Let's face it... you don't always want or have time to follow a planned program for every week of the year. But that doesn't mean you cannot maintain or make gains when you need a break from structure for physical or mental reasons.
It's fairly easy to maintain most of your strength with a wee bit of consistency. If you can get one or two 45-60 minute strength training +/or conditioning sessions each week you can easily maintain (or make more) gains.
The KISS Method - Keep It Simple Sweetie - sticks to the basics + gives you a framework to think about your workouts. It's literally as simple as 1-2-3 (4, if you're feeling frisky).
Here's how it works:
- 1-2 Compound Movement(s)
- 1 Unilateral Movement
- 1-2 Single Joint Movement(s)
To keep it even simpler, break your sessions into Upper + Lower Body Splits. This way you can simply rotate an Upper Session with a Lower Session.
Your week might look like: Upper, Lower. Or it might look like: Upper, Lower, Upper because you had more time.
The only rule is to only perform one variation of an exercise each week. This gives you more opportunity to hit more bases if you have more time to train. For example, if you Squat on Monday, Bench on Tuesday, and have time for another lower body exercise... deadlift instead of another squat session. My thoughts behind this recommendation are that most people I work with sit for the majority of the day and have extended work schedules. These clients' bodies respond well to a variety of squatting and hinging (deadlifts).
Here's the matrix with my favorite movements already listed:
The beauty of this is that it's SIMPLE, doable, and effective. Every time you train rotate through these choices. It will give your body stimuli while also triggering your nervous system to maintain capacities you've worked hard to build in previous training seasons of your life.
The ONLY thing I see as useful not already on this list are CARRIES. If you have time for some conditioning or want to replace the above session with something, perform CARRIES. Hug a sandbag, hold a DB in one or two hands (Suitcase + Farmer's Carries), Hold a DB overhead. Carries are something you do every day anyway but you can load them and use them to provide even more gains.
Here are some examples of how a session might look:
Don't be fooled by the simplicity of these workouts. When you choose the appropriate load and strategically pick exercises (like the ones listed), your body gets plenty of stimuli for strength + hypertrophy.
The next time you are between programs, traveling, or just want something to do, try this simplified system of training. SHARE THIS with someone who needs more simplicity in their life!