Every December, more lifters lose progress stressing about missed workouts than from missing them.
The holidays are full of travel, family, food, and (hopefully) a bit of rest, which usually means your regular training routine gets tossed aside. Between packed schedules, unfamiliar gyms, and endless social plans, it’s easy to feel like your hard work is slipping away.
But here’s the truth: you can stay on track and enjoy the holidays. It just takes a little preparation, flexibility, and perspective.
Plan ahead (just a little)
A bit of preparation goes a long way. Before you travel, look up local gyms near where you’ll be staying. Many offer day passes or short-term memberships. Knowing your options ahead of time helps you avoid scrambling once you arrive.
You can also plan your training week around your travel days. If you know you’ll be short on time, schedule a deload or maintenance week to coincide with your trip. That way, you can enjoy yourself fully without feeling like you’re falling behind.
Even a few minutes of planning can take the guesswork out of your holiday training and keep you focused on what really matters: enjoying the time, not stressing about it.
Work with what you’ve got
Even with the best planning, you’ll probably still end up in a less-than-perfect setup, and that’s okay. You might find yourself training in a hotel gym, a relative’s garage, or a commercial gym with unfamiliar equipment.
Effective training isn’t about having your exact machines. It’s about stimulating the right muscles.
Can’t do your usual bent-over rows? Try a seated cable row, chest-supported row, or dumbbell rows. No leg press? Swap in lunges or goblet squats. As long as you’re taking your sets close to failure, you’ll be just fine.
And remember, not all machines feel the same. If something feels heavier or lighter, don’t worry about the number on the stack. Adjust based on your target rep range and RIR (reps in reserve). Focus on the effort, not the load.
Short on time? Train smarter, not longer
Holiday schedules are rarely ideal for long workouts, and that’s fine. You can get an effective session in 30 to 45 minutes with smart strategies like:
The goal isn’t to prove you can outwork the holidays. It’s to make movement fit your life so you can still enjoy them.
You don’t have to train, and that’s still discipline
Now that we’ve covered how to make training work if you want to, let’s be clear about something else: you don’t have to.
Taking a few days completely off won’t undo your progress. Muscle and strength loss take weeks, not days, to occur. In fact, taking time to rest, eat, and connect with family and friends can actually help. You’ll come back to the gym better fueled, more recovered, and mentally refreshed.
If you plan your deload or lighter week to overlap with your travel, it’s not a setback. It’s smart periodization.
Keep perspective: Discipline isn’t all or nothing
One of the biggest misconceptions about holiday training is that you have to grind just as hard as usual or risk falling off. The truth? You don’t.
Missing a few sessions, training at lower intensity, or taking a week off doesn’t mean you’ve lost your edge or your discipline. Discipline isn’t about never taking a break. It’s about showing up consistently over time, even when things aren’t perfect.
For most of us, the goal of training is to enhance our lives, not dominate them. The holidays only come once a year, and they’re meant for connection, reflection, and joy. You’ve worked hard all year; you’ve earned this.
The best athletes, and the best long-term lifters, know when to push and when to pull back. That’s not weakness. That’s mastery.
The big picture
Training during the holidays doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Whether you get full sessions in, shorten them, or skip the gym entirely, you’ll be fine.
A few choices:
What matters most is consistency over time, not perfection in the moment.
You’ve worked hard all year, showing up when life got busy and pushing through when motivation dipped. That effort doesn’t disappear just because the calendar says “holiday season.” A year from now, you won’t remember the sets you missed. You’ll remember the laughter, the travel, and how easily you slipped back into routine once January rolled around. The holidays don’t erase progress; they highlight why the work matters in the first place.
Need help making it work?
If you’re busy, traveling, or just struggling to find the time to plan your training through the holidays, I’d be happy to help. With 1:1 coaching, I’ll build you a personalized program that fits your schedule, keeps you progressing, and takes the stress out of figuring it out on your own.
Whether you want to stay on track or simply enjoy the break knowing your plan is solid, we’ll make sure your training supports your life, not the other way around.
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