The Truth About Training on Vacation
You’ve worked hard on your physique all year, and now you’re ready to catch up on some much-needed rest and relaxation. It’s time for a vacation! But now the nagging question arises: What should I do for training, if anything, while I’m in vacation mode?
Most of us who train hard find it even more difficult to ditch our normal eating and training habits just because we’re on vacation. That leaves us in a planning conundrum. We want to enjoy ourselves and let loose, but we also don’t want to sabotage all of our hard-earned gains.
The truth is that training on vacation is all about timing. You should already have a scheduled training plan in place that consists of some form of progressive overload of your muscles. That plan should be building over the course of several combined weeks until it hits a peak. In the fitness industry, this is called a “mesocycle” or training block.
So what does this have to do with your vacation?
Let’s say you’re running a six-week mesocycle like I am right now. You would want to line up your vacation week so that it falls at the end of the six weeks. Of course, this requires planning well in advance, so you can ditch a week here or there to accommodate your vacation time slot.
The reason you want to coordinate vacations with the end of your mesocycle is that, ideally, you want your vacation week to be a deload week. “Deloading” is the practice of finishing a training block by taking it easier in the gym. During this week, you lift lighter weights, reduce training volume and focus mainly on moving blood through the muscles. The point is to give yourself a few days to recover from your last mesocycle in preparation for the next one.
Deloading is ideal for vacations because even basic gym equipment will get the job done. That is, you don’t have to worry about finding a crazy gym to get in one of your typical, high-intensity workout sessions. Instead, you can hit your deload session, tack on a 20-minute cardio session after weight training – and you’re good to go.
For me, deloading sessions consist of dropping all my exercises down to three sets. I also like to pick a weight where I can easily get 15-18 reps. The key is to stay a full three to four reps away from failure.
As far as your diet goes, I like to drop a meal on vacation days. You’re eating “off plan,” so you don’t want to go into a crazy caloric surplus. Just be reasonable with the food and drinks, and you’ll be fine.
I hope this helps you enjoy your next vacation instead of stressing out about workouts when you’re supposed to be relaxing and having fun! Just remember: When you hit those weights again, be sure to get after it.
Work hard, train smarter!
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