Traveling for work, holidays, and being on the road in general doesn’t have to throw you off track with your fitness routine. The beauty of functional exercise is that it can be done anywhere with little or no equipment and with minimal time. There are plenty of ways you can workout while on the road and keep fitness part of your daily routine. I’m going to show you some of my favorite ways to workout when I’m traveling to stay in shape. Don’t let being away from home stop you from getting exercise into your day and staying fit.
Even 15-20 minutes of exercise is better than doing nothing!
When you’re traveling time may be one of your biggest obstacles. I’ve found that even a quick 15 minute workout can be extremelyeffective if done with focus and intensity. I learned a long time ago not to rely on hotel fitness centers. We’ve all encountered that shabby hotel workout room with equipment that didn’t work properly. I’ll always go check out the workout room first when I arrive but if it’s no good I like to have a back-up plan.
Resistance bands: the best travel exercise equipment ever invented…
When you travel my recommendation is to carry a resistance band in your suitcase. Not just any resistance band though. You want a resistance band that has a nylon loop on the end so you can wrap it around a door knob or some other fixed object. My favorite band is shown below.
You can pick one of these bands at Charleston Fitness Equipment or if you’re out of the area you can purchase one from SPRI Fitness on-line. The Xertube Resistance Bands from SPRI come in different colors based on resistance. You’ll want to pick one that provides you with adequate resistance.
When in doubt get a heavier resistance as some of the lighter bands, even though they’re labeled “medium” are pretty easy. If you have any questions on which one you think would be best drop me a reply and I’ll help you out.
A resistance band workout is one of my favorite routines to do when I’m on the road. You can throw the band in your suitcase and take it with you anywhere. Shown below is a beginner functional workout using a resistance band that you can do in your hotel room, in the hotel fitness center, anywhere.
Resistance Band Workout
If you’d like a resistance band workout with some more intensity check out my “advanced functional band workout” video. This one is guaranteed to kick your butt.
Bottom line is that you don’t need to have fancy equipment to get it done. There are countless ways you can workout when you’re traveling. Here are a couple of my other favorite workouts that I do when I’m on the road.
Stair Workout
This is favorite workout when I’m staying in a hotel that has several floors. Nobody uses the stairs in most hotels so you’ll find them empty and great for a quick workout. I’ll typically pick out about 5-8 floors and run the stairs and walk back. Run hard going up and simply walk back down while you catch your breath. This is a great way to do “burst training” or intervals without the use of equipment. If you want to turn up the volume a little bit you can do bodyweight squats or push-up’s at the top and bottom of each run. Trust me this workout will get it done.
Jump Rope Workout
This is another great piece of equipment you can throw in you suitcase. You can always find a place to jump rope and do some bodyweight exercises. Pick two or three bodyweight exercises (push-up’s, squats, lunges, etc) that you can work in with a jump rope circuit. The best way to do this is jump rope for a set number of skips (ex. 25-50 skips) then immediately follow it your 2-3 bodyweight exercises for 10-20 reps. Complete this circuit 3-5 times and rest briefly between each round. Do as many rounds as time permits and enough to simply get you whipped.
Bodyweight Circuits
Don’t neglect how amazingly effective bodyweight exercises can be for a great workout. You really don’t need any equipment at all if you work a handful of bodyweight exercises with the right intensity. Listed below is one of my favorite bodyweight workouts for the road. Change the repetitions and number of rounds you complete to meet your fitness level and available time.
- Hindu Squats
- Push-Up’s
- Alternate Forward Lunges
- Mountain Climbers
- Dips (with a chair, bench, etc)
- Lateral Reaches
Complete each exercise for (1o) reps moving in circuit fashion with minimal rest between each exercise. Briefly recover at the end of each round of six exercises. Look to complete 3-5 rounds. You can switch out exercises and come up with any six bodyweight movements you want. For ideas on exercises visit my exercise video library.
Bottom Line
You can use your imagination and come up with any number of ways to get a quick workout in. The whole idea is to just get yourself out of breath and work hard with short bursts of exercise.
You’ll be glad you got your workouts in when you’re traveling. There’s no better way to get re-energized than with a quick workout that gets you out of breath and breaks a sweat. You’ll sleep better, be more productive, have more energy, and feel great knowing you’re staying on track with your fitness.
I’m always happy to help if you’d like advice on a workout plan that is best for you when you’re traveling. Leave me a reply and I’ll be glad to answer any questions you have.
Shane Doll is a certified Charleston personal trainer, fitness expert, speaker, and founder of Shaping Concepts Personal Training Studios. You can receive a FREE no-obligations trial of his Charleston personal training programs and experience the Shaping Concepts difference for yourself.
Tags: travel workouts
Posted:
Friday, November 20th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
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That’s the good thing about bodyweight exercises like push-ups; you can do it anytime and anywhere. There is no need for special equipment, and you can increase the degree of difficulty as you progress
Thanks for all you are doing! This site is awesome! My husband and I are really into this type of training and you have developed this incredibly! Keep up the good work!