Training on Holiday
Whether or not to train on holidays is a decision that seems to plague a lot of people.
I personally have been on holidays where I’ve trained everyday. I’ve been on holidays where I’ve hiked everyday. I’ve been on holidays where everyone else has gone to the gym and I’ve been like '“yeah nah I’m not doing that.” I’ve been on holidays where I’ve done a bunch of incidental activity just exploring — and all options have been amazing because they have considered my unique circumstances at the time.
There are no hard and fast rules for training and eating while travelling. As with many questions regarding health and fitness, the answer to “should I train on holiday” is “it depends.” But to make that answer a little more useful for you, it largely depends on the following factors [among others] that I encourage you to unpack next time you find yourself asking the same question.
1. How long are you actually away — are we talking a five days or six weeks?
Five days, hell — do what you want. In the grand scheme of a life of training, five days is nothing. If we’re talking six weeks, you might not want to take an entire six weeks off. Perhaps you take a week off and train 2-3 days there after. Perhaps you train 2-3 days from the get go.
2. What is the nature of your trip? Are you laying by the pool every day or are you on a hiking expedition?
If you’re laying by the pool drinking cocktails for eight hours per day, 30 minutes of activity to start the day probably wouldn’t hurt. If you’re hiking or doing some sort of vigorous activity every other day, your training is likely very much accounted for.
3. Do you feel you are ready or may benefit from a break from training - physically and / or mentally?
How long has it been since you took a week off the gym? If you’ve been training religiously, multiple days per week for the last ~four or more months, a week off training will probably do you good. You evidently don’t lack discipline, you’ll likely get straight back in to it when you get home and a week off is absolutely not going to set you back as much as you think it will. You’ll likely find yourself refreshed, more motivated and training harder following a short break. If you’ve had some set backs in recent times that have affected your consistency or you’re feeling super motivated and pumped to train every day, perhaps get some training in.
4. Would you benefit from / could this be the perfect opportunity for some variety in your training?
This relates strongly to number three. Have you been low on energy? Body feeling a bit beat up? Niggles flaring up? Motivation dwindling? Take a break. It’s a lot easier to convince ourselves to rest when we are away from our normal routines. And again, depending on your circumstances, this doesn’t necessarily mean do nothing — perhaps you might like to run on the beach, walk to a view point, swim some laps in the hotel pool, participate in a fitness activity or class offered by a local provider. Sometimes you do want to move, just not necessarily in the same way that you always do.
5. Are your goals time sensitive / are they pressing right now?
I spent three weeks in Croatia with John Paul in August, 2018. He was six weeks out from Nationals. Could he afford / would he realistically want to take three weeks off training at arguably the most critical time of his training year? Absolutely not. We researched powerlifting clubs around the country to ensure we had access to a barbell when he needed one, he reduced his training to three days per week to accomodate our travel plans and I came along as support crew for two of those sessions each week.
18 months later we spent two weeks in the Philippines, neither of us with any competitions coming up in the next six months. I didn’t set foot in the gym; I think he did two sessions over two weeks with the dumbbells in the resort gyms.
In Croatia, he had time sensitive goals; in the Philippines, neither of us did and we took advantage of the freedom we had to enjoy some extra sleep and slower mornings. Do you have a competition on the horizon or some pressing deadline by wish you want or need to drop a few kgs? If so, some training is probably better than none. If not, and you feel that it’s time for a break, it’s probably a good time to take one.
Tying back in to point four, if your goals are less performance related, you don’t necessarily need to be in the gym. If your goals are more health centric or similar and you’d rather be active outside than the excessively air conditioned hotel gym, then why not do that?
6. Are you in the midst of establishing some new habits where a break at this point in time may derail you a little, or are your habits well established?
For me personally, if I take two weeks to eat a little different than usual, drink a little more than usual and take a break from gym, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I’ll be straight back to normal shopping, cooking, eating and training routines as soon as I arrive home. These routines and habits are so well established that when I get home, it’s like I never left. Conversely, perhaps your improved nutrition and training habits are quite new to you and a break might rattle your momentum.
