the best 7-day travel wods for the busy minimalist · 2017-09-20 · the best 7-day travel wods for...

THE BEST 7-DAY TRAVEL WODS FOR THE BUSY MINIMALIST

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If you have ever traveled on business, visited a distant relative or embarked on a grand vacation and tried to maintain a fitness routine then you will certainly know the difficulty that it brings. In this article we will help you fully enjoy your travel by giving you this first series in our 7-day Travel WODs (workout of the day). I know firsthand the fitness mindset prior to travelling with well-laid plans of going to the gym every morning before any distractions can get in the way of a great workout. It all seems to play out very well in the mind as we envision ourselves in fitness clothing with water bottle in hand engaging in some great exercise. But these travel workout intentions rarely translate well into reality.

For those of us who workout regularly… religiously… we understand the importance of a routine.

Routine is the foundation to developing a habit. A habit is an ingrained repetitive routine that over time eventually becomes part of our lifestyle. To alter a long standing fitness routine is to interrupt a fitness lifestyle. Traveling does just that — it interrupts all that we know to be routine.


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Now before you assume that I am advocating non-stop exercising at the cost of enjoying a vacation I’m not. I love traveling and vacationing and even taking a break from the normal but there are certain routines I always bring with me. Eating as healthy as possible, hydrating often (yes, only water counts) and engaging in some form of simple physical exercise — these are my universal, portable routines that I could do even on Mars should I ever find myself there. Having a small set of easy-to-understand fitness routines is essential to the traveler who seeks to maintain a healthy, fit and durable body. This is especially true when visiting destinations that are less than accommodating with no gyms, no workout rooms, no nothing. Fortunately most destinations now have hotels with moderately accommodating gyms complete with treadmills and weights. Without a doubt hotels have adopted more of a fitness focus for the business traveler/vacationer yet one major issue remains — it is the issue of actually getting yourself motivated enough to get to the gym. As I said earlier travel workout intentions rarely translate well into reality… even when there are clean, well-lit gyms just a short walk from any hotel room. As much as overcrowded or under-equipped gyms might get blamed for travelers not getting in a great workout, gyms are not the problem. The real problem lies solely and squarely with us, the human.

If we really wanted to we could exercise nearly anywhere regardless of how unaccommodating the environment is.

Hundreds of incarcerated men and women the world over find ways to workout and stay fit while living behind bars. They have plenty of time to think and practice routines that become habits and evolve into a lifestyle.


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And if the most sparsely furnished prison cell can provide amazingly great workouts for these men and women (such as Paul Wade's Convict Conditioning which I have fully tested and highly recommend) then we certainly should be able to find ways to workout while travelling.

Enter the 7-Day Travel WODs. The travel what you ask? The travel W.O.D. — Workout Of the Day. At LiveFitnessHub.com have been building longer duration workouts for clients but we thought it would be fun to develop a series of shorter daily workouts and the 7-Day Travel WODs just made sense.

The way it works is simple – each day for a total of 7 days you do a different workout. Each workout comes with short, easy-to-understand instructions and descriptions.

These workouts are portable and can be done nearly anywhere… and believe me we tested these aboard cruise ships, hotel gyms, the beach, the desert, the living room and a very wet and soggy mountain trail.

You can choose to do these workouts in a gym, in your room, on the veranda (if it’s big enough) or really wherever you like. But where you do these workouts is not the focus here — it’s the actual doing of the workout that matters. Remember…

“an inch every day goes much farther than the occasional mile.”

This holds true in developing and maintaining a fit body and here is your chance to do a little bit every day while you travel.

Regardless if the workout was difficult or easy, the goal is that you completed a workout.

So get ready, here are your 7 days of workouts!

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Day 1 of the 7-day Travel WODs Do the following by moving down the list in order. Do each exercise according to the “WORK” times and then rest for the given “REST” times before moving down to the next exercise on the list.

These are the exercises you will perform during this workout:

Jumping Jack

Mtn. Climber

Wide Leg Situp

EXERCISE WORK REST

Jumping Jack 30 seconds 30 seconds

Mtn. Climber 30 seconds 30 seconds

Situp (Wide Leg) 30 seconds 30 seconds







Total Time In Workout: 11 minutes Once you have completed the above list of exercises according to the given times... you are done! Make sure to take a few minutes to stretch and cool down.


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Day 2 of the 7-day Travel WODs Today's workout is about stimulating your nervous system to work more efficiently. Yeah, it would be easier just to throw a bunch of random workouts at you but we do things a bit differently. We are careful and methodical about fitness and we want you to develop a fit lifestyle through simple and sustainable workouts.

Do the following according to the given repetitions before moving down to the next exercise on the list. Repeat this list over and over again for a maximum of 10 minutes. These are the exercises you will perform during this workout:

Alternating Hand Leg Lift

Mtn. Climber (Vertical)

Mtn. Climber Jump

EXERCISE WORK

Alt. Hand Leg Lift 6 reps

Mtn. Climber (Vertical) 10 reps

Mtn. Climber Jump 6 reps

Total Time In Workout: 10 minutes

Once you have completed the above list of exercises repeated until 10 minutes has passed... you are done! Make sure to take a few minutes to stretch and cool down. Congratulate yourself for now doing what millions of travelers fail to do -- workout more than once.


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Day 3 of the 7-day Travel WODs Today we picked up the pace a bit and extended the time in workout with some continuous work. We call it Active Recovery here at LiveFitnessHub.com which means that while your breathing and your heart rate increases you intentionally breath deeper and control every movement. In other words you practice awareness and stay in control. It is a skill to be learned without a doubt but one we have helped many people learn and use regularly. Before doing the following list take 2 minutes to warm up by doing a loose run in place. Nothing fast paced but instead a really easy shuffle to get the body and brain going. Rotate and shake your arms out as well. Do the following according to the given times before moving down to the next exercise on the list. Repeat this list 4 times resting only when indicated. These are the exercises you will perform during this workout:

Body Weight Squat

Alternating Lunge

Lying Scissor Twist

Walkout


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EXERCISE WORK

Body Weight Squat 30 seconds

Alt. Lunge 30 seconds

Lying Scissor Twist 30 seconds

Alt. Lunge 30 seconds

Walkout 30 seconds

Rest 1 minute

Total Time in Workout: 14 minutes

Once you have completed the above list 4 times... you are done! Make sure to take a few minutes to stretch and cool down. Ok - you are 3 days in so there is no reason to stop now even if your travel is coming to an end. These workouts will help establish a routine which leads to a habit and then eventually a lifestyle. PRO TIP:

You don’t have to be travelling to do these exercises


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Day 4 of the 7-day Travel WODs Yesterday we experienced a faster paced and longer workout but today we get to slow things down. In fact we are going to slow down beyond what feels natural which in the fitness world is called eccentric contraction or more commonly known as "negatives". Negatives are when you sink into the movement instead of the common push part of the movement that everyone is used to doing. Even though the length of time of the workout is almost half of yesterday's this workout will feel longer. Start loosen up by doing 10 to 15 seconds of arm circles then a slow paced run in place for 30 seconds. Do the following according to the given repetitions before moving down to the next exercise on the list. Repeat this list 10 times resting after each exercise as listed. These are the exercises you will perform during this workout:

Slow Negative Pushup

Slow Negative Squat

Mtn. Climber Step (count one leg)


EXERCISE WORK REST

Slow Negative Pushup 6 reps 5 seconds

Slow Negative Squat 6 reps 5 seconds

Mtn. Climber Step (count one leg) 6 reps 5 seconds


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Once you have completed the above list 10 times... you are done! Make sure to take a few minutes to stretch and cool down. Completing 4 days of workouts in a row while traveling is the makings of a habit. It is debatable about how long it take to develop a habit. Some researchers say it takes 2 weeks while others say 4 weeks. So every day we complete a workout is every day we inch closer to forming a life-changing habit. Just keep going!


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Day 5 of the 7-day Travel WODs Today will be faster paced and a bit longer but with very differently timed work and rest sets then we did in the Day 3 workout. Why? Well we hate boring workouts. With every workout we build we try to do several things. Keeping the mnemonic in mind "Have Some Fresh Coffee" we also want to try and work as many muscle groups as possible while also making the workouts as entertaining as possible. Entertainment is important to a sustainable fitness lifestyle and anyone who tells you otherwise needs to learn to have a bit more fun. “Variety is the spice of life" and is also important when exercising especially when you are sore from other workouts and you need something new and fresh to stay motivated. So here is today's new and fresh workout? Start warming up by doing small hops while loosely shaking your arms and neck for 30 seconds. Then do 5 big jumps in a row. Just 5... then you're ready. Do the following according to the given times before moving down to the next exercise on the list. Repeat this list 10 times resting after each exercise as listed. These are the exercises you will perform during this workout:

Run in Place (High Knee)

Ball Kick (Right)

Plyo Plank

Ball Kick (Left)


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EXERCISE WORK REST

Run in Place (High Knee) 20 seconds 10 seconds

Ball Kick (Right) 20 seconds 10 seconds

Plyo Plank 20 seconds 10 seconds

Ball Kick (Left) 20 seconds 10 seconds


Once you have completed the