Traveling Workout Recommendations

Althought I don't travel regularly, as you do, on my last vacation I took along my 30DS DVD and did that in my room. You may also want to come up with your own circuit training program using resistance bands (very easy to travel with). Might not be as intense as your gym workout, but it would get you moving.

My husband travels for work apx 50% of the time. He usually has a similar problem finding a hotel with good workout equipment. He's usually in rural areas or works 1 hour or more from his hotel. (fixes, installs, etc...rock crushing equipment ...you get the idea..no cell service..) He takes his IPAD and uses the internet/you tube for videos. He also take a portable DVD player and brings P90X or soon to have Turbo Fire. He requests 1st floor rooms. He also packs his own breakfast or stops at a grocery store. He has resistance bands to use when there are no weights. He also uses the Nike GPS so he can run outside the hotel. He tends to run the parking lots or streets close to his hotel. For safety reasons he texts me when and where he's going while running. Then once back he sends me another text. When he's stuck in the airports he also uses the Nike shoe chip and walks. He only carries on his backpack (ipad and laptop) so he had that extra weight while walking. Sometimes he's able to log 2-3 miles while on a layover at the airport.

Beachbody has a new workout 10 minute workout advertised. We haven't looked into it yet but it caught his attention. Claims to be something for those who travel.

I have used this workout at the gym and in the confort of my own home. I also took it with me on the road when I traveled last week. You might also check out the toughmudder.com site, they have a different circut listed now that contains more cardio segments but here is the one I use often.

The tough mudder workout:
Exercise 1 - Running Man
To get yourself in peak cardio condition, you can either:
1) Get on a treadmill. Start jogging at a slow comfortable pace for the first 5 minutes, then increase the speed to a full sprint for a full minute before reducing the speed back down to a jog for a minute or two. Alternate between jogging and sprinting for 35 minutes. Build up to 1 hr.
2) Free run. As you head outside for a jog, choose a point or landmark in the distance that’s reasonably far and sprint to it. Do this 10 or so times throughout the course of your run, paying attention to mixing in jogging and sprinting equally. Again, build up to running 3-4 times a week and increasing your distance gradually until you can comfortably run 5+ miles.
Related Obstacle: The Braveheart Charge (& all of Tough Mudder)

Exercise 2 - TM PUSH-UP
Start out in a regular pushup position with two dumb bells in each hand. As you push your body upwards, rotate your torso at peak height and bring your right hand up behind you so that your hands are in a vertical line. Lower the weight so that you are once again in push up position. Do a push up, repeating with your left hand.
Related Obstacle: Boa Constrictor

Exercise 3 - THE FIST AND THE FURY
Grab a dumbbell, kettle bell, or anything heavy with a handle, in one hand and let it hang in front of you. Lower the weight below your hips and let it swing between your knees and legs. Try to keep your core sturdy and straight, explode
upwards and swing the weight up to about eye level in a fully upright position. With control, do this as many times as you can, spending about 45 seconds on each arm.
Related Obstacle: Berlin Walls

Exercise 4 - SCISSOR KICK
From a regular standing position, take one big step forward and lower yourself into a forward stepping lunge. This is the start position. From there, explode off the ground, getting enough air under you to scissor kick your legs and land with your opposite leg forward and ready to crouch down to the lunge position. Keep doing this, alternating your legs on each jump/repetition for 60 seconds.
Related Obstacle: Fire Walker

Exercise 5 - BACK ROW
Grab a pair of dumbbells or kettle bells and bend over, holding them in each hand, making sure your back is parallel to the ground. Keep your core steady and pull the weights in a controlled manner up to your chest, hold at the top for the rep, pause, and repeat.
Related Obstacle: Hold Your Wood
Exercise 6 - DUMBBELL SIDE LUNGE

Grab your dumbbells and let them hang by your sides. Take a lateral step with your right leg, completely straightening your left leg. From there, bend forward at your hips, and touch the dumbbells to the floor by your right foot. Push off your right leg and make the same lateral lunge on your left leg. That's one rep.
Related Obstacle: Swamp Stomp
Exercise 7 - PUSH UP plus ROW

Grab two dumbbells and assume a pushup position, with your arms straight. Perform a regular pushup, but as you fully extend your arms at the height of the push up, take one dumbbell and bring it all the way to the side of your chest. Lower your arm and descend back ot the start position. Repeat with the other arm. That’s one rep.
Related Obstacle: Devil’s Beard
Exercise 8 - LUNGE & TWIST

Grab a heavy object and clutch it tight to the middle of your chest as you stand with feet shoulder length apart. Take a step forward as you would with a normal lunge, but as you lower your body with the weight, twist your torso to the right, pause, and return to a full upright position. Do the same with the opposite leg. That’s one rep.
Related Obstacle: Sweati Yeti
Exercise 9 - SHOULDER PRESS

Grab some dumbbells or small kettle bells in each hand and spread your feet shoulder length apart as you would for a squat. Bring the dumbbells up to your shoulders as if you were doing a shoulder press. Lower yourself as you keep the
weights cocked at the shoulder, as you explode upward from the squat position, push the weights up and above your head.
Related Obstacle: Cliffhanger
Exercise 10 - DECLINE PUSH UP

Simple, quick, and easy. Get into a normal pushup position, but put your feet on top of an elevated park bench or box, arms extended out in front of you so that your body is perfectly parallel to the floor above the ground. Begin to do as many pushups as you can in the next 60 seconds.
Related Obstacle: Kiss of Mud

Exercise 11 - Quick Feet
Staying in the pushup position, rapidly bring each knee towards your chest, as if you were sprinting in place or pedaling a ridiculously small bike.
Related Obstacle: The *kitten*

Exercise 12 - Tough Chin Up
Just like your old man used to do, hang from a bar with either an overhand or underhand grip and pull yourself up – be sure to try and touch your chest to the bar, or get as close as you can. This will get progressively harder as the set wears on. Remember to do as many as you can for the full 60 seconds. Even if you have to take a slight break, be sure to finish the set.
Related Obstacle: Underwater Tunnels

Exercise 13 - Superman Plank
Get back into the pushup position you’ve grown accustomed to, placing your forearms on the ground and keeping your core – abs and hips – tight as possible. Hold this position for a full 60 seconds.
Related Obstacle: Greased Lightning

Exercise 14 - Drunk Superman Side Planks
Get on your side and hold yourself up by left forearm, creating a half triangle between your lats, forearm, and ground. Like a regular plank, keep your core tight – flex if you have to – and hold the
Related Obstacle – Walk the Plank

Exercise 15 - Angelina Jolie
Get in between two chairs, bars, or if at a gym, a dip machine. Grab each bar or handle with each arm and lower yourself slowly and with control, as you push up with your arms try to explode up, lifting yourself completely off. Be sure to start out slowly until you get used to jumping off and regaining control of the bars.
Related Obstacle: Ball Shrinker

Exercise 16 - THE TOUGH SQUAT
Take a dumbbell, kettle bell, or large stone, anything you can find, and hold it in front of your chest. Stick your hips out behind you, bend your knees, and lower yourself until you’re in a full squat position. Pause for a second for the burn to really set in and then push back to the start position.
Related Obstacle: Death March

This is not my original workout plan. It was found on toughmudder.com

if I were in your position I'd take Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred DVD. It has a bit of cardio/strength in the work out. Beats nothing... That or hit the pool and do some laps.

I'm in the same boat as you, dude - hotels are my second home.

I am a big fan of the TRX-type straps. I couldn't find a pair when shopping the other day, but I did find a really nice knock-off called "Rip 60". They work perfectly using the bathroom door in the hotel, or the front door - whichever one has some room for you to get your moves on.

I like the Rip 60 as I can slide the plastic handles to the side to create a comfy brace for my ankles when doing suspended core work.

You can do to muscle failure pretty easily.

I also look on Google maps for nearby gyms sometimes, they usually offer day passes.

take it to the stairs! there was a time i worked in a 9 story building...so what is that? like 18 flights of stairs? i worked crazy hours so during my lunch break, i would change into workout clothes and hit the stairs! from the bottom floor to the top floor, twice up and down...it was INTENSE! i'm telling you...by the time you get to the 7th floor, you are sweating. i tried to do it all in under 45 minutes (so i could scarf down my lunch for the remaining 15 minutes of my hour lunch break) but it was tough.

Like someone else said try Bodyrock TV, or Zukalite, seejanesweat, on YouTube they have great traveling workouts and if all else fails bring a jump rope and some resistance bands!

I'm in the same boat as you, dude - hotels are my second home.

I am a big fan of the TRX-type straps. I couldn't find a pair when shopping the other day, but I did find a really nice knock-off called "Rip 60". They work perfectly using the bathroom door in the hotel, or the front door - whichever one has some room for you to get your moves on.

I like the Rip 60 as I can slide the plastic handles to the side to create a comfy brace for my ankles when doing suspended core work.

You can do to muscle failure pretty easily.

I also look on Google maps for nearby gyms sometimes, they usually offer day passes.

Thanks for the suggestion. I think a handicap accessible room gives the most space to use this equipment.

I was just going to say any of the Tough Mudder boot camps (circuit training) and keep in mind you can do an alternative exercise for any that you don't have a machine for (ie. no treadmill run in place, no place to do pull ups do a similar move with or without weights; oh and if there happens to be a playground near by...you CAN do pull ups on the monkey bars and dips)

Bring some free weights or exercise bands or don't you can use your own resistance to do strength training.

http://toughmudder.com/tough-mudder-boot-camp-training/

I have lots of printed out workouts (most of them are circuits, some created by others, some I've put together myself); I never leave home without my running shoes, workout clothes and an assortment of workouts. My husband gets embarrassed b/c when we're "traveling' and we stop at rest stops, I do 50 jumping jacks or 50 lunges for each leg....there's no place I can't exercise.

Good Luck to you!!!

if I were in your position I'd take Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred DVD. It has a bit of cardio/strength in the work out. Beats nothing... That or hit the pool and do some laps.

This, and her Ripped in 30. Both killer workouts that need very little equipment and space. I use the large water bottles as weights and just fill them to my needs for whichever workout I am doing. They also sell water filled dumb bells - just fill them before your workout. They empty for travel weighing just a few ounces each.

I also travel for work and this has seriously worked for me.