up on my career when I have a holiday - it’s an essential that improves my performance at work. The same is true for fitness."
Are there benefits to gym breaks?
Now we've accepted that gym breaks are fine. Can we go one further and suggest there are any positives? Well, the NHS advises that we need to do 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a day or 75 minutes of intense exercise across the week, so I'm not an advocate of avoiding exercise altogether and I would suggest that we all try to move a little bit every day.
You also don't need a study to tell you that extended breaks from the gym can cause muscle, strength and fitness to decline. Though it may be less than you imagine: after three weeks off of exercise, there was no change to muscle thickness, strength or sports performance in people who had previously resistance trained. And muscle memory is a real thing: you will build back the strength you lost much faster than you built it for the first time.
Downtimes from the gym really don't have to mean poor fitness. A small study, from the European Journal of Applied Physiology, compared those who trained continuously for 24 weeks to those who trained for six weeks then took a three-week break and repeated the cycle three times.
Surprisingly, the group that cycled training with rest had similar results in muscle growth to those who continuously trained. In short: it doesn't matter if your training faces blocks - it just matters that you return to it. ''We know that muscle repairs and develops on rest days, so breaks can be really helpful. I often find that clients of mine who have had a few weeks off can come back and hit a PB in the first session," adds Best.
A break from the gym can also improve performance, especially in those who are overdoing their exercise. "Overtraining can be just as detrimental as not training at all," says Best.
In fact, the overtraining syndrome is defined as repetitive intense training without adequate rest that leads to decreases in performance as well as psychological, hormonal and physiological symptoms. Research shows that breaks from training - even up to a month off exercise - are important to help athletes properly tolerate loads.
These breaks are especially vital if you're injured. Resting and letting your body direct its energy towards healing - rather than training - is never a hindrance to your fitness. Not to mention, rest days can be brilliant for your mental health, focus and motivation. Studies suggest that taking enough rest is shown to alleviate feelings of boredom and stress around training.
Plus, if you're too worried about your body, strength or physique to take time off, you may need to look deeper at your relationship with exercise. "If the concept of having a break from the gym, even just for a week, makes you feel very on edge, you might want to take a look into support services to help you find a more balanced approach," agrees Best.
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5 simple steps to getting back into movement after a break:
I'm eager to get back to the gym, but I'll admit that it does feel daunting knowing that I will likely feel weaker than I'm used to. So, here are some ways I'm going to manage re-finding my space in the gym:
1. Don't jump straight into a plan
This may sound contradictory to every other piece of information out there, but I'm not going to jump straight in with a plan. Even a workout programme that's three days a week for beginners feels a bit too much right now, especially as I'm still healing. Instead, I'm going to go to the gym to do a bit of what feels manageable until I feel confident enough to start taking my training seriously.
2. Then, follow a plan:
Then, and only then, will I find a good programme to follow. I've previously used Shona Vertue's Sculpt plan, which I loved, and I'm also keen to try out lots of new workout guides to see what works best. By following a programme, I'll have some guidance and a routine that will make me feel good.
3. Go light
It's easy to let your ego convince you pick up where you left off but your body really does need to ease in - especially if your break has been the result of injury or a medical procedure. I'm working hard to rebuild the strength around the site of my incisions and will be reducing the weight in every other lift - mostly taking it back to bodyweight or light dumbbells. That's not only to avoid awfully aching muscles after training but also to remind myself of best form and movement patterns before going back to heavy weights.
4. And don't overdo it
I'm used to training five or six days a week, but as I ease back in I'll be starting with around two days of intentional training a week. The other days will spent keeping up the low-intensity movement I've been sticking to recently, like Pilates, walking and cycling.
5. Most importantly, have fun
There's nothing like a break to remind you that exercise is not the be-all and end-all and, crucially, it's not that deep. If you're someone who is just training for life - to feel good and mobile for as long as you can - then there's no need to overthink or stress about your training. The most important thing is that you find a form of movement you enjoy, can stick to most of the time but can also easily take a break from.
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How long should your gym break be?
There is lots of research out there about how quickly muscle mass and cardiovascular fitness decline over the days, weeks and months off the gym, but I'm not here to talk about that. Instead, I think it's more important that you ask yourself how long your body needs away from training.
"If you’re injured, the recovery period will be specific and hopefully you can work with a professional physio or PT to develop a rehab timeline," says Best. "If the break is down to the fact that you’re struggling to build a consistent exercise routine and you find that your heart just isn’t in it, that’s a clear signal that you’re not enjoying it. This is where it can become challenging, because the longer the break, sometimes the harder it can feel to get ‘back on the horse."
Her advice here? Take the pressure off completely and ask yourself what you love and what makes you feel good in your body. Try to find ways to reconnect with exercise that aligns with your hobbies. Love seeing your friends? What about a walking club? Addicted to a Netflix series? Sit on an exercise bike and watch it!
Research proves that you're much more likely to stick to something you enjoy. So, bottom line: "Don’t worry about what other people are doing and just focus on your journey and if that’s outside of a traditional gym environment, that doesn’t mean you can’t be fit and strong," the trainer concludes.
