Holidays rhyme with a change of scenery, but you can’t help but look around every street corner for a gym where you can work out between two sightseeing visits.
What you need to know is that there are other ways to train and that it is not always necessary to go to the gym or use weight training equipment to gain muscle.
These few tips should help you continue your training during your vacation, without any hassle!
Try Bodyweight Strength Training
Bodyweight training remains the best method for training without going to the gym if you can’t find one nearby. As it’s a short, but intensive session that you can do in your hotel room or outdoors, it’s perfect!
The goal is to stay in shape and not to put pressure on yourself. Also, prefer a less intense pace. If you are used to doing 5 sessions per week, reduce the pace to 2.
Vary the bodyweight exercises, integrate various exercises into your session and create a short, intense circuit that you can do in less than an hour.
Here is an example of a series to create:
- 3*15 crunches
- 3*10 push-ups on the knees
- 3*5 Australian pull-ups
- 3*20 squats
- 3*12 sautéed lunges
- 3*10 burpees (flexions extensions + straight arms core position without doing a push-up)
As the exercises can be performed both indoors and outdoors, you will have the freedom to choose the ideal environment for your movements.
If you spend your vacation on the beach, do your exercises on the warm sand and finish with a swim in the cool water. If you spend your vacation in the forest or in the mountains, take advantage of nature and the fresh air to train.
Opt for exercises that you can do without equipment
THE kick back is an example of an exercise you can do outdoors. Although this exercise generally requires the use of a weight bench and dumbbells, you can personalize your session. To do this, use an improvised sandbag such as a rice bag or a backpack that you have previously filled with boxes canning, etc. As a replacement for the weight bench, opt for a picnic table or any other type of support as long as it is stable.
Start by putting one knee and one hand on the table and then grab the weight with your other hand. During this time, keep the other leg on the ground, close to the table to gain stability. With your back straight, then lean forward and make sure that the arm supporting the weight is at 90 degrees and that your biceps are next to your body.
Extend your arm backwards, moving your forearm, but keeping your elbow still. Once the arm is straight, hold the position for two seconds by contracting the triceps before returning to the starting position.
Other exercises such as the hammer curl, the squat jump, the jumping jack or the sissy squat are also worth trying, because you can do them without weight training equipment.
Also don’t forget to complement your sessions with other activities such as hiking, swimming or even brisk walking. They will complete the training and participate in gaining strength and muscle volume.
