Momentus Personal Training

Ah, summer that crazy time where routines change, travel picks up, the kids are home. Weekends fill up and before you know it, September rolls around and people start talking about getting “back on track.”

Here are 5 things to remember so you don’t feel like you need to hit the reset button this fall:

☀️ Maintaining strength is not nearly as complicated as people think.

Research is pretty clear on this. To maintain your strength and muscle, you only need to strength train 1 to 2 times per week. Hit a full body workout. Perform 2 to 4 sets. Work reasonably hard. That’s it.

Most people think they need to be in the gym 3 to 4 days a week for an hour at a time. Sure, that might be ideal. But it is far from required. And here’s the important part, maintaining strength helps maintain lean muscle mass. Maintaining lean muscle mass helps maintain body composition.

☀️ Creating a workout is easier than you think.
Listen, I don’t want to undersell what we do here, but if you’re traveling or stretched for time, use this simple formula:

One push exercise
One pull exercise
One squat exercise
One hinge exercise
One core exercise

Pick a weight that keeps you in the 8 to 15 rep range. Do a few sets of each. Not every workout has to be perfect, it just has to happen.

☀️ Vacations can be your “deload” week.

In exercise physiology, a deload is a planned reduction in training volume or intensity to allow recovery. For a lot of you, vacations naturally create this opportunity. That doesn’t mean do nothing. It means use that time to walk more, move more, do some mobility work, maybe knock out a quick bodyweight workout, and give your body a break from pushing hard. You might actually come back feeling better than when you left.

☀️ Protein first.
You knew this one was coming. Protein becomes even more important when training frequency and intensity decrease. It helps maintain muscle mass and keeps you fuller longer. So when you’re traveling, eating out, or navigating summer schedules, start with protein and build the rest of the meal around it.

So if you’re worried about how summer is going to affect your routine, quit stressing and follow these simple steps!

Loop 23. Six runners remain.

The sun is coming up. The course record is broken. Our reigning champion is still moving.

The race rolls on.

5 laps in. 20 miles down.

120 runners remain.

The rain has stopped, but the mud is making sure nobody gets a free lap today.

Spirits are high, the energy is good, and the runners keep heading back out for more.

On to lap 6.