19/07/2023
I used to get pretty stressed when travelling, trying to find a gym that had all the gear I needed to do my training sessions exactly like I would at my home gym, figuring out travel to get to them, taking time away from my vacation, etc.
Now I take a different approach and use my vaction workouts to focus on things I tend to neglect at home. My normal training at home is 4 heavy strength training sessions, 2-4 smaller extra workouts, and jiu-jitsu 3-4 days a week.
Lately I've adjusted my training to work on a knee injury I'm dealing with, so the focus has been on knee ability training, flexibility, and mobility. On this trip I'm prioritizing these. Fortunately my hotel has a decent gym downstairs and I've been able to get all of my lower body exercises in as well as maintenance upper body training. I go to the gym every other day and hit my specific leg exercises and finish with an upper body push and pull exercise.
Don't overlook what you can do in the hotel room alone. With some wall space and a desk I've been hitting some great quad and hip stretches and a lot of extra abdominal and lower back exercises I typically neglect. I also brought my toe stretchers and bands to do some specific foot health exercises specifically working on my arthritis and lack of mobility in the knuckle of both of my big toes.
Unless your are in a competition prep cycle, don't stress about your workouts when travelling. Use that time to work on other parts of your fitness you typically neglect. Get out in the area you're in and go running or hiking to get a change of scenery, or take a drop in martial arts class or yoga class at a different studio or academy. But most importantly don't stress yourself out trying to find a gym with a belt squat and reverse hyper while trying to fit all your powerlifting gear into your carry-on like I used to do!
