Holiday Break Training Hack: How Much Do I Need to Workout to Maintain Muscle?

We all have periods in our calendar when we take a proper break from the daily grind of work, routine, and training. It usually coincides with a dream holiday, a long Christmas break, school holidays, the arrival of a new born, or more recently a global pandemic.

Having 1-2 weeks with very little training isn’t too impactful on the body, but when the break extends out beyond then more drastic strength, power, and aerobic fitness measures can really suffer. Not only that, but the risk of injury goes through the roof if you return to training too hard.

Studies have found that if you completely cease all training for 5 weeks, you lose 44% more strength and 50% more aerobic or cardiovascular fitness than if you perform a maintenance program (reduced training) during the same time period. #

So, what was the minimum a maintenance program should look like?

• Resistance Training: 1 session per week, 3 compound exercises, 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 70% maximal weight.

• Aerobic Fitness Training: 2 sessions per week, 40 minutes moderate intensity.

From this data and recommendation, we should also apply it to people undergoing rehabilitation.

For more information on which exercises are the most important to continue while on break and how to maintain your cardio fitness without increasing injury risk, book online today.

# Garcia-Pallares et al. 2010 (Medicine &Science in Sport & Exercise)