If you're anything like me, you'd be terrified of losing your gains while on vacation.

Hopefully, after this quick anecdote, I hope to put your fears at ease.

As most of you probably know, I recently spent a month in Japan. Just before I left, I had the typical thoughts that usually precede an extended holiday:

"Will I ever regain my strength and power?"

"Should I try to squeeze in a gym session?"

"Where will it be easiest to train?"

"Will I gain weight?"

"How am I going to survive without structured exercise?"

You know, the usual concerns.

I spent a few weeks contemplating these thoughts and how I would approach this trip. Eventually, I decided that, after consistently training since my last overseas trip at the end of 2019, I should probably take some time away from structured training.

It was a tough decision, but I had to take my own advice. I consistently tell athletes and patients that time away from exercise and training is beneficial for both their bodies and minds, allowing them to recover and recharge.

After accepting my fate, I decided to make the most out of it and document my journey, hoping it would serve as an educational piece to emphasise the importance of taking breaks to our athletes.

To do so, I needed some hard numbers to support my points. Therefore, a week before I left, Jack and I conducted some testing using our VALD equipment, following our Elite Athlete Blueprint battery, which we use for all our athletes:

• Isometric Mid-thigh Pull: maximum full-body strength and rate of force development

• Squat Jump: lower body muscular strength

• Countermovement Jump: lower body power and tendon properties

• Abalacov Jump: similar to CMJ but indicates the effectiveness of arms in the jump

• Hip Abduction & Adduction: hip strength

• Nordic Curl: hamstring eccentric strength (sprint speed)

• 2km time trial: aerobic capacity

I was satisfied with my results:

• Isometric Mid-thigh Pull: 41.68N/kg

• Squat Jump: 43.7cm

• Countermovement Jump: 54cm

• Abalakov Jump: 56cm > 53.4cm (-4.6%)

• Hip Abduction & Adduction: hip strength L) 580/421 & R) 550/490

• Nordic Curl: L) 350 & R) 403

• 2km time trial: aerobic capacity 7min 35sec

With the easy part done, I now had some numbers to refer back to when I returned home and some goals to work towards.

Now, the hard part: putting it into action.

For the first 10 days, I did very little. Just typical tourist activities like walking everywhere and indulging in too much food. It was wonderful.

Then, one morning before moving cities, I woke up completely refreshed and felt like going for a run. So I listened to my body and went for a 4km run.

Before you criticise me, I said I wouldn't engage in structured exercise. This meant no consistent pattern or plan. If I felt like going for a run, it was purely for enjoyment, not to improve or maintain fitness.

During the trip, I completed a few runs, all in Zone 3 (aerobic - a pace at which you can have a full conversation with someone). The purpose of these runs was to get the blood flowing and explore the cities from a different perspective. It's highly unlikely that these runs would have created any significant changes in my fitness (if anything, they might have slightly diminished my strength and power levels).

In addition to these sporadic runs, I also completed three moderately challenging hikes, each taking 3-6 hours to complete. These hikes were hilly, but I took a leisurely pace and didn't focus on strength training.

So, how did I fare when I returned?

To my surprise, I stepped on the scale the day I came back and had lost 1.5kg of body mass despite consistently indulging in whatever food I desired.

I knew that I would struggle with testing early in the week due to travel fatigue and getting back to work, so I conducted the tests about one week after returning. This wasn't enough time to observe any muscle changes, so I was confident that the results would be accurate. During this time, I also started taking creatine again, which caused me to regain the weight I had lost.

Here are my testing results:

• Isometric Mid-thigh Pull: 42.31N/kg (+1.5%)

• Squat Jump: 47.7cm (+9.2%)

• Countermovement Jump: 51cm (-5.6%)

• Abalakov Jump: 53.4cm (-4.6%)

• Hip Abduction & Adduction: hip strength L) 390/542 & R) 439/510 (-6.7-11.3%)

• Nordic Curl: L) 423 & R) 444 (+20% & +10%)

• 2km time trial: aerobic capacity 7min 42sec (-1.5%)
  

Some results improved, some decreased, and others didn't change significantly (less than 5% change is considered non-significant in testing).

The reason why some didn't change is because we retain adaptations from training even when we take a break. We don't lose all our adaptations immediately; they gradually diminish over time as the body realises it doesn't need to maintain its old state to survive.

Typically, the residual effects of training are as follows:

• Strength: 4 weeks

• Aerobic Capacity (VO2max): 4 weeks

• Power: 5 days
  

So, in theory, I could have spent my four weeks without training and not experience any change in strength or aerobic capacity while losing power, which aligns with my results.

I'm not too concerned about the loss of power. It can be easily regained in a couple of weeks as it primarily involves fine-tuning the brain and muscles.

Moreover, it's a physical quality that we don't train year-round, so it can take a back seat during holidays.

Now, I know you might be wondering, "Why does it feel so much harder to train during the first sessions back, making me feel weaker?"

The answer is simple. After some time away from exercise, your rate of perceived exertion (i.e., how hard you find exercise) is higher when performing the same exercise or weight that you previously did. This is because the brain and muscles have lost some of their fine-tuning, and they require some rewiring.

If I had a short break between my holiday and a major event, I might have added a 15-20 minute bodyweight jump program every five days. If I had an injury, I would have taken a different approach.

Otherwise, I wouldn't change a thing. I've returned feeling refreshed and ready to go."