Travel Workouts

We know you all lead very busy and adventurous lives that often involve quite a bit of travel.  Some of you end up in hotels with at least minimal facilities and some of you end up places with no “workout” stuff.  Here are some travel workout ideas for you:

1.  The Tabata Interval.  The Tabata protocol was invented by a Japanese exercise physiologist for the speed skating team.  It works.  Better than anything else.  If you do it correctly.  Resist the temptation to expand upon it.  It only works because you can do it at such high intensity.  The original protocol was 6 rounds: 20sec of work, 10sec rest.  You must feel like you will actually collapse at the end or you have not worked at high intensity.  If you feel the need to do something else afterwards, you did not do this correctly.  Choose movements you can do maniacally!  Don’t do pushups if you can only do 3 in 20sec.  If you have access to a treadmill, set it on a grade and do Tabata treadmill sprints.  If you are near a park or on a street with a little hill, do Tabata hill sprints.  You can do squats, jump rope or box jumps for Tabata intervals.  If you don’t have a box use a park bench or a curb.

2.  Static, isometric work.  Go five rounds of 45 sec work, 45sec rest.  Do planks (all variations).  Dead hangs.  Handstand holds at the wall.

3.  Alternate a static movement with a dynamic movement.  Run around the block (or 200m on a treadmill) and then hold a plank or a handstand.  Go 5 rnds with the static work being a max hold.

4.  Don’t forget about the burpee.  Do five rounds of 10 burpees with 30 sec rest in between.  Practise making your burpees the most efficient that you can, with as little transition time on the ground as possible.

5.  Focus on virtuosity with the movements.  If your pushups are not always legit, use your hotel time to do them as slowly as you need to with perfection.  If your air squats are often quad-dominant (knees forward) practise sitting back into them, pausing at the bottom and picking up your toes while you are down there.  Keep your hands straight up over your head.

6.  Pack a jump rope.  Work on your double unders.  Work on being able to do 100 single jumps per minute for three minutes straight.

7.  If you feel the need to “CrossFit” try: 3 rounds of 400m run, 15 pushups, 15 lunges each leg, 15 situps.

8.  If you are in a facility with a Gravitron hop on that thing and have fun!  Assisted dips and pullups are good for the ego.

9.  Work on your L-position hand stand pushups (for the skill checklist!).  Park benches and coffee tables are perfect for this sort of thing.  All those pillows on the hotel bed will keep your head safe too.

10.  Use “running at the wall” to get your heart rate up in your room.  Just stand facing the wall, place your hands on it, lean into it and run in place as fast as you can.  Do 30 sec, drop down, do some pushups, rest 30 sec, repeat.