Holiday Workout Ideas to Help
When I go away on vacation or for the weekend, I try to get in a quick workout at the hotel gym or in a park outside. It helps me to stay in shape but it also helps me to enjoy the rest of the day more, since I then feel like I’ve achieved something and I feel good about myself. Plus, it allows me to enjoy the holiday a bit more with a few sweets or to try the different foods that are typical of the place I’m visiting.
Here is my go-to workout that I’ve been doing for years. I love it because it’s quick, efficient and helps me maintain my muscle mass. Also, it helps me burn a lot of calories for the rest of the day, so I know I can afford to enjoy the foods a little more.
My holiday workout is a variation of the German Volume Training. This is a workout that was invented in Germany in the 70’s which has the purpose of packing on muscle. It makes you really hungry because your body is craving for those calories to regenerate and to get bigger. The way I see it though, if I don’t overeat, it will also help me stay lean because it will accelerate my metabolism and make me burn more calories.
Here’s how it works:
The goal is to achieve 10 sets of 10 reps with the same weight for each exercise. Begin with a weight you could use for 20 reps (usually 60% of your 1RM).
Normally, when I travel, I keep it simple with one day for upper body and one day for lower body. For upper body, I would normally do chin ups with bench press, and for lower body I would do squats with leg curls.
For example,
A1 – Dumbell Bench Press (coming down in 4 seconds, up in 2 seconds) for 10 reps
A2 – Chin ups (Coming down in 4 seconds, up in 2 seconds) for 10 reps
You alternate between the two exercises for 10 sets, taking 90 second breaks in between each exercise every time.
You can then finish off with 3 sets of smaller exercises, such biceps curls, triceps pushdowns, cable flies, etc. and you will have a very complete workout that will have worked all of the muscles in your upper body.
