Whether it’s for business or pleasure travel is a part of the human experience. Our daily routine gets thrown out of whack with when we travel and those habits that we have built upon are thrown out the window. With new places come new restrictions and we are thrown out of our norm. So, what must we do to maintain the pace that we have built up to? I’m glad you ask. We must plan for the new environment that we are heading to.
Planning to stay on track
When traveling you must ask yourself how long is my travel stay, what kind of workouts will I be doing, what kind of equipment will I have if any, and will I be restricted. Take the time to view your amenities to see if they are up to your standard. Search the place you are staying and see if they have a gym with everything you are used to. If they do great, continue working out as you have. If it is less than favorable work with what you have. There are modifications to every exercise and workarounds will become your best friend. In the event that there is only space, body weight exercises will be your best bet.
Modifications
Modifications are changing your workouts based on what you have available. You may be used to doing certain exercises with certain pieces of equipment. That will all change when you see the equipment at your travel gym. In my experience most hotel gyms are horrible and lackluster! They never have what I need but I didn’t let that stop me from sticking to my regiment. I had to modify most of my workouts. Instead of using functional machines you can use dumbbells or bands to supplement your exercise. Here are some examples of modifying your exercise
- Instead of using a standard bench press or smith machine to perform a chest press or an incline chest price, use dumbbells instead of a straight bar
- Instead of using a pec-deck machine, use dumbbells to perform a standing or seated dumbbell fly
- Perform a weighted sit up using a dumbbell instead of using an ab crunch machine
- Perform band curls in place of a cable curl
- Use dumbbells to perform full squats instead leg press machine
Body Weight Exercises
Some places you will travel will have nothing for you but space and opportunity. In this instance your best option will be to perform bodyweight exercises. Your body is a gym and you have everything that you need to succeed and remain successful. You can work each part of the body by simply using yourself. Here are some examples of body weight exercises
- Pushups to work your chest muscles and shoulders
- Bodyweight squats to work hamstrings, quads, and calves
- Sit up to work the abdominal muscles
- Plank to strengthen your core and abdominal muscles
- Arm Circles to work the triceps and biceps
- Burpees for a full body cardio exercise
- Glute bridges to work your back and glutes
Exercising while you travel can be a bit hectic, but it doesn’t have to be. As long as you plan accordingly. Whether you have just enough equipment or no equipment at all, there is always a way to get the exact workout you need as long as you plan and know how to make adjustments when needed.