How to Manage Rehab and Training while on Vacation
Welcome back to the Total Performance Newsletter! If you are a new subscriber and did not receive previous editions, check out the "Newsletter" tab on my website (www.totalperformance-pt.com) and they are all posted there. This month, we will continue to take a look at some specific movement and injury-related issues that commonly arise and how to deal with them.
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Getting back to today’s newsletter, we are going to discuss how to manage rehab and training while on vacation. The main message here is very similar to my December newsletter about how to stay consistent over the holidays-the most important part is to relax and enjoy! Just like how the holidays are a special time of year, if you can take time off from work or school and get away for a bit, do not let anything get in the way of having a good time!
With that said, here are some strategies and ideas to consider if training and/or rehab does fit into your vacation plans.
The Do Nothing Strategy
This one is quite counterintuitive to the last sentence above, but hear me out. It is absolutely okay, and sometimes even necessary, to take a complete and total break from training and rehab while away. No gym, no hotel room workouts, no mobility exercises, nothing. Just enjoying laying on the beach or exploring a new city. Sometimes, the stress-relieving benefits of a complete break from your normal responsibilities while you are away can help you make SIGNIFICANT progress with your fitness or rehab. Sometimes your body and your mind just need relaxation and restoration-not squats, pushups, or mobility exercises. I’ve had several patients who used this strategy during a vacation and they came back feeling better than ever and it jumpstarted the rest of our work together. If this resonates with you, go for it-do absolutely nothing.
The Minimalist Strategy
Maybe you have an elaborate training program or extensive list of rehab exercises at home, and you want to get something done while away but don’t want to spend an hour every day. Totally fine-there two different ways to handle this.
First, pick just the most important exercises and just do those. Stick with maybe just 2-3 exercises that you are good at and benefit you the most, set a timer for 10-15 minutes, get it done, and go enjoy the rest of your day. This way, you know you’re hitting your big rocks, but it’s not taking away from your trip.
The other strategy is to break down your usual program and complete it in parts throughout the week. This may take a bit of planning ahead of time, but it allows you to touch on all the usual aspects of your regular program. Let’s say you have 3 workouts per week, each workout has 4 circuits, and they each take you 1 hour to complete. Instead of doing the full workouts, take 1-2 of the most important circuits within those workouts and just complete those on their own each day. In theory, this should take you 10-20 minutes total per day instead of an hour. This way, you are still getting in similar work to what you would usually do, but in much less time.
The “I’m Finding a Gym” Strategy
For some people, getting in the gym is part of their enjoyment on vacation-they’re either going to use the hotel gym or explore the day-pass memberships at the various local gyms. If this is you, there’s a few ways you can attack your vacation workouts.
First, you can stick to your usual training/rehab program and make adaptations as needed based on available equipment. If you’re in a groove with your training or preparing for an upcoming competition, this is a great way to keep it going while you are away.
The other strategy is to go completely off your program and switch things up. Try new machines that you usually do not use. Change up your set/rep scheme and instead of pushing strength, just do some bodybuilding style work and get a pump in before heading to the beach. Whatever it might be, you’re on vacation to have fun, so make sure your training is fun too.
The Hotel Room Workout Strategy
Maybe you don’t have access to a gym but you want to get some serious work in still. You’d be surprised what you can accomplish in a hotel room with minimal space and no equipment. There are endless possibilities for designing a hotel room workout, but the key is to pick exercises that you are proficient at and can do for high reps. Things like pushups, squats, split squats, lunges, jumping jacks, in place running, plank variations, sit ups, and any ground-based ab exercises come to mind. Pick whatever exercises work for you. Here are some ways to structure the workout itself.
1. Pick 3-5 exercises, set an allotted amount of time, and complete as many rounds as possible
2. Perform rep ladders; pick your exercises to complete as circuit; start with 1 rep of each exercise, then 2 reps, then 3 reps, and all the way up to whatever number you choose; then, work your way back down; you can call it quits there, or rest a bit, and work your way back up/down the “ladder” as many times as you choose
3. Pick your exercises to complete as a circuit; determine how many rounds you want to do, and then time how long it takes-try to beat your previous time each day
These are just some options-you can get as creative as you want here.
I hope these ideas and strategies help you figure out what’s best for you while away, but I want to reiterate the most important part-you are on vacation to rest, relax, and enjoy, so make sure you do that first and foremost!
Stay tuned for next month’s newsletter, where will we continue to look into some common issues that arise and practical solutions to deal with them! Also, if you have any topics that you want to see covered in a future newsletter, please let me know!