One of my clients Nicole went on a two week trip to Japan three weeks in to our coaching relationship. In the first three weeks working together, she had built some really solid momentum in creating new habits around nutrition and training and she fell in to the latter category where if she completely neglected her training and nutrition for two weeks, it might set her back a little psychologically. As such, we still set nutrition and training targets for her to report back on weekly while she was away. They were looser than her practices at home, but still kept her focused on her goals and importantly, didn’t detract from the awesome momentum she had built. She didn’t use a gym while in Japan, but by working towards a step target daily and having some goals to report on around food and alcohol consumption, she remained focused and was able to get straight back in to the swing of things when she got home.
7. How long do you have to explore the place you’re visiting? Do you actually want to spend it in the gym?
If I’ve got 48 hours in a foreign city that I’ve saved all year to visit, spending that time in some convenient but crumby commercial gym near my Airbnb is a big no from me. I’d much rather get up early, walk their parks, cycle their streets, drink their coffee, see their sites, clock up 20,000+ somewhat incidental steps and dine at some awesome restaurant that I’ve been stalking on Instagram for six months prior. I had this exact day in Berlin in 2018. Conversely, if I’m in the same city for a week or more, I can probably afford to devote some of that time to my training [that I do actually enjoy doing]. Over seven days in New York in 2015, I trained three times in a really cool Strongman Gym. Training there was actually one of the highlights of the trip.
8. Do you enjoy training and getting the opportunity to explore new gyms and meet new people abroad?
Like the gym in New York , there have been many gyms I’ve visited abroad that have been incredible experiences in and of themselves. Some examples I’ve personally experienced include Unit 27 in Thailand, Global Strong Man Gym in New York, Gold’s Gym Venice Beach, Deus Gym Venice Beach, San Francisco Crossfit, Crossfit Vechta and Sibenik Powerlifting Club. Visiting these gyms and meeting people who train there regularly have been incredible experiences that have in many cases, really made the holiday. I love training and I love meeting people through my love of training. Perhaps you are the same, but perhaps you are not. If you really do love training and meeting new people, working up the courage to visit a new gym can be a really insightful, fun and rewarding experience. If training is really just a means to an end for you, this may not be how you choose to spend your hard earned annual leave. And that is totally valid.
9. Are there cool gyms to visit that you would find visiting a unique experience in and of itself?
Following on from point eight, are there actually cool gyms to visit where you are staying, or will you be using your hotel gym or some generic 24/7 box gym? While there is absolutely nothing wrong with the latter and you can obviously get a great work out in there, the experiences they afford you are going to be vastly different to the former.
10. What is your intention in training while away — self punishment / calorie burning, or as a hobby you actually enjoy?
This is really a conversation for another day, but in my humble [but educated] opinion, exercising for enjoyment and health benefits is significantly more beneficial that exercising for the sole purpose of weight loss. If you’re hitting the gym in an attempt to mitigate the guilt and burn off the calories from the previous days bender, you will likely put a huge negative spin on your time away, as you continue to mentally tally your calories in V calories out with every drink and every rep. Conversely, if exercise is something that makes you feel good, you enjoy it and it’s a modality by which you can really experience and immerse yourself in a new place, then this is a great reason to keep active on vacation. The same activity that is supported and initiated by different intentions will produce vastly different physical and mental outcomes.
Breaks from training are important and valuable. The fittest, strongest and leanest people in the world take time out to rest and recover. A holiday might be the perfect time for you to allow yourself both a physical and mental break from the rigours of your training program. Exercise does make you feel good though, and walking, hiking and cycling are great ways to explore new places.
Use your discretion and do what is best for you and your unique circumstances, while being very honest with yourself. Travel is a luxury that we are only sporadically afforded. Spend your time away in ways that make you feel really really good and maximally fulfilled — whatever that looks like for you.
Taraw Peak, El Nido. I didn’t set food in a gym at all during our recent two weeks in the Philippines. I did however keep active with amazing climbs and hikes like this one, which perfectly suited my personal circumstances at the time.