Fitness on the road used to be a tricky proposition for me. My business trips were always marked by bad food, late night nights and full-on slothdom during hours of downtime. Then I would get home and complain about how crappy I felt. (Errmmm, not super mysterious why.)
That is, until I consciously started making choices about what I wanted to eat and drink — the same rule applies as does at home: Do I really want that? The answer can be “yes” — and treating fitness as a non-negotiable part of the adventure.
Without fail, I now make it a point to drop into a gym I’ve been wanting to check out (like John Broz’s in Vegas), or I make my own fun. And ya know what? My travel workouts have been some of the best I’ve ever had. It’s all in the approach.
During the non-snowy months, a 16-kilogram kettlebell takes up residence in the backseat of my car, all buckled up and ready for quick circuits during pit stops, but if I’m traveling by air, a 35-pound cannonball is a less feasible option.
Cue superbands.
I abhor checking luggage, so that’s not an option, and I’m not about to trade out room for a cute pair of shoes (yes, another pair is necessary) in my bag for a bunch of bulky fitness equipment, which is why a single superband usually makes the cut. Super thin and lightweight, it doesn’t take up valuable real estate, and it allows you to do row variations, which can be the trickiest to pull off when you’re outside of a gym setting. (But hey, you gotta row, man!)
Bonus: They’re cheap, too. And you can attach ‘em to almost anything.
Below is a workout designed by one of my personal favorite sources of fitness info, Robert dos Remedios (AKA “Coach Dos”). All you really need is a singlesuperband, but if you’ve got room for a jump rope, too, stick that in a secret pocket and you’re on your way.
THE ONE-BAND WORKOUT
30-40 seconds: Run Stairs or Do Air Squats/Squat Jumps
10 Pushups
10 Superband Rows (Each Arm)
10 Steps Spiderman Crawl Backward
10 Steps Spiderman Crawl Forward
10 Side Plank and Reach (Each Side)
50 Skips on a Jump Rope (Real or Imaginary)
10 Pushups
10 Superband Rows (Each Arm)
10 Steps Spiderman Crawl Backward
10 Steps Spiderman Crawl Forward
10 Side Plank and Reach (Each Side)
50 Skips on a Jump Rope (Real or Imaginary)
Repeat for 3 rounds, resting as necessary between exercises or rounds.
Note: Coach Dos completes the entire thing in his 20-pound Hyperwear weight vest, but doing it unweighted — as I do — will provide plenty challenge enough for most people.
[If you're wondering why the video above looks so dang good, it's because videographer and creative force Frank Addelia was behind the filming of it. Frankie has an awesome series of exercise progressions on rings over at frankiesstore.com — check it out!]
