Is three weeks of the gym worth it?

E

ecco

New member
Backstory: I have been travelling for 7 months. I haven't been able to attend a gym in that time as I am moving around so often.

Before I travelled, I had been going to the gym 0-4x per week for like 20-30 minutes for over two years. I had a back injury a few years ago and this regular yet easy workout style kept it In check and me feeling strong and healthy and pain free.

Since Ive been travelling I've lost about 20kg including a majority of the muscle mass I had and my back pain has come back. I've found myself in one location for the next three and a half weeks and with enough time on my hands I could commit easily 1-2 hours a day during weekdays if I had to..

Question: If I go to the gym for the next few weeks on a membership, is it worth it? (Please note I'm not asking for medical advice if it will fix the pain or anything). I just want to know if it's possible to put on any muscle in a three week period. I'm sure almost any would help me, but if Its too short of a timeframe, I won't bother.

It'll likely be another 5 months minimum before I'm able to have access to a gym again
 
@ecco Building muscle and fitness is a long term commitment. However any type of exercise no matter how long or short is better then nothing. I don’t think you will see much gains maybe 6 weeks minimum to see anything in the mirror with calorie surplus and high protein?
 
@ecco Yes. You'd be surprised how little time our body needs to think "hey I don't think I need this fibers, I might as well let them fade away".

You might not be training for growth, but you gotta train to prevent loss.
 
@radiantjedichica Rightio. I think this has convinced me then, thanks! There's one about a 30 min walk away I can start tomorrow.

You're right, I can't let myself get weaker, I'll fade away and enjoying the rest of my trip will be difficult with ongoing pain and weakness.
 
@ecco Anything is better than nothing. But why can’t you just work out where you are? Calisthenics? Yoga? Running? Push-ups and sit ups? Pull ups? Bodyweight squats?
 
@hyperion12 I was doing those for a bit while travelling, but find home exercises and calisthenics dont trigger any happy chemicals in my brain and I struggle to keep doing it regularly.
 
@ecco I understand what you are saying, but there's many of us who don't enjoy a lot of our workouts - but we enjoy the results!

My own immediate reaction was that you should be able to workout without a gym, but even bodyweight "pulls" can be difficult without access to equipment (like a pull up bar). Even then, a lot of bodyweight pulls require quite a lot of strength to begin with.

It does sound like you could do with incorporating some kind of regular routine though, and while traveling that may need to be calisthenics.

Yoga can be good for back issues, but you should take some classes before going too far on your own.
 
@favorfromonhigh Yeah I hated my workouts, which I why I limited them to 20/30 minutes when I was at home. That's all I could stand doing. But I also loved feeling good after it and all.

I keep trying to do some core work and pushups, and I even went for runs 3x a week for a month and stretched daily for a while. It sounds like I'm making excuses, by saying I can't do it, but I really am trying and nothing's quite sticking (and I'm still trying, not giving up!!!).

I used to have a goal of just getting to the gym at home, that's all the goal was, walk in the door. More often than not, once I was there I would workout because I was already there. On occasion I would turn around and go home after driving there.

But if I didn't get there, I never would workout. So I'm hoping the next few weeks will be the same as that. Just get to the gym. The working out will happen once I'm there.
 
@ecco I hate going to the gym... but I still go. You just got to power through it... only takes 30mins of your day to do a decent hole work out of some kind
 
@ecco I think you should exercise when you are able to, as it has been proven to be good for health. Do I think you’re going to have any noticeable changes in your body composition in three weeks of exercise? Probably not. This is all the more reason to continue exercising past the three week point.
 
@ecco Like someone else said here, fitness is a journey. It’s not a on and off type of thing or at least it shouldn’t be. I exercise just about every day and I do it for many reasons, physically and mentally it makes me feel great. When I travel for work or vacation with my family I usually use the hotel gym. But always when I travel I pack my bands. They don’t take up much room in the suitcase and I often find myself using them in the hotel room more than using it’s gym. There’s no excuse to not make time for your health.
 
@ecco If you had muscle before, you can put it back on more quickly than you did initially.

I worked out for like 15 years, lapsed for 2 years, and have been making a persistent though imperfect effort for the last 6 months or so. It might be in my head or that confidence boost of working out, but whenever I start up again after a few month lapse, I feel like significant muscle definition comes back. It's like an immediate long term pump. So yeah, go make those gains!
 
@lejert Thanks! I hope this is true! I was never massive, but I had muscle and was healthy. This is the positive push I think I needed to justify it
 
@ecco Absolutely it’s worth it!

From what you described though it sounds more like you need to build a routine you can take with you, wherever you are.

Im of the mindset that movement is our natural state. You should never put it aside, make it a priority just the same way you make eating and sleeping a priority, you prioritize movement.

Speaking from experience, I have Spondylolithesis and a herniated disc both of which I maintain without surgery for the last 11 years. Never stop moving.
 
@ecco Movement inspires more movement. These few weeks will help lead on to going for a decent walk regularly, seeking out active options. You won't cure your issues that fast but it's the job that's never started that takes the longest.
 
@exodus712 Oh Its a very active holiday (backpacking, kind of but without the super heavy backpack), I walk everywhere while I'm travelling. If it's within an hour to get somewhere I walk there and walk usually 2-8 hours a day. B
 
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