If you’re serious about getting fit then that means occasionally training when it’s not overly convenient. People will say you’re obsessed, but if every time an obstacle comes up you stop training then you’re just not going to get much done – this is a commitment and you can’t just stop whenever it suits you! So learning to work out while on the go, whether this means travelling to Hawaii or just visiting your parents for the weekend, is a valuable skill.

The first port of call where possible is to choose a location that allows for your gyming activities. Obviously sometimes you have no say in where you go and you can’t dictate your entire life around your training regime (as much as some of us would like to *guilty*). What you can do however is to select where possible hotels that have gym facilities or at least large enough rooms that you might be able to do some basic calisthenics of your own volition. If this isn’t possible however then at least check out the area you’re headed to: does it have a gym or two in the area? If so, can you use it as a one off affair? While most gyms require you to pay a hefty joining fee before you can use their equipment, they also often offer trial sessions to those looking to potentially sign up. So in other words, sound like you’re interested and ask if you can use it for the day. If there’s more than one gym in the area then you can keep this lark going for a while and if not you can always go back again on a different day – chances are there’ll be different staff working so just use a pseudonym. I once used a gym over twenty times like this (during a time of significant financial upheaval while I was a student). Check out the area before you leave by asking friends who live locally or by checking online for gyms near your destination.

If even this fails then you can use other items outside for free in order to work out. This might sound fairly strange and you will look odd, but training in either forests or playgrounds is a great alternative workout. Playgrounds in particular are great for using the climbing frames for pull ups, chin ups, suspended sit ups, supine pull ups, leg raises, dips or tricep dips. Kids will look at you strangely, as will their parents but so what? In a forest area you can use branches as bars or logs as makeshift barbells. Of course so long as you have somewhere to shower and a spare change of clothes with you you can go jogging practically anywhere.

If this still isn’t doing it for you (heading to the forest for your workouts won’t appeal to everyone... ), then it’s time to look at the options you can work with in the hotel room. To aid in this pursuit there are actually many different types of portable training equipment you can carry with you in a suitcase or even your hand luggage. One example is the ‘bullworker’ which is a strange cylindrical or rectangular bar with a handle on either end. Here you either pull or push the handles which offer resistance in the form of internal springs, and train yourself with various isometric holds or dynamic movements. This is a fairly useful piece of equipment but for the hefty price tag doesn’t really do much more than the standard elasticated bands you can get for the same purpose. The latter are also slightly more versatile. As well as these forms of resistance you can also bring dumbbells designed for travel – which are made from hollow plastic that you fill with water upon arrival. These are only light even when filled to maximum capacity (generally a couple of kilograms) so they aren’t really designed for the hardcore gym goer. For this purpose a fully packed suit case with a handle can actually provide a more substantial weight that works just as well. However for beginners they’re ample, and even for more advanced bodybuilders can be used for certain movements such as lateral raises or upward raises. On top of these are the ab belts you can get that subtly electrocute your abs to stimulate contractions (much as you would generate were you working out normally) and the forearm grippers you can get to train your forearms.

These won’t give you a very comprehensive or difficult full body workout however and most fall short of the sort of training you could do yourself with you body weight and perhaps a few items of furniture (courtesy of Travel Lodge or Travel Inn, just don’t break anything... ). Obviously exercises such as the sit up or press up can be performed anywhere, and both of these have countless variations that can give you a very good workout for your pecs and abs. For you legs you can still do dips or lunges or one legged squats. For biceps meanwhile you can use a door frame as a make shift pull up bar, or even the edge of the door itself. This has the added advantage of making it a difficult grip for your fingers (a ‘crimp’ in climbing parlance) that makes this a fantastic forearm workout too. If you want to get really adventurous then you can use the chairs in the room to give yourself an extended range of movement – if you have three make a triangle for low press ups or if you have two position them opposite each other for dips. A bed too can be used for tricep dips or incline press ups – you must have one of those!

And finally – protein. Make sure you either find a place to eat that serves chicken breasts, or take your own. While protein shake is tricky to carry you can get small sachets designed for travel (such as Whey To Go), shots of protein (urgh... ) or even protein puddings from Instone – portable and tastey!

Mack LeMouse

Copyrighted material; do not reprint without permission.

 

View all articles by Mack LeMouse