MAXIM fitness guru ALEXA TOWERSEY tells you how to deal with that extra festive season flab…
Despite people’s best intentions, including the more hardcore weekend warriors or athletes among us, almost everyone gains an extra layer of non-functional flab over the holiday season. But if we can’t sleep-in and over indulge without feeling guilty on our hard earnt and often “once a year only” holiday, then when the f–k can we? Let me take the a paragraph to reassure you that it’s not all doom and gloom.
Aside from the fact that there’s more cushion for the pushin’, having an extra layer isn’t necessarily you getting “fat”. It’s also due to the nervous system being less “turned on”, and the amount of chronic inflammation in your stressed out muscles and tendons being less. So, let’s just reframe the situation. Instead of getting sad that you’re getting softer, be happy that having a break from high impact or hardcore training gives you the chance to rest or repair any niggling injuries, in your body or your mind.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
If you have built a solid foundation, while you may temporarily lose some of your “gains”, you’ll get them back far quicker than you think. It’s much easier to rebuild lost muscle than it is to build it from scratch in the first place. As a general rule of thumb this “reconditioning” works on a 1:1 ratio in terms of time frame. If you took 12 weeks off, you should get back to your previous level of performance and development within 12 weeks of resuming your training program. Not to mention the fact that you’ll be completely recovered and rejuvenated.
TOP TIP!
If you’re planning a getaway, amp up your training stress significantly for the last phase of your program leading into the holidays by increasing the overall training volume by at least 50% whilst maintaining the same intensity. You can do this by increasing the number of sets per exercise or by increasing the number of training sessions per week. The goal here is to create a state of accumulated fatigue so the holiday becomes more about the body recovering as opposed to regressing.
Escalated Density Training (EDT), as originally innovated by Charles Stanley, is one of the best ways to fit more work into less time and is disarmingly simple to set up. Sets and reps do not matter – the ONLY thing that matters is total workload performed within the given timeframe.
- Choose two opposing exercises. This could be anything from two antagonistic movements (such as biceps curl/triceps pushdown, or bench press/bent row) to two unrelated muscles (such as squats/chin-ups or calf raise/hammer curls) to both sides of a unilateral drill (left lunge/right lunge).
TOP TIP! Pair antagonistic movements, as when you are performing one set of the exercise, the other one is in rest. This will also help you in doing more overall work.
- Find or estimate a 10RM weight for each exercise i.e. a weight you can lift for no more than 10 reps.
- Set your stopwatch for 10-15 minutes.
- Perform AS MANY REPS AS YOU CAN of each exercise in the allotted time. If you’re doing chin-ups and deadlifts for example, do a set of five chin-ups, and then a set of five pull-ups. Don’t worry about rest intervals – just rest instinctively. Record your sets and reps as you go.
- When the time limit elapses, stop lifting.
- Add up your total reps. This is your “PR”. Next time out, the aim is to beat your PR. Rest five mins, and go into your second set of lifts following the same rules.
TOP TIP!
There are three ways to progress your EDT workouts:
- More workload in the same timeframe.
- Same workload in a decreased timeframe.
- Increase weight as soon as you increase your workload PR by 20%.
SAMPLE SESSIONS
DAY 1
First 10 mins: Barbell Bench Press and Chest Supported Rows
Second 10 mins: Incline DB Press and Seated Rows.
DAY 2
First 10 mins: Barbell Glute Bridges and Lying Leg Curls.
Second 10 mins: Goblet Squats and Romanian Deadlifts.
DAY 3
First 10 mins: Barbell Curls and Overhead DB Press.
Second 10 mins: Hammer Curls and Tricep Pressdowns.
DAY 4
First 10 mins: Leg Press and Bent Over Rows.
Second 10 mins: DB Reverse Lunges and DB Floor Press.
TOP TIP!
If you’re on holiday and don’t have access to a gym or any equipment, just use bodyweight alternatives i.e. pushup variations, dips, table rows, squat jumps, walking lunges, etc…
FUNCTIONAL EATING
We’ve all heard about “functional training” – let me introduce you to “functional eating for the holidays”. No more mainstream “drink more water” or “carry some celery sticks around with you at all times” tips. If we think in a truly paleo sense of emulating our hunter gatherer descendants, life was all about eating less during the day while we’re active and having a veritable feast at night while socialising and relaxing. So my advice, eat light during the day and FOCUS ON THE FEAST. That way you not only get to truly enjoy your food and the company you’re with, which is what being on holiday is all about, but knowing that you have something to look forward to will keep your hand out of the cookie jar beforehand.
For the full article grab the February 2021 issue of MAXIM Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.
