Should You Strength Train Year Round?

“There is no off-season.”

“Stop when you’re done, not when you’re tired.”

“Sore is the new skinny.”

“Go hard or go home.”

GAG.

I hate the above statements. That’s not what I’m here to talk about today. I’m also not going to talk to you about the reasons why you should lift weights and exercise to begin with. If you’re reading this you probably already know that strength training will help you look and feel better. Plus, it might even help you live longer. I’d say lifting weights is worth a shot and below I’ll get into more detail about why you should strength train year round. 🙂

Instead, let’s talk about the fact that you absolutely must make fitness part of your lifestyle year-round. In other words, there is no off-season. (Sorry, had to say it! ;-))

Anyway, workouts shouldn’t be something that come and go in and out of your schedule depending on the week or month. Schedule those sessions or classes every week, just as you would meetings with the most important person you know.

And…conveniently, you ARE the most important person you know!

Your gym membership shouldn’t be something you stop and re-start multiple times each year. Sure, there will be months you use it more and months you use it less and that’s ok. Good, even. But go ahead and don’t throw in the towel completely, okay?

Exercise shouldn’t be something you make time for only when your clothes get tight or someone asks if you’ve been putting on a little weight. It should be something you always make time for even if it means sacrificing a little TV, hiring a house cleaner or social media-ing a little less.

When you stop exercising because you’re “gonna be too busy” or for any other reason, you’ll start losing strength gains in as little as 2-4 weeks. If you are new to exercise or older in age you’ll lose strength faster than someone who is a seasoned lifter.

Science, age and fitness levels aside, something happens when you take a long break from your exercise routine. You use your time to form new habits that don’t include exercising. Once established and practiced (consciously or subconsciously), habits are very hard to break.

Quite often, your summer break from the gym may go a little longer than initially planned. You just might find it’s October or November and you haven’t touched a weight in half a year!

Frankly, most people don’t need an off-season. You probably don’t need to take a few months off every year from lifting weights. Yes, you should give yourself a break now and then. Cut yourself some slack. Sleep in a few days here and there. Rest for a few days or a week here and there when you’re tired or beat up.

Then… get back at it. In fact, I encourage most people to keep their workouts on the schedule during rest weeks. Use that time for a walk or food prep, just something that contributes to your health so it remains a habit.

So how often should you exercise? Is it true that you should go hard or go home?

I usually recommend clients train 3-4 times a week with weights and then walk as much as possible. You may want to do a little conditioning in there too depending on your goals.

You definitely do not need to train every single day year round and you don’t need to train hard all the time or be sore after every workout. You need rest days! These days are when your muscles heal and grow.

My major point here is that you should exercise year-round. Make it a habit. Keep your strength gains, health and pants size where you want them. If you’re planning to take an off-season this coming summer after working your tush off all winter, ask yourself if you really need one or if you are using busy-ness as an excuse.

The average gym-goer does not need an off-season. Sure, you may need a week or two here and there when you take it easy or even completely off from exercise. You may need to adjust the volume and/or frequency of your training at different times during the year based on family, work and other obligations. Maybe you pick certain times of the year to really focus on getting strong or lean in the gym, and then have times of the year where you cut back and focus more on maintaining your fitness.

But…please don’t stop exercising completely with no other reason beyond something like “I’m busy.” I assure you it’s not fun coming back after a “break” that {almost always} lasts a little longer than planned.

(Keep in mind this is a general recommendation and I’m excluding anyone who is a serious athlete, a pregnant or post-partum women, an over-exerciser or someone recovering from a serious injury or illness…different topics for different days.)

My advice. Don’t ditch your routine. If you’re extra busy during certain months, reduce frequency and volume of training, but don’t quit completely!