On the Road Again

Travelling is a must for this regular guy, either for work or just for fun.  Even though I might be stuck in a hotel, a tent, or maybe my parent's house, there are still a ton of ways to get a rigorous (and fast) workout in. 

Equipment:

I generally travel light, but i have a few favorite pieces of equipment which i like to bring with me on the road:

• I always have room for resistance bands.  You can get resistance bands in a variety of sizes; I have a small bag in which I carry bands from 5-20 lbs of resistance (the brand is Go-Fit).  The really cool thing about resistance bands is that the farther they stretch,  the higher their resistance.  
• I love bringing a jump rope...you can get some high intensity cardio from jumping rope. 
• Running or other workout shoes.  Duh.
• Under Armour or some other clothing that dries out... so I'm not stuck bringing home a disgustingly wet set of workout clothes.

I have also improvised and used gallon jugs of water, rocks or furniture for weight when resistance bands were not appropriate for a particular exercise (e.g. trunk rotations).  What are some must have pieces of equipment you have used for working out on the road?

Workouts:
If you're like me and aren't a big fan of hotel gyms, or you are in a place that does not have a gym, you can still get a great workout without waking the neighbors.  Since my core always needs work, here's a great workout that scares away the jet lag (including a wordy description of each exercise):

• Standard pushups:  Start from the "front-leaning rest position" - hands shoulder width apart, back and legs straight.  Go down until your upper arm is parallel with the ground, then push up until arms completely extended.
• Standard lunges:  Start with feet together.  Step forward with one leg and lunge until your front thigh is parallel with the ground.  Make sure your front knee is directly over your front foot as you lower yourself down.  Use your front leg to push  yourself back to the start position.  Now repeat above with the other leg.
• Banana rolls:  Lie down on your back, and lift your legs 6" off of the ground and your arms , above your head and about 6" off of the ground.  Stay in this position for 5 seconds, then roll to your left side (still with arms and legs off of the ground).  Hold again for 5 seconds and roll to your stomach (keep those arms and legs up!).  Hold for 5 seconds and roll to your right side (arms and legs still up!).  Hold for 5 seconds and roll to your back (arms and legs still up!).  Repeat going in the opposite direction...keeping your arms and legs suspended the entire time.
• Wide arm pushups:  Same as the standard pushup, but make sure your hands are much farther apart than shoulder-width.
• Reverse lunges:  Similar to the standard lunge, but you step BACKWARD instead of forward.  As you step back to the start position, you can raise your knee to increase intensity)
• Leg raises:  Lay flat on your back, legs straight.  Lift your legs up so that your body is at a 90 degree angle.  Lower your legs until your feet almost touch the floor and repreat. 
• Combined push up / side plank:  Use the same position as for the Standard Pushup, however keep your feet separated slightly.  Do a pushup; at the top of the pushup, turn your back toward your lright arm as you reach your left hand to the sky; you will need to pivot your feet.  Hold this position for 5 seconds and then lower your hand to the ground.  Repeat pushup and side plank for your right arm.
• Steam engine:  In a standing position, put your hands behind your head.  Raise your right leg up and touch your left elbow to your right knee.  Alternate legs.
• Alternating side to side lunges:  Start in the standing position, feet together.  Step with your right leg directly to the side and lunge downward until your thigh is parallel to the ground.  Stand
• Squats: Start in the standing position, feet shoulder width apart.  Keep your back as straight as possible while squatting down until your thighs are parallel to the ground.  Stand up straight again and repeat.

To make things simple, do an exercise for one minute, rest no more than twenty seconds, and move to the next exercise. Repeat the whole series and really bust your ass.  I picked these exercises because they are simple, low impact and don't require a lot of room.  If this gets too easy, try each exercise for two minutes.

Who knows?  Instead of growing a spare tire on your boondoggles, you may end up with buff arms and tight abs...