I love the challenge of working out on the road.
By this point in the summer, we have all either spent time traveling or likely will be. As CrossFitters, we are committed to our workouts and being consistent helps maintain motivation. But we can all get a little lost when we're not at home, on our regular schedule, and at our regular gym. In this post I will discuss the importance of having the right mindset while traveling and show you how to construct great workouts with limited equipment.
The Fitness Mindset
Traveling does not mean unraveling. It is important to understand that fitness is a lifestyle, not a convenience. Likely, many of us have had to make difficult choices, work hard and be creative with our schedules at times to thrive in an active lifestyle that places a high importance on fitness. Prioritizing our fitness while traveling should then be nothing new.
As a coach, we have the opportunity to help athletes with their problems and often it seems like the stress of the unknown is the biggest concern when traveling. This post is intended to take some of that stress out of the equation, and give you a plan for prioritizing your fitness while traveling, just as you do at home. For this I have three fundamental strategies depending on the destination - you can find a gym to drop in at, work on your weaknesses or create your own hotel workouts.
Find a Drop-in
Dropping in at another CrossFit gym in your destination city can be an absolute blast and very beneficial to your fitness.
Even as a coach and gym owner I love dropping in at other gyms when I travel. It's an awesome chance to meet new people in the CrossFit world and learn new approaches. There are some amazing gym spaces and coaches out there and equipment that you may have never had the opportunity to use.
As a coach, I also love it when athletes drop in at our gym, CrossFit Sixth City. Even if all CrossFit coaches were trained by the same individual, we would all still use different terminology and see movement from our own perspective, and because of this we all have slightly different coaching techniques. When I have drop-in athletes in class, my goal is to give them one thing to take home with them and improve. Because I see movement differently than other coaches this allows me to provide them with value more than just getting their workout in.
Work Weaknesses
There are a couple of things that CrossFit athletes can usually improve on that do not require a ton of equipment - running, core strength and gymnastic strength. Usually when our athletes travel we hear that they are worried about "losing their fitness." What we usually have to explain is that it takes a while to lose strength if you have put legit work in to build it. What athletes can lose is their aerobic capacity. When the fuel tank shrinks we get tired more easily and have slower workout times.
The funny thing about improving aerobic capacity and things like core strength is we do not need any equipment. Running is a great way to improve aerobic capacity all by itself and planks and different core stabilizing movements are a great way to improve core strength that allows us to lift more weight and perform gymnastic movements. For more on aerobic capacity, check out www.aerobiccapacity.com!
The Hotel Gym
As CrossFitters, we all know and loathe hotel gyms. They are often where fitness goes to die. Usually dreary little rooms with a couple cardio machines, mirrors, a twenty-year-old TV. Some times this just requires a little creativity. We asked people to submit equipment ideas on our Facebook page so we could suggest workout ideas, and here they are.
[DBs, Exercise Ball, Treadmill] Dumbbells are great for making sure you're getting strength work in and doing unstable movements. They can also replace movements you may normally do with a barbell or kettle bell - front squat, goblet squat, 1-arm overhead squat, thruster, push press, strict press, push jerk, deadlift, 1 or 2-arm clean, 1-arm snatch, farmer carry, floor press, Russian KB swing, or bent over rows instead of pull-ups. Large exercise balls are great for training core stability - try holding a plank on the ball for a minute. Many of us hate dreadmills, but they can be a great tool when you're stuck inside and need to get your heart-rate up.
4 Rounds: 10 min EMOM:
1:00 T.M. Run 5 DBThruster
15 DB Thruster 5 Burpee
0:30 E.B. Plank Hold
For time:
21-15-9: 2:00 T.M. Run
DB Thruster 100 Push-up
DB Bent Over (or plank) Row 100 Goblet Squat
2:00 T.M. Run
100 DB Thruster
5 Burpee EMOM 20 min AMRAP:
10 DB Push-up + Row
20 min AMRAP: 20 Air Squat
20 DB Deadlift 10 V-Up
15 Goblet Squat
10 Burpee For time:
100 Air Squat
50-40-30-20-10: 80 Sit-up
DB Snatch 60 DB Snatch
Burpee 20 HSPU
The important thing to understand is that with dumbbells, the possibilities are endless!
[Pre Made BBs, DBs] When traveling I suggest we look at pre made barbells as a tool similar to dumbbells, but it is important to understand that they usually do not spin. It might seem like a big deal, but a barbell that spins helps protect the wrists on any turnover lift. Because of this, I would suggest avoiding cleans and snatches with pre made dumbbells. Movements that do work though - all the squats, deadlifts, sumo deadlift high pull, pressing, rowing, and Turkish get-ups.
100 BB Back Squat 150 BB Lunge For Time
5 Burpee EMOM Switch BS/FS/OHS every 10
For time: 20 min [alt] EMOM:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 BB Complex 15 BB Back Squat
(3 DL + 3 SDHP + 3 FS + 3 PP) 40 Mountain Climber
20 Jumping Jacks 20 [alt] Lunge Step
15 Hollow Rock
5 Rounds:
10 BB Overhead Squat 8 Rounds:
10 Push-up 10 BB Deadlift
20 DB Russian KB Swing 10 BB Bent Over Row
10 Burpee Over Bar
20 min AMRAP:
3 Rounds of... 5 Rounds:
5 Push-up 10 Single Leg DB Deadlift
10 Sit-up 15 DB/BB Push Press
15 Air Squat 20 Sit-up
-then- 15 DB/BB Floor Press
1 BB/DB Turkish Get-up (each) 10 Goblet Lunge Step (each)
[Hot Towels, Ice Bucket, Ironing Board] Wait, what? The point here is that we don't always have equipment, unless that's the biggest ice bucket anyone has ever seen and you can jump on it. In this scenario the focus will obviously be on body weight movements, but that shouldn't be a concern as there are plenty of options.
10 Rounds: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1:
10 Push-up HSPU
10 Sit-up Lunge Step (each)
10 Air Squat
10 Rounds:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Push-up 400m Run
0:15 Plank Hold Between 10 Burpee
For time: 20 Minute Run:
200 Lunge Hops 5 Push-up EMOM
100 Air Squat
50 Burpee For time:
100 Push-up
1 Mile Run For Time 100 Sit-up
100 Air Squat
100 Burpee For Time (Break up as needed)
"Deck of Cards WOD"
- Assign a movement to each suit.
- Draw cards and perform the assigned exercise.
- Numbers equal reps, with 10 reps for face cards.
By this point in the summer, we have all either spent time traveling or likely will be. As CrossFitters, we are committed to our workouts and being consistent helps maintain motivation. But we can all get a little lost when we're not at home, on our regular schedule, and at our regular gym. In this post I will discuss the importance of having the right mindset while traveling and show you how to construct great workouts with limited equipment.
The Fitness Mindset
Traveling does not mean unraveling. It is important to understand that fitness is a lifestyle, not a convenience. Likely, many of us have had to make difficult choices, work hard and be creative with our schedules at times to thrive in an active lifestyle that places a high importance on fitness. Prioritizing our fitness while traveling should then be nothing new.
As a coach, we have the opportunity to help athletes with their problems and often it seems like the stress of the unknown is the biggest concern when traveling. This post is intended to take some of that stress out of the equation, and give you a plan for prioritizing your fitness while traveling, just as you do at home. For this I have three fundamental strategies depending on the destination - you can find a gym to drop in at, work on your weaknesses or create your own hotel workouts.
Find a Drop-in
Dropping in at another CrossFit gym in your destination city can be an absolute blast and very beneficial to your fitness.
Even as a coach and gym owner I love dropping in at other gyms when I travel. It's an awesome chance to meet new people in the CrossFit world and learn new approaches. There are some amazing gym spaces and coaches out there and equipment that you may have never had the opportunity to use.
As a coach, I also love it when athletes drop in at our gym, CrossFit Sixth City. Even if all CrossFit coaches were trained by the same individual, we would all still use different terminology and see movement from our own perspective, and because of this we all have slightly different coaching techniques. When I have drop-in athletes in class, my goal is to give them one thing to take home with them and improve. Because I see movement differently than other coaches this allows me to provide them with value more than just getting their workout in.
Work Weaknesses
There are a couple of things that CrossFit athletes can usually improve on that do not require a ton of equipment - running, core strength and gymnastic strength. Usually when our athletes travel we hear that they are worried about "losing their fitness." What we usually have to explain is that it takes a while to lose strength if you have put legit work in to build it. What athletes can lose is their aerobic capacity. When the fuel tank shrinks we get tired more easily and have slower workout times.
The funny thing about improving aerobic capacity and things like core strength is we do not need any equipment. Running is a great way to improve aerobic capacity all by itself and planks and different core stabilizing movements are a great way to improve core strength that allows us to lift more weight and perform gymnastic movements. For more on aerobic capacity, check out www.aerobiccapacity.com!
The Hotel Gym
As CrossFitters, we all know and loathe hotel gyms. They are often where fitness goes to die. Usually dreary little rooms with a couple cardio machines, mirrors, a twenty-year-old TV. Some times this just requires a little creativity. We asked people to submit equipment ideas on our Facebook page so we could suggest workout ideas, and here they are.
[DBs, Exercise Ball, Treadmill] Dumbbells are great for making sure you're getting strength work in and doing unstable movements. They can also replace movements you may normally do with a barbell or kettle bell - front squat, goblet squat, 1-arm overhead squat, thruster, push press, strict press, push jerk, deadlift, 1 or 2-arm clean, 1-arm snatch, farmer carry, floor press, Russian KB swing, or bent over rows instead of pull-ups. Large exercise balls are great for training core stability - try holding a plank on the ball for a minute. Many of us hate dreadmills, but they can be a great tool when you're stuck inside and need to get your heart-rate up.
4 Rounds: 10 min EMOM:
1:00 T.M. Run 5 DBThruster
15 DB Thruster 5 Burpee
0:30 E.B. Plank Hold
For time:
21-15-9: 2:00 T.M. Run
DB Thruster 100 Push-up
DB Bent Over (or plank) Row 100 Goblet Squat
2:00 T.M. Run
100 DB Thruster
5 Burpee EMOM 20 min AMRAP:
10 DB Push-up + Row
20 min AMRAP: 20 Air Squat
20 DB Deadlift 10 V-Up
15 Goblet Squat
10 Burpee For time:
100 Air Squat
50-40-30-20-10: 80 Sit-up
DB Snatch 60 DB Snatch
Burpee 20 HSPU
The important thing to understand is that with dumbbells, the possibilities are endless!
[Pre Made BBs, DBs] When traveling I suggest we look at pre made barbells as a tool similar to dumbbells, but it is important to understand that they usually do not spin. It might seem like a big deal, but a barbell that spins helps protect the wrists on any turnover lift. Because of this, I would suggest avoiding cleans and snatches with pre made dumbbells. Movements that do work though - all the squats, deadlifts, sumo deadlift high pull, pressing, rowing, and Turkish get-ups.
100 BB Back Squat 150 BB Lunge For Time
5 Burpee EMOM Switch BS/FS/OHS every 10
For time: 20 min [alt] EMOM:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 BB Complex 15 BB Back Squat
(3 DL + 3 SDHP + 3 FS + 3 PP) 40 Mountain Climber
20 Jumping Jacks 20 [alt] Lunge Step
15 Hollow Rock
5 Rounds:
10 BB Overhead Squat 8 Rounds:
10 Push-up 10 BB Deadlift
20 DB Russian KB Swing 10 BB Bent Over Row
10 Burpee Over Bar
20 min AMRAP:
3 Rounds of... 5 Rounds:
5 Push-up 10 Single Leg DB Deadlift
10 Sit-up 15 DB/BB Push Press
15 Air Squat 20 Sit-up
-then- 15 DB/BB Floor Press
1 BB/DB Turkish Get-up (each) 10 Goblet Lunge Step (each)
[Hot Towels, Ice Bucket, Ironing Board] Wait, what? The point here is that we don't always have equipment, unless that's the biggest ice bucket anyone has ever seen and you can jump on it. In this scenario the focus will obviously be on body weight movements, but that shouldn't be a concern as there are plenty of options.
10 Rounds: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1:
10 Push-up HSPU
10 Sit-up Lunge Step (each)
10 Air Squat
10 Rounds:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Push-up 400m Run
0:15 Plank Hold Between 10 Burpee
For time: 20 Minute Run:
200 Lunge Hops 5 Push-up EMOM
100 Air Squat
50 Burpee For time:
100 Push-up
1 Mile Run For Time 100 Sit-up
100 Air Squat
100 Burpee For Time (Break up as needed)
"Deck of Cards WOD"
- Assign a movement to each suit.
- Draw cards and perform the assigned exercise.
- Numbers equal reps, with 10 reps for face cards.
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