Here’s what you need to know….
- Maintaining training progress can be difficult if you’re required to travel frequently, or if you decide to go on holiday at any point during your program.
- Most hotel gyms are poorly equipped, which can make it difficult to perform your regular workouts and maintain consistency with your routine.
- Despite these handicaps, it is possible to get a good workout in while abroad – assuming you’re committed to doing so.
- Ultimately, your workouts will be dictated by the amount of time available in your schedule and the equipment at your disposal.
Staying in shape while you’re traveling abroad can be tricky. Long flights, different time zones and of course the temptation to just relax by the pool and forget about your responsibilities can all stand in the way of a good workout. However, for the committed, the biggest challenge’s you’ll often face when working when traveling are a lack of time and a lack of equipment. Most hotels don’t have gyms and the ones that do, are often poorly equipped. Despite these handicaps, it is possible to get a good workout in while you’re traveling abroad and to ensure you have a plan of attack for your next trip oversea’s I’ve put together a set of recommendations for three different types of training, based on the amount of time and equipment you have available. For the purposes of this article, I’m going to assume that your primary goal is fat-loss so all of the training recommendations will be directed towards that objective.
1. Running
Running might be the cheapest, easiest and most accessible type of workout to perform while traveling. After all, all you need is a pair of running shoes and access to either the roads or the beach. Running on the streets in a foreign country might seem like a daunting prospect but it’s also a great way to take in the sights and get a feel for whatever city you’re lucky enough to be staying in. Map My Run is an app that lists the most popular running routes in any locale. The app boasts over 70 million routes worldwide, showing you where you’ve been and where you’re going. Obviously, it’s wise to plan your route in advance and to check directions with your hotel before setting out on your run. Alternatively, running on the beach reportedly burns 10% more calories than running on a treadmill, is easier on your joints and it’s pretty hard to get lost if you just stick to the coastline. Running barefoot is obviously the way to go if you’re running on sand and it’s advisable to get out early when the beach is less crowded. The only drawback to running on the beach is the amount of sand it throws up when you pick up any real speed. For that reason, I recommended simply running at a steady pace for 30-45 minutes.
2. Calisthenics
Body weight exercises can be performed anywhere and if you’re strong enough to perform push-ups, dips and chins then there’s no reason why you can’t get a good workout in while you’re traveling. Personally, I have found that bodyweight exercises performed in a circuit fashion (high reps, short rest periods and alternating between antagonistic body parts) is a great way to preserve muscle and burn fat whilst on holiday. I’ve also found that packing lightweight, portable equipment such as resistance bands and gymnastics rings can help add some variety to your routines and make it easier to train specific muscle groups. Depending on your goals and fitness levels, a typical bodyweight circuit can last anywhere between 15 – 30 minutes and can be performed in the hotel gym or even in your room. This makes them easy to fit into even the tightest of schedules.
3. The Hotel Gym
If you’re fortunate enough that your hotel gym has Barbells, Dumbbells, Benches and a Rack that you can almost certainly get a decent workout in. You will likely be hindered by the amount of weight available for heavy lifting but unless your goals are focused on strength and hypertrophy, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The obvious solution to this problem is to either perform more reps with the lighter weight or to perform unilateral exercises with an equivalent weight. For example, if you can Squat 80kg but the gym has no rack and only has Dumbbells that go up to 20kg, performing split Squats with a 20kg dumbbell in each hand will achieve the same effect. I would try to perform your workouts as they are written in your plan, however, this isn’t always possible if the hotel gym lacks specialist equipment that you use in your studio or gym in London. In this instance, performing a close variation to the exercise featured in your plan is the best option.
Closing
Whether it’s for business or pleasure travel can disrupt your training regime, stifle momentum and ultimately, undermine your results. However, using the approaches I have outlined above there is no reason why you can’t maintain training progress while traveling and continue to achieve fantastic results. Of course if your training hard year round there is also the option of kicking back, relaxing and enjoying the time off from training. Life’s about more than just PB’s and body fat percentages!
