Maintaining a strong and toned set of glutes can be a challenge, especially when you’re on holiday and out of your regular fitness routine. However, it’s important to keep up with your workouts and maintain your progress, even when you’re away from home.
In this article, we’ll explore some tips and strategies for how to maintain your glutes while you’re on holiday. Whether you’re traveling for work or pleasure, these techniques will help you stay on track with your fitness goals and maintain your hard-earned gains. But before learning how to maintain glutes, It is important to start this discussion with some concepts.
So let’s begin by looking at what are muscles and how they work.
What are muscles?
Muscles are organs that are made of very strong fibers attached to bones called tendons. When these muscles contract they shorten and create a force that is responsible for our movement.
For example, when we want to move from one place to another the brain sends the order to the muscles and they contract in order to make this happen. When you are at rest your muscle tone is reduced as there isn’t any need for contraction. This happens with all of our muscles including those in the buttocks.
The muscle group at the back of our thighs is called the glutes which is a Latin word that means “buttocks”. The glutes are mainly composed of the Gluteus Maximus, Medius, and Minimus amongst other muscles. The main function of these muscles is to control hip movement for example when we run or jump.
The glutes are also involved in steadying the pelvis after an impact. For example, when you are running and jump to change direction, your brain sends a message to the muscles so they can contract to stabilize the hips.
How is muscle maintained?
When we are at rest or sleeping our body goes through a period called Anabolism where the muscles are repaired and reconstructed. This is a very important process so they can grow in strength and size.
When our body is exposed to workouts, especially weights, the muscle fibers tear which stimulates growth. Then during periods of rest, they repair themselves so when you work out again, your muscles are stronger than before that’s why you are able to perform more reps with the same weights.
Now that we know how muscles work, let’s talk about what happens when we are on holiday. One of the basic principles of training is progressive overload which means that as you do your workouts there should be a gradual increase in the difficulty to stimulate muscle growth.
For example, if last week you could do 2 chin-ups, this week you should try 3 chins up to make the exercise harder. If your training is progressive overload there will be no need to change your program as long as the intensity, sets, and repetitions are maintained.
Let’s say that you were working out with weights three times per week for an hour each time. Now you are on holiday for a month and don’t have access to the weights. In this case, your body will look for other ways to achieve progressive overload. One of these ways is when you make new repetitions with the same weights, either more or fewer reps which is been explained before. Another way when we can’t use weights is in the form of bodyweight exercises.
When you are on holiday, if you have access to a chin-up bar, for example, your routine should be something similar to this:
- Monday: 3 sets x 8 repetitions.
- Wednesday: 3 sets x 10 repetitions.
- Friday: 3 sets x 12 repetitions.
This is an example of how you can maintain your muscle using bodyweight exercises. The principle is the same as when you are on a weight training program, progressive overload by increasing the difficulty either in reps, sets, or load which is defined as extra pounds.
There are some other factors that affect how our muscles react to changes in our workout routine. The first one is that when you break your training routine, muscles also need time to readjust. This means that during the first 3-4 weeks after your return from holidays, it will be necessary to gradually increase the load so they can adapt again. A good way to do this is by adding an extra set of exercises each week until you reach where you were last month.
Tips to maintain your glutes while you’re on holiday?
Most people think that the best way to keep their glutes in shape is to head to the gym and do some intense workout routines. However, there are other ways that you can keep your glutes in shape without having to put in too much effort.
Here are some tips on how to maintain your glutes while you’re on holiday:
- Do some bodyweight exercises: Bodyweight exercises are a great way to keep your glutes in shape while you’re on holiday. There are many bodyweight exercises that you can do to target your glutes, such as squats, lunges, and donkey kicks. You can even do these exercises in your hotel room or at the beach.
- Do some cardio: Cardio is another great way to keep your glutes in shape while you’re on holiday. Cardio activities such as walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling are all great for toning your glutes.
- Get plenty of rest: Rest is important for recovery and muscle growth. Make sure to get plenty of rest while you’re on holiday so that your body can recover from all the exercise you’ll be doing.
- Eat a healthy diet: Eating a healthy diet will help you maintain your glutes while you’re on holiday. Eating plenty of protein and healthy fats will help you maintain muscle mass, and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables will give you the nutrients you need to stay healthy.
- Drink plenty of water: Water is essential for keeping your body hydrated and for flushing out toxins. Make sure to drink plenty of water while you’re on holiday to keep your body healthy and your glutes in shape.
The bottom line
Maintaining your glutes while on holiday doesn’t have to be a difficult task. By implementing the tips and strategies we’ve discussed, you can stay on track with your fitness goals and continue to make progress even when you’re away from home.
Remember to prioritize your workouts, seek out local fitness options, and stay consistent with your healthy habits. With a little effort and dedication, you can keep your glutes in shape and return from your holidays feeling strong and confident. And don’t forget to share this article with your friends, so they too can learn how to maintain their glutes while on holiday.
