If you're reading this right now chances are you are more likely to fall into the latter category than the former category. You're probably already in love with the gym and have a dedicated routine that you want to stick to no matter what day it is. I mean, in reality, holidays aren't anything other than an arbitrary day that we've all decided to gather together and shoot the shit so why should you allow that to disrupt your routine? Shit, if you're still even mildly green in the iron game the holidays probably feel like an inconvenience to you. Not only are you going to be repeatedly encouraged to screw up your diet over and over again (and depending on the company you keep, even chastised or lambasted for NOT doing so), but you're also inevitably going to be committed to a multitude of social obligations that are going to make it really fucking difficult to get all of your workouts in. It's tough man, what with the mental preparation, the pre-training nap, the caffeination process, travel time, warming-up, etc. etc. etc. The 1-2 hour workout session has a way of potentially sucking up 3, 4 or even 5 hours every day, and with all of your holiday obligations there simply isn't enough time left in the day to get everything done that you need to get done in a day, and go through your whole process and have a productive, high intensity training session, and meet all of your additional, transient social obligations. Something somewhere has to give it seems.

Many of us choose to shirk our social obligations in favor of doing our stupid workouts. We then wear this like a badge of honor to prove how hardcore we are. I got news for you though, ditching Grandma on Christmas Day so you can make sure you get in your volume squats that week isn't hardcore. If you're already committed to the process then missing one week, or two weeks, or three weeks, or hell, even a fucking month, once or twice a year, in the grand scheme of things, not only won't mean jack shit and won't hold back your ultimate progress at all, but also might even prolong your ability to train hard simply from the extra bit of R&R and the accompanying physical and psychological relief that can provide.

I can promise you, in a few years you won't care that you missed that squat workout that one time, but you will be sad that you didn't spend more time with Grandma when she's gone. You won't cherish the memory of deadlifting a big set of 5 on Christmas Day, but you will cherish the memory of good times spent with friends and loved ones. And the older you get the more of those times you're going to wish you had to look back on and the less frequent the opportunities to make those memories are going to become. The gym will be there tomorrow, but your opportunity to have a good time with someone you care about might not be. So why not take the excuse that the arbitrary holidays provide us to simply get together and enjoy ourselves, no questions asked. You'll be happier in the long run, you'll look like less of an anal retentive asshole, and your gains will be exactly the same.

If nothing else at least modify things a little bit so that your workouts don't take so long. Cut out the fluff, cut out the unnecessary training sessions and exercises, and just do the big work. Then call it a day and go enjoy yourself. That doesn't make you a lazy piece of shit, it makes you a human being with more than one dimension to them.