Long Break...Ideas?

[callen2]

I am not sure if this is the correct thread, wasn't quite sure where to place it.

I just finished my third cycle couldn't be more happy.  I am actually now wondering how to not lose all of the gains.  I am entering the two week rest cycle but when it is over my wife and I are beginning a 5 week backpacking trip to Europe.  This essentially makes to two week break become 8.  I am looking for ideas for workouts that I can do.  Thank you for the help with my first world problem.  

[MarkAnderson]

A 5-6 week break is not the end of the world, but I would certainly try to minimize it. The easiest thing you can do is to keep climbing for the next two weeks. Even if it's relatively easy and unfocused it would be better than doing nothing. Once you're on your trip, I think it will be hard to keep climbing unless you bring climbing gear. Are you literally backpacking, like, in the wilderness? Or are you riding trains between museums while carrying a backpack? There is no shortage of world class rock and world class gyms in Europe, so if you really wanted to you could try to climb periodically, but trying to find a training/climbing venue "on schedule" could really make a mess of your trip.

[callen2]

Well the plan is a mixed bag; some is actually living in the wilderness and hiking as we hike around Mount Blanc. Most of the trip is city to city on trains and staying in airbnb, We will be stopping in Fontainebleau to experience the forest. I will have a body weight and running regiment for general fitness, just wondering if there is anything I can do to keep the strength specific and power specific gains I have made.

[MarkAnderson]

I think your options are to go to climbing gyms periodically or bring some sort of inconvenient and likely heavy training contraption in your backpack. Or, just take a longer break. There's more to life than climbing

[daustin]

I've seen on various social media that Patxi Usobiaga has created an extremely simple board that seems to be designed for travel. It's basically a campus rung with a couple holes you can thread some cord through to hang off whatever is at hand (e.g. a tree limb). I can't find a good page to link to, but just google search PUC Series Board and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Seems like it might not be too inconveniently heavy or bulky, but if I was in your shoes I'd probably go to climbing gyms in cities (time-permitting) and try to avoid gaining weight. But also agree with Mark, sounds like you'll have plenty of incredible non-climbing gym related activities to occupy your time, so if you wind up taking an 8 week break from any climbing, don't sweat it. It's a drop in the bucket in the scheme of long-term progression and my bet is that when you start climbing again, it'll take you a 1-2 extra workouts to get back into the groove but once you're a couple weeks in you'll forget you ever worried about an 8 week break.

[callen2]

Thank you! I am definitely going to stop in some gyms to keep on going.

[tedwelser]

Jun 16, 2016 13:02:53 GMT -7 callen2 said:

Thank you! I am definitely going to stop in some gyms to keep on going.

In addition to hitting occasional gyms you might want to bring your sanding paper for your fingertips.   I just finished a month long vacation with only occasional climbing and I shed some skin after about 2 weeks.  I returned to my first day of training and I felt the burn on the HB.   Even with a new air conditioner I was feeling some skin pain limits.  

So, generally, if you will be away for a long while be prepared for some skin limitations when you return. 

enjoy your trip!

[mclay]

I find myself staring at a similar situation next summer, but for longer and for work-related reasons. I'm already working out a convenient travel hangboard rig; there are several ideas floating around the blog-o-sphere.

I'm always interested to hear how the OP fared in these type of scenarios though...