Maintaining progress during travel/deadlines

[Tim Opsahl]

Hey all - I'm sure something similar has been posted before, so feel free to redirect if so. I couldn't find an appropriate search term.

I work as a consultant, and as such, my schedule can be fairly unpredictable. Typically I have 3-4 weeks of steady training time where I make good progress, and then hit by 2-3 week stretches of travel and long work hours that slow me down. I'll find a local gym but struggle to muster the energy to do my current programming.

I was wondering if there were any tips/guidelines for maintaining strength in these occasional 2-3 week stretches of travel/jetlag/long desk hours? I usually just end up doing some stretches I find fitting, and while I haven't lost progress, I find myself sometimes slow to get back into the groove when I'm back to my normal routine. 

Has anyone tried anything that they feel good about when they know they're not going to perform at their current peak? Maybe extending the de-load week just for the purpose of maintaining momentum, only stretching, or turning off the early alarm and just extending rest and sleep? 

Would love to hear thoughts as I haven't found the compromise for myself yet 

[Alessandro Mainente]

Hi Tim, the maintenance can have different modalities, my favorite for desk work it is to stretch hamstring and hips flexor every 2 hours of desk work.

For the strength my suggestion it is a short maintenance session with one maximal set of every exercise.

[Avi Samuel]

On 3/27/2017 at 2:58 PM, Alessandro Mainente said:

Hi Tim, the maintenance can have different modalities, my favorite for desk work it is to stretch hamstring and hips flexor every 2 hours of desk work.

For the strength my suggestion it is a short maintenance session with one maximal set of every exercise.

Noted. Thank you.  Unpredictable life scenarios is why I moved to bodyweight training and decrease dependence on Gyms/ Equipment etc. Less is more. 

Edited July 16, 2017 by Avi Samuel

[Winter Phoenix]

Hi Tim,

Sometimes simply an understanding that there will be periods in your life where your training is not optimal. We all want to hit a home run every session that we go to the gym but understanding that just turning up and doing something is better than missing workouts. 

A base hit will also bring you closer to your goals. I have even found that during times when I am extremely busy I can break my workouts into small chunks and do 5-15 minute sessions throughout the day when I can squeeze them in. Although not the ideal training scenario this has definitely helped me to keep training during stressful periods and I can find the small breaks to me extremely energizing as well. Perhaps approaching these times as a period of challenge where you have to find unique ways to fit in some training. You will be surprised at how re-framing the question could perhaps lead to a more positive experience during these times of travel. I look forward to hearing how you go with this?
 

[Jared Birbeck]

while I don't need to travel for the same time frames, when i do need to travel for work I tend to focus on things I can do in the hotel gym or hotel room with a focus on my priorities and generally keeping things moving. longer hours usually mean I'll stay away from longer high intensity sessions. I am particularly fond of going for a deload type session but reducing sets rather than reps at lower intensity. so easier progressions (or lower weight if using weights) and two sets of 5 keeping the session in under 30-45 mins inc mobility work but again only focussing on priorities or where I feel 'tight'.

I do the same for family trips as we will often spend the whole day out walking and doing fun stuff with the kids so I'll try and squeeze in a shorter session that won't wreck me. I will do the same session everyday too so I don't need to think about it. Keep it simple, focus on priorities and make it work for you with what you have.