Staying in Shape on Holiday Without Missing Out
Staying in shape on holiday mostly means not trying very hard. Strength and fitness built over months do not disappear in one or two weeks, so the job is maintenance, not progress. Walk a lot, do two or three short strength sessions a week if you can (20 minutes is plenty), keep a decent portion of protein at most meals, and drink with some intention rather than all day. Then get back to your normal training in the first week home. That combination lets you enjoy the trip properly and return in roughly the shape you left.
What actually happens to your fitness in two weeks off
It helps to know how little is at stake. Research on detraining is reassuring: well-trained strength tends to hold up well over a couple of weeks, and what dips first is usually the “feel” of heavy lifts and some aerobic sharpness, both of which come back quickly. If you have trained consistently for a few months, a fortnight away is closer to a long deload than a setback. The post on muscle memory explains why strength comes back faster than it was built.
The bigger risk is not the holiday. It is the holiday turning into a month: a week away, a week of “getting back into it”, a busy week at work, and suddenly the habit has gone. Most of what follows is designed to stop that drift.
Decide what kind of holiday it is
Before you pack trainers, be honest about the trip. The right plan depends on it.
| Type of trip | Sensible aim | What that looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Active (walking, skiing, cycling, sailing) | Nothing extra needed | The trip is the training. Prioritise sleep and food. |
| City break | Movement, no formal workouts | You will likely walk 15,000 steps a day. Enjoy it. |
| Beach or pool, one week | Two short sessions | Twenty minutes, bodyweight or the hotel gym |
| Beach or pool, two weeks or more | Three short sessions a week | Enough to keep strength ticking over |
| Family holiday with young children | Whatever is realistic | Ten minutes in the morning is a win |
Choosing the aim in advance removes the daily negotiation, and the guilt when you skip.
The minimum that keeps you in shape
Two principles carry most of the weight. First, strength is maintained with much less training than it takes to build; a small number of hard sets per muscle group each week is enough for a short break. Second, effort matters more than equipment. A bodyweight exercise taken close to your limit does more than a hotel gym session done half-heartedly.
A simple holiday session, done two or three times a week:
- Split squats or reverse lunges: 3 sets of 10 to 15 each leg, slow on the way down.
- Push-ups: 3 sets, stopping one or two reps short of failure. Feet raised on a bench if they are too easy.
- Single-leg Romanian deadlift: 3 sets of 10 each leg, holding a full water bottle or nothing.
- Back exercise: rows under a sturdy table, a resistance band, or reverse snow angels lying face down. 3 sets.
- Plank or side plank: 2 rounds of 30 to 45 seconds.
That is about 20 minutes. Do it first thing, before breakfast or the beach, and it is done before the day has a chance to intervene. If you are travelling for work rather than pleasure, the hotel room workout is built for that situation, with a ten-minute version for tight schedules.
If there is a hotel gym
Use it, but keep the plan the same. Swap in dumbbells for the bodyweight moves, do the same number of sets, and leave. Holiday gyms are a poor place to attempt personal bests.
Walk more than you normally would
On most holidays you will naturally be more active than in a London office week, provided you choose to be. Walk to dinner, take the stairs, swim properly rather than floating, hire bikes for a day. The NHS physical activity guidelines suggest at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week. On holiday that is often achieved by lunchtime on day two.
Everyday movement also does a lot for appetite, mood and sleep, which matter more than any single workout.
Eating and drinking without overthinking it
Food is part of why you go. I would not suggest tracking calories on holiday unless you have a specific reason. A few simple habits keep things reasonable:
- Anchor meals with protein. Eggs at breakfast, fish or meat at lunch, the same in the evening. It keeps you fuller, helps hold on to muscle and naturally moderates the rest.
- Enjoy the local food, skip the filler. The bread basket and the airport snacks rarely make the trip memorable. The restaurant you booked does.
- Pick your drinking moments. A glass or two with dinner is one thing; drinks from noon to midnight every day is another. Alcohol adds calories, disturbs sleep and makes the next day’s food choices worse. Alternate with water, and take the odd evening off.
- Do not “save up” calories. Skipping breakfast and lunch to justify a big dinner usually ends in overeating at dinner and feeling worse.
- Drink water in the heat. Mild dehydration masquerades as tiredness and hunger.
Most people come home a kilo or two heavier on the scales. Much of that is water and food in the gut from saltier, more carbohydrate-heavy meals, and it typically settles within a week of normal eating.
The first week back matters more than the holiday
This is where I see people lose momentum, so plan it before you leave.
- Book your first session before you go. If you train with a coach, put the first session back in the diary for the first or second day home. It is far harder to skip an appointment than a vague intention.
- Expect your first session to feel heavy. Reduce the weights by around 10 percent, keep the sets slightly short of your usual effort, and build back over two sessions.
- Return to normal eating immediately. Not a crash diet. Just your usual routine.
- Ignore the scales for a week. Water weight will move around. Judge after seven to ten days.
If you train with me at our private studio in Highgate, I will usually give you a short holiday plan before you go and plan the first two sessions back as a deliberate re-entry rather than picking up where we left off.
A note on safety
Heat, long flights and unfamiliar activities all add risk. Train early or in the shade, drink more than you think you need, and get up and move regularly on long flights. Check with your GP first if you have a heart condition, are pregnant, or are planning an activity like high-altitude trekking or diving that is new to you.
Questions we get asked
Will I lose muscle on a two-week holiday?
Very little, if any, especially if you stay active and eat reasonable protein. Strength may feel slightly down for a session or two, then returns.
Should I train every day on holiday?
There is no need. Two or three short strength sessions a week plus plenty of walking is enough to maintain. Rest is not a failure.
Is it worth bringing resistance bands?
Yes, if you have room. A couple of light-to-medium bands add pulling exercises, which are the hardest thing to train with bodyweight alone.
How can I get in shape before a holiday instead?
That is a different question, with more time to work with. Our guide to getting in shape before a holiday covers what eight weeks can realistically do.
For a programme that bends around travel rather than breaking because of it, see our 1-1 personal training.
Book with The Highgate House
Ready to start training properly? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.
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