Quite honestly, it's tough to follow a set program when you're in unpredictable
circumstances, as often happens when you don't know what equipment you'll have access to or even if you'll have
a chance to train on any particular day.
The more planned-out-in-advance
your travel schedule is, of course, the better you'll be able to follow a more set program. Here are some tips on how
to schedule your training while traveling.
1.
Every time you get a chance to do a workout, do a total-body workout. That way, if you don't get a chance again for a
couple of days, at least you'll still have worked everything. And, even if you do get a chance and do end up working the
whole body for several days in a row, you'll get great benefits from this training by giving your body a completely different
stimulus than it's used to!
Here is a sample total body workout
arrangement - take short rest periods to keep the training intense (e.g. 30 seconds to a minute between sets). The number
of reps you get will depend on the exercise you use (some exercises and body positions will be tougher than others) but shoot
for around 10 to 15 reps per set.
5 Sets Chest
5 Sets Back
5 Sets Thighs
3 Sets Shoulders
2 Sets Biceps
2 Sets Triceps
2 Sets Calves
3 Sets Abdominals
2. If you feel up to it, on days when you've
been traveling for long periods, do some stretching to help loosen up. Your body is basically motionless for long periods
when traveling and resistance training may not be all that productive after a long day on the road. Stretching is easily done,
requires no equipment and will help relax you.
3. If you know you have a longer trip coming up, ramp
your current training up to that date. What this means is that you want to start building up and working your body with increased
sets and start using intensity techniques to move towards overtraining.
By
doing this, by the time your trip comes along, your body will NEED the break and moving to infrequent bodyweight training
will actually help your body recover and improve.
This strategy can
also be applied if you travel very frequently for business. Before you leave on your trip, do a couple of extremely tough
workouts in a row. While you're on the trip, do a couple of bodyweight workouts or focus on stretching, especially on
shorter trips.
The concept of controlled overtraining is more fully
explained in this article (includes a sample training program):
Training
on the Edge - Learn How Overtraining on Purpose Can Get You Maximum Results FAST!
4. If your goal is to lose fat, try Fat-Loss Circuit Training while on the road. This training
technique is basically doing cardio training in between resistance training sets instead of taking a typical non-active rest
period. It's extremely powerful and gives your body a strong metabolic response - perfect for packing as much punch into
your workouts as possible.
Here's a sample of what looks like in action:
1 set chest
30 seconds cardio
1 set chest
30 seconds cardio
1 set
back
30 seconds cardio
1 set back
30 seconds cardio
etc.
In your motel room, you can choose from a number of cardio options: pack a skipping rope, use stairs or a low bench
or even just step-ups onto a stable chair in the room (no rolling chairs!).
5. If your goal is to build muscle, I would still recommend using the total-body workout format
but try to use more challenging exercise variations that only allow for 8 to 12 reps per set. Doing 50 push-ups isn't
going to build muscle!
When it comes right down to it, it doesn't
matter where you're training. As long as you're giving your body a strong training stimulus, you're going to be
able to build muscle.
