Hey,

I searched and found a few similar travelling threads but the difference is that I will not have access to a gym.

I'm backpacking for a month through Europe, lots and lots of walking involved. Pretty much no resistance training, and i'll aim to eat as well as I can.

What would be the best way to go about losing as little muscle as possible? I guess bodyweight exercises will be my main form of exercise, and I could try to make them harder by holding something heavy or wearing my backpack while i do pushups or something.

With bodyweight exercises would I be best in just doing a full body workout every day? or trying to split it up like upper/lower every consecutive day.

I breakdance, train MMA and do gymnastics. So my current strength:weight ratio is good. Should I just train the bodyweight exercises to failure if I can't find a way to increase difficulty to bring down the rep range to <10 ish?

I don't think I'll have the opportunity to bulk beforehand properly because I do so many activities. But would gaining some extra weight before the trip help me make sure I don't loose extra weight/muscle?

Sorry lots of questions. I know theres no substitute for the gym and eating properly at home. But I'd like to try and minimise the effect of the trip on my body. My overall long term goal is to increase my weight from 54kg to 60kg with around 11bf%. The lowest weight category I can fight with mma or wrestling tournaments is 65kg, so most of the time i'm at a weight disadvantage :(

So losing weight/muscle is the last thing I want to do!

Here's a current pic, because usually threads with pictures get more replies hah
http://www.mayanpatel.com/body19may08.jpg

Mayan

I think if you work hard on the body weight exercises then you can take them out of the equation.

I would focus on your diet. I would be more afraid to LOSE weight than GAIN weight on such a hike, so pack a lot of calorie dense foods and don't skimp on them when you get the chance. You've gotta make sure you're eating enough to recover.

Peanut Butter is your friend!

Hey,

I searched and found a few similar travelling threads but the difference is that I will not have access to a gym.

I'm backpacking for a month through Europe, lots and lots of walking involved. Pretty much no resistance training, and i'll aim to eat as well as I can.

What would be the best way to go about losing as little muscle as possible? I guess bodyweight exercises will be my main form of exercise, and I could try to make them harder by holding something heavy or wearing my backpack while i do pushups or something.

With bodyweight exercises would I be best in just doing a full body workout every day? or trying to split it up like upper/lower every consecutive day.

I breakdance, train MMA and do gymnastics. So my current strength:weight ratio is good. Should I just train the bodyweight exercises to failure if I can't find a way to increase difficulty to bring down the rep range to <10 ish?

I don't think I'll have the opportunity to bulk beforehand properly because I do so many activities. But would gaining some extra weight before the trip help me make sure I don't loose extra weight/muscle?

Sorry lots of questions. I know theres no substitute for the gym and eating properly at home. But I'd like to try and minimise the effect of the trip on my body. My overall long term goal is to increase my weight from 54kg to 60kg with around 11bf%. The lowest weight category I can fight with mma or wrestling tournaments is 65kg, so most of the time i'm at a weight disadvantage :(

So losing weight/muscle is the last thing I want to do!

Here's a current pic, because usually threads with pictures get more replies hah
http://www.mayanpatel.com/body19may08.jpg

Mayan

I wouldn't overthink your trip too much. If you're going to be hiking a lot and fairly active...just enjoy yourself.

This could end up being a once-in-a-lifetime trip, so make the best food choices you can, but indulge in the local fare too. You can shoot to do some bodyweight exercises, but from my overseas experiences, I rarely actually do them.

I would focus on staying active, seeing as many sights as possible, and exploring. The worst case scenario is that you'll either gain or lose a few pounds, all of which will be corrected in a few short weeks after you return. Just use the trip as a break from training and hit it hard when you get back.

Just a couple questions:

When are you leaving? (relates to planing and training)

Are you Day Hiking "Backpacking" from Hostel/BB to Hostel/BB or wilderness Backpacking for multiple days? (relates to backpack load and nutrition)

Have you Backpacked Multi-Day trips before? (relates to expectations)

I should be able to help out. I have been Long and Short Distance Backpacking for many years, in a few countries (however not Europe). I also take my Weight Training seriously and I'm sympathetic to loss of hard earned muscle during Backpacking trips. Not too many Powerlifting Backpackers around, :)


theninthwave