I just got into the groove of working out regularly.
After partying away my last year of high school and first year of college it was time to build some muscle and burn some fat.
It didn't take long for me to drop the freshman 30. And now I didn't want to slip back to my old ways.
I was anxious about going on vacation.
Vacations are supposed to be stress-free but when you are on a roll for the first time you can get stressed about losing all your gains or gaining all your fats back.
So what should you do?
There's no one-size-fits-all solution here. So I break it down into three different mindsets.
Why three? It's a great number, that's why. But also because I find these to be the most common.
Now the next time you go out of town you will have a better idea what to do about your strength and fitness.
The Fitness Fanatic
This is the person who loves to workout and doesn't feel complete without it.
For this guy/gal you need to just find something you can do to satisfy your craving for hard work.
It might be a good idea to stay away from gyms and your normal workout routine. Take a break from your grind. The program will be waiting when you get home.
Do something totally different. Focus on swimming or playing a sport or doing ONLY bodyweight movements.
You will come back to your normal workouts refreshed and with a new drive for your training.
Everyone needs a little shake-up every once in awhile. Take advantage of it.
Go Big or Go Home
Second is the trainee who only enjoys heavy barbell training.
Anything less and you will feel disappointed. You will find little satisfaction in the light circuit or bodyweight type quick workouts so it's a good idea to just take the week off from “fitness”.
Do some fun activities like kayaking or swimming and/or play some sports.
Don't fret about a week away. It will be good for mind and body to take a break. You won't lose all your strength, the first week back take it easy and you'll be back on track in no time.
Try to take your mind off the gym so when you come back, you will be hungry for it.
It's good when you can't wait to get back under the bar.
Keep the Momentum Going
The third guy is the trainee who really doesn't like working out but knows it's necessary. You just get through it as a means to an end.
You don't love training but you still want to be strong and in shape.
For you, a mental break from training is tricky because if you do nothing for a week or more you may fall back to inconsistent patterns.
I recommend some high-intensity intervals and bodyweight training. Quick sessions that can be done with limited to no equipment and don't involve driving to a gym or packing a gym bag.
Simple and easy and done in half hour or less. You could use resistance bands or a sandbag too. Anything that is easy to toss in the trunk and pull out for a quick training session.
This past summer I went on a vacation.
At the hotel there was a fitness room. It had dumbbells up to 50 pounds and a bench, along with some treadmills and ellipticals. I was excited about the dumbbells and bench.
I didn't expect to use the facility and didn't plan on working out this trip. But since it was there and I wanted to start the day off with some movement, I had a nice full body session with the db's and the bench.
The rest of the week I didn't worry about barbells,squat racks,hypertrophy or PR's.
I just enjoyed my time with family. Went swimming, took walks, bike rides, had bbq's.
It took me years to get to this point where I can take some time off and not worry about it.
There's nothing wrong with working out on vacation. I like checking out new gyms.
But it's refreshing to be able to just relax and not fret about a week away from the weights.
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