How best to celebrate the Christmas holidays? With chicken, rice and the gym, of course.

So it's that pesky holiday coming up again. Christmas carols, cookies, carp salad, and all around cheerfulness. And in the middle of it all are us angry and jaded bodybuilders who want nothing more than to go on with their stereotypical routine - chicken, rice, gym, protein, chicken, rice, cottage cheese and sleep.

No matter how hard I try, it seems impossible to find any acceptable compromise between the world of bodybuilders and the aforementioned world of Christmas carols and candy. But what if there is one? So try to get in the Christmas spirit and think about the main point of our article today.

Let's leave the food stress to the pros

Perhaps nothing is worse at Christmas than the food. On my usual route to the gym, I pass through three squares, none of which is without a disdainful glance at Nutella cakes, smoked sausages, and a million other things whose nutritional values in no way fit my calorie charts. And when I want to get a good workout in, everyone around me is bothering me with their weightred caps, "No lift, No gift" slogans and candy. It would drive one crazy, wouldn't it?

I guess it's high time to stop the unnecessary sarcasm and seriously think about how to survive this holiday season in the best possible shape. While there will certainly be plenty of naysayers after this article is published, Christmas should not beshould not be about strict dieting, but about relaxing days spent with loved ones. Of course, I'm not talking about mindlessly gorging on all sorts of sweets for two long weeks, but minor exceptions can't hurt anyone. After all, are you a professional bodybuilder/triathlete to have to stress about your diet so much? Christmas Eve carp with potato salad might have a little less protein than a classic beef steak and rice, but Christmas is only once a year.

But a few days without training will burn all my muscles

Another problem that Christmas undoubtedly brings with it is also the lack of load on our muscles. And at the same time, we all depressingly anticipate losing all that hard-worked mass. But again, there is no reason for this. If you have been used to enormous training loads up to now and have been exercising regularly, the two-week "deload" phase won't hurt you. Reduce the volume and intensity of your workouts, but focus on contractions and individual exercises. This will not only improve your technique, but also make you aware of any other training mistakes. And then feel free to indulge in a good meal.

Do you go to the gym 5-6 times a week in a normal week? It's enough to reduce the number of workouts to 2-3 and include active recovery, which we'll talk about later in the article. Don't be afraid of a weekly or biweekly deload, it will relieve not only your muscles and the whole nervous system, but also your tendons and ligaments, thus preventing further injury. Last but not least, the psychological relaxation is also an important advantage. You will see that after some time without training you will feel refreshed and much more motivated for further performances (not only) in the new year.

Don't forget active recovery and some supplements

Although, in my experience, I find it ideal to spend Christmas with my family and without unnecessaryIt's definitely not a good idea to go 14 days without any exercise. And this is where we come to a point that is very often neglected, not only during the holidays but at any other time. Active recovery should form an integral part of every athlete's life. So don't forget to stretch regularly or take walks around town or in nature. A very good way of active regeneration can be yoga, which I have great experience with (in terms of powerlifting). Not only does it improve your stability, mobility and flexibility, but you also learn to use each muscle group a little differently, which can help you in your strength training.

TIP: Does it make sense to exercise despite muscle soreness from a previous workout?

And last but not least are the supplements. Most things don't make sense to stop taking, for example, a multivitamin like this would be completely pointless if you stopped taking it for 14 days. There is no need to overdo it with protein, unless the body is in extreme training load and you don't logically need such pre-workout supplements at all. When you train less, try to train without stimulants so that your body gets used to their effects and they work better for you when you start training again. To give you a clear overview of which supplements to take and which not to take, we have created the following table:

So, we hope that the following article has given you at least a little bit of encouragement to take a little Christmas break (whichwill ideally mean progress anyway) and that you enjoy the Christmas holidays properly. If you have any questions for us, feel free to ask in the comments. As always, we'll be happy to answer them.