When you’re planning to leave town, whether for business or for pleasure, we know you want to find ways to still maintain your training routine. And we also know it can sometimes be a head-scratcher to think about how you’re going to get it done with a busier or different schedule.
We are here to assure you that you can find ways to get your training sessions in, or even take a few extra rest days the gains will be a-okay.
Like anything else, there’s a million ways to approach what you do with your training program when you’re traveling.
With clients, we consider:
1) what they want to do
2) what makes sense given the type of travel they’re doing
and 3) Their short- and long-term goals
to create a plan for their travel week.
With that in mind here are the typical options we recommend when it comes to planning out your training and travel schedule:
Option 1- Stay true to your routine. If your travel schedule allows and you've got a well-equipped gym nearby, stick to the script. There may be no need to adjust anything about your training.
Option 2- Stay roughly on your same training plan, but modify based off available equipment. Swap your barbell row for DB rows if you’re at a hotel gym without a barbell. Use a slower tempo to maintain intensity if you don’t have heavy enough weights available, or increase the rep range. Modify and get it done.
Option 3- Shift, but don’t skip. If it's a short trip, shift your training days around. Your body won't mind if leg day moves to Friday instead of Thursday. Flexibility is key.
Option 4- Take a training break. Sometimes just taking 3-5 days off (or even a full week) is best, especially if you won’t have access to a gym or it’s a higher stress trip where training may be subpar anyways. Better to rest and get back to it as usually when you’re home!
Option 5- Use it as a deload week. Your trip may line up well with needing to pull back some training stimulus. Pull back on volume by shortening up the session to 1- 2 working sets per exercise and/or lower your intensity while you’re away. An extra rest day also works well in this approach to lower frequency and coincide with travel days.
Option 6- Go off your program and have some fun! If you identify as a bit of a meat head, you know very well how it feel walking into a new bad ass gym when you’re out of town. You may want to go off your plan a bit to play with the “toys.” Perhaps you are visiting family who train and you want to follow their program for a couple of days or try a yoga class that’s being offered nearby This is a great way to stay active, and mix it up from your typical programming.
Option 7- Train with others. Similar to option 6, if you’re traveling with others who lift and are more advanced/stronger than you, see if they’ll let you train with them. It can be a great opportunity to learn and unlock some new levels to take home with you.
As you can see, there are a plethora of ways to still be successful with your training during a travel week.
We would suggest mapping out ahead of time gyms that are within walking distance from your hotel or a close Uber ride away from where you are staying.
You can use these same strategies even if you’re home for the holidays and have a demanding schedule. There’s always a way to adjust protocols and still be working towards your goals.
If you want to ensure you never lose momentum on your health and fitness goals, we're here to tailor a coaching plan that fits your lifestyle and ambitions. Click HERE to inquire about personalized coaching and take the first step