WAG How long is too long between workouts?

[GlobalNomad]

I know a lot of people find places for their gymnasts to work out while they travel. How long would you have to be gone before you worried about making workout arrangements at another gym while you are away? If your kid were in the middle of competition season or training for TOPs or something like that, and she had to travel, would your answer change?

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

It's so individual. Some kids do really well taking a small break and come back refreshed and ready to rock it after a week or two vacation.... Others fall apart and regress after missing a couple of practices.
For my own, middle-of-the-road gymmie I would say a week-10days is a well deserved break and not one I would bother finding alternate workouts for, especially not if its an active vacation.
Yes, my answer would change if it was in the middle of a high pressure competition season, but then again I would not be likely to schedule a vacation during that time, so....
For the kids I coach (developmental team) I give them conditioning/stretching "homework" if they are scheduled to be gone more than a week.

 

[emorymom]

I think a week is fine if there haven't been other breaks. But in my world, our single weeks out of town tend to be just before or just after a sports club decides to shut down for 2 weeks. If there's more than a week off in any 8-10 week period we will do our best to work out some other way, visiting a team, etc.

 

[GymCMLA]

DD just took 2 weeks off b/c of switching gyms and dance recital prep (so she had dance 4-5 days a week those 2 weeks) and she was fine. I think over 2 weeks, I might look for options to visit other gyms while traveling. Sometimes I think the 1-2 week breaks in the summer and holiday break are good for them to rest and grow and eat...

 

[MILgymFAM]

This has been on my mind a lot lately. DD recently switched gyms and programs, and the new gym agreed to honor previous commitments she had for the summer. She has a mandatory (school related) 4 days in Baltimore at the end of this month, and is scheduled to go to an amazing summer camp in Boston for two weeks in July. The really, truly unfortunate part was the timing. Her 4 days this month roll right into the week the gym is completely closed for vacation, so she will miss two practices, then a week off. Then her summer camp dates exactly coincide with the two weeks of team camp. The only two weeks. So, she will be out of gym 3.5 weeks (total actual gym time missed: 63 hours) with absolutely no way to add training while away, and she is stressed beyond belief about it. Poor kid. The HC is understanding but honest. He told her she can expect to be well over a month behind the other girls when she gets back. Closer to two. She was in tears at first, asking if she could skip camp. It's not an option at this point, though, and I had to put gym in perspective of her whole life. I still feel bad though. Had she known the new gym's schedule we could have planned a different camp session.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

My kids are instructed to get a few days in if they are missing more than a week. if that actually happens is up to them. But yea,, 3.5 weeks could be a big problem or could be nothing.

 

[MILgymFAM]

My kids are instructed to get a few days in if they are missing more than a week. if that actually happens is up to them. But yea,, 3.5 weeks could be a big problem or could be nothing.

Oh, I am mentally preparing for disaster. I mean, 63 hours is a lot of gym to miss. There really isn't anything she can do about it though, except try to come back and smile and work her hardest, no matter what. Both trips she will be staying in dorms and will not have access to facilities. I do believe they are allowed to use the Wellesley fitness center on weekends, but she doesn't know how to use weight lifting machines or anything- and I don't even know what equipment they have. She will have to condition in her dorm room the best she can, and that's gonna have to be enough.

She switched gyms, switched programs, is going to high school, switching to online school, and we are moving this summer. It's a ton for any teen to deal with, and she won't get a pass. Hopefully she comes through still loving both gym and school this time next year and I can chuckle at all the silly stress. And it is silly, in the end. Whether she ends up 3, 4, 5, or 6.. She still gets to train 18 hours a week this summer and 17 in the fall, and that's all she ever really wanted anyway. Level is not as important when you look at it through the lens of where she started and what she wanted. I will try and find her/ compile for her a great body weight program for the dorm though, so she can keep her strength up.

 

[Vivianflips]

I visit my grandparents out of state for a month every summer, so yes I work out with a local gyms team. I've never done it anywhere else though.

 

[needcoffee]

Depends on the gymnast. DDs best friend recently had around 6 months off with an injury and came back like nothing had ever happened. Yes, she's missing a couple of skills, but the foundations and strength are still all there.

I personally am not worried about missing a few weeks, but we are not hard core trainers anyway.

 

[mmcmanus]

If their in TOPs, I would if its for 5 days. Or around there.

 

[wrzos]

We will be traveling and she will miss 6 weeks this summer, so I'm arranging workouts where we will be vacationing...

 

[OzZee]

Most clubs here have 3-4 weeks closed over Xmas/summer.
The kids often go on holiday, swim, play, run. Not seen it be to the detriment of the kids they usually come back refreshed.
Some clubs give out conditioning sheets - not sure how many of the kids do them though.

 

[Faith]

Back in my day ld: We generally practiced in school gyms. Purpose built gyms didn't exist.

Which usually meant school shut, gym shut. Including 6 weeks over the summer. We would all get back happy and rested. Don't remember anyone losing skills, we'd be a bit stiff the first week, but soon get back into it. Some would even manage to get over fears, at they'd had plenty of time not even thinking about gym.

Unless it's your child's current Olympic cycle (as in they're aiming for 2016 or 2020), I personally think a couple of weeks holiday is very beneficial.

 

[Muddlethru]

Like many have stated, it depends largely in the gymnast. But equally important is what level as well. I'd say levels lower than 7, you can probably go two weeks. Levels 9 and 10 one week. This is probably the most I woukd go mid season. Summer, I may go longer.

My daughter took a month off at old Level 4 right at the start of meet season, competed I think a week later and won the meet. She didn't do a trace of workout. Level 5 we took three weeks off straight and she was training for TOPs. In a week, she was back on track. Level 6, 7 and 8 if I recall correctly (I remember the earlier years more because being new to gymnastics, I too were concerned), we took two weeks back to back and a week some other time. She was again training for TOPs. Our family/relatives are in the other side of the country. So we always make a trip out there every year. Level 9 we took two weeks. She was back on track after a week. She was injured end of Level 9 and out of gym for 6 weeks. Lost some skills and took about 2 months to be back on track. This year, Level 10, she was injured after first meet and was out for six weeks. It took almost three months to where she had alk her skills back and competition ready. We are going to Europe for 2 1/2 weeks right as school ends. We feel bad because she works hard and she knows it will set her back. But the timing I think is the best. She'll have all summer and 4 more months to be ready for next season. Sports takes over our lives the entire year. I have 4 kids, all driven in their respective sports. But time away with family or whatever is essential. TOPs is a great program and making the team would have been cool but I wouldn't make it all that important.

 

[purpleleomom]

Our gym shuts down for 2 weeks in the summer for all levels. Not sure about winter yet, but the break is welcomed. We will use that time at the pool.