I was curious what kind of muscle loss/stamina to expect by taking a complete break from weight and cardio training for a month or so (3 days HIIT/23-25mins, 3 days Max-OT). Would it be wise to consume the same amount of calories or to cut back? I've been doing no training for ~1 week now and I feel tired all the time. I'm getting the same amount of sleep (prob a little more), than I did when I was training, is there any reason for this?

I was told by one of my early training partners that taking 4-6 weeks off really doesn't kill your muscle/stamina and that within 1 - 1 1/2 weeks you're back to where you were before you stopped (and of course I'm here to see if he's correct). Does anybody have any experience with this or can share numbers? Maybe not exact muscle/weight loss/run times but percentages are always fun :)

Also is there anything else I should be aware of?

I was "off" for a total of three weeks as of yesterday when I went back, full-steam ahead. I was able to lift the exact same amount of weight I did before. I'm a little sore today; not bad at all and less than I expected. It really feels good, actually.

I think maintaining a healthy diet is key. I haven't eaten like a saint for the past three weeks, but I haven't gone overboard either. Just try to keep your macro's in check and I think you'll be fine.

-R