Staying In Shape On The Road

I work out almost every day and access to my gym in Arlington is convenient (a walk across the street). So figuring out how to stay in shape on the road has been a particular challenge. I don't think I'll have it completely figured out by the time I leave. It'll probably be something that evolves as I travel from one city to another.

Here are some of my thoughts outlining the approach I'll take when I start my trip.

  1. Create a daily routine that can be done anywhere I'm staying, even if I do not have access to a gym
  2. Rely primarily on bodyweight exercises such as push-ups, sit-ups, body-weight squats
  3. Bring two 30-pound dumbbells, a resistant band, and a jumprope with me
  4. If I see a gym nearby where I'm staying, take advantage of it if they have a short-term membership

An example of a daily routine that could be performed anywhere might be the following:

  • Light 15 minute jog to warm up
  • 3x supersets of push ups, sit ups, and body weight squats to failure
  • 3x supersets of 100x jumproping, calf raises holding 2x30 lbs dumbbells, and dumbbell curls
  • 4x dumbbell lunges
  • 3x dumbbell deadlifts to failure
  • Stretching to cool down

The main point would be to keep the intensity very high and eliminate resting periods, similar to a crossfit workout. Intensity is key since I won't have heavy weight to work with most of the time. Doing these types of workouts once or twice a day (the second time would be plain running or a completely different muscle group) should help me to keep in shape while on the road.