Maintaining on a holiday

[Bulksawce]

In January i am taking a 3 week holiday, i expect i will be able to train 2-3 times each week in a decent gym (i dont want to take a week off, when i have taken time off in the past i lose strength very quickly, usually 10% of squat and dead and 20% off Benching/pressing within 2 weeks off).

What kind of %s would i have to use to keep the strength there without fatiguing myself to much (probly going to be walking around a fair amount/activities) ill most likely only have an hour each session as well so training heavy with large rests isnt going to be doable.

Currently running a 5x5 3 days a week with fortnightly progression (2.5kg added every 2 weeks) with a fair amount of accessory work included training currently 2.5-3hrs a sesh.

 

[0ni]

If you can train 3x a week I don't know why you can't just do your normal training

 

[Bulksawce]

i train usually for a fairly long time, and im usually somewhat sore not a lot but sore enough that im not going to be keen to go trecking around all day the next day, but basically what sort of percentage is required to maintain strength levels/how much volume, or basically whats the minimum i can do to not get weaker over the 3 weeks

 

[wingman]

Just take the holiday off completely amd smash it upon returning. You'll maintain for 3 weeks. And itll do you good. Whens the last time you took a break?

 

[0ni]

Yeah man it's a holiday, go enjoy yourself
You only really need to work up to 70-80% of your max and you'll keep your groove. Max 30 mins

 

[Timeah]

+1 on taking the holiday...
You wont lose actual strength that easily. Mental strength on the otherhand...

 

[Chisholm]

I don't understand the I'm not gonna train properly cos I'm on holidays mentality. Why not just train as hard and normally as you can? Why waste the time/progress and feel guilty about it later too?

It's really not that hard to maintain a half-decent diet and training regime on holidays - for example even when in backwater remote areas of foreign countries (Vietnam and Italy) I've managed to find very simple backyard style local gyms and some sources of protein. And brotein powder in my luggage to fill the gap.

If you want to train, just find ways to do it. And at least keep protein intake reasonable. Don't use holidays as an excuse, just fucking make it happen.

*shrug* or maybe I just have a problem.

i train usually for a fairly long time, and im usually somewhat sore not a lot but sore enough that im not going to be keen to go trecking around all day the next day, but basically what sort of percentage is required to maintain strength levels/how much volume, or basically whats the minimum i can do to not get weaker over the 3 weeks

IMO just train as you normally would, and take in some extra food to make up for all the walking around etc you are doing.

 

[Timeah]

I almost Always set pb's after short holidays. Never hinders me at all. Sure its a hard session first day back...but you just get it done.

 

[KungFooGoo]

Ill be traveling in April for 6 weeks drinking every day and doing various drugs, how can l maintain?

 

[Bulksawce]

yeah sounds good gonna train the first 2 weeks 3 times a week each and do 80% of my weights on main lifts and do 3 sets instead of 5, drop half the accessory work, and take the last week fully off seeing as ill be skiing. thanks for the input

 

[0ni]

Ill be traveling in April for 6 weeks drinking every day and doing various drugs, how can l maintain?

Lots of ingestion of semen

 

[KungFooGoo]

Sounds like solid advice.

 

[Chisholm]

Ill be traveling in April for 6 weeks drinking every day and doing various drugs, how can l maintain?

You're drinking and taking drugs every hour of the waking day every single day? No, you do that stuff in the afternoon/night, so train sometime in the day and get in/prepare quality food.

If you are interested in maintaining some kind of progress, find ways to make it happen. No excuses, simple.

I almost Always set pb's after short holidays. Never hinders me at all. Sure its a hard session first day back...but you just get it done.

One of my trips early last year no training was done for 2 weeks, I justified it as an experiment and convinced myself it would be of psychological benefit etc. Despite keeping protein intake high and coming back few kg fatter, I was significantly weaker and de-conditioned. Took me several weeks to build back up to previous strength and work capacity. Could just be my body type/genetics, but the lesson was learnt then - since then I've done quite a bit of holidaying/travelling but always found ways to keep training and diet reasonable.

Nothing adds to post-holidays depression like the realisation you are now fatter and weaker than before, don't do it

 

[Bulksawce]

@Chisolm i dont want the training to impact my enjoyment of the holiday really, spending 2 hours minimum in the gym like i normally would is time id rather spend exploring,

My plan is to accumulate some fatigue through extra volume in the preceeding weeks before the holiday then using it as somewhat of a deload from that training. Alternately I might evn use the training on the holiday to do an intensification phase with higher % of my maxes with less volume, that will be less time in the gym but still having some benefit and moving forward.

 

[KungFooGoo]

You're drinking and taking drugs every hour of the waking day every single day? No, you do that stuff in the afternoon/night, so train sometime in the day and get in/prepare quality food.

If you are interested in maintaining some kind of progress, find ways to make it happen. No excuses, simple.

Negative on the drug front, assuming breakfast will come with a beverage though. Good old contiki tour... The week before it starts i've got a 'decent' gym and the 2 weeks in canada land lve got a gym... Then in vegas i've got a gym... Just the 20 something days in the middle l'll juist 'relax' Will be doing pushups/chinups and other homo things like that though.

 

[wingman]

Negative on the drug front, assuming breakfast will come with a beverage though. Good old contiki tour... The week before it starts i've got a 'decent' gym and the 2 weeks in canada land lve got a gym... Then in vegas i've got a gym... Just the 20 something days in the middle l'll juist 'relax' Will be doing pushups/chinups and other homo things like that though.

You know how i know you're gay?

 

[KungFooGoo]

You know how i know you're gay?

Because l listen to Coldplay (40 year old virgin reference...a.k.a callan)

 

[Chisholm]

@Chisolm i dont want the training to impact my enjoyment of the holiday really, spending 2 hours minimum in the gym like i normally would is time id rather spend exploring,

My plan is to accumulate some fatigue through extra volume in the preceeding weeks before the holiday then using it as somewhat of a deload from that training. Alternately I might evn use the training on the holiday to do an intensification phase with higher % of my maxes with less volume, that will be less time in the gym but still having some benefit and moving forward.

Fair enough. Once you are done de-loading, which IMO really should just be a few days if you aren't an elite lifter, I reckon drop volume/accessories and just make sure you hit some heavy work sets on the main lifts to get in and out of the gym quickly?

 

[Timeah]

Yeah to be honest it would be easy to make gym while away. Id go with full body workout though personally, with reduced volume as mentioned above. Then if it so happens you cant make it for a few days...ahh notsobad!

 

[Bulksawce]

yeah whatever i end up doing will be low volume, might do some higher intensity stuff ramping up to set some PB the week i come back, i already train full body 3x a week so it shouldnt be too hard to cut it down and fit it in, 3 weeks is a very very long deload so im probly leaning more towards some doubles and triples with higher %s for like 3 sets to improve that top end which i never really work on anyway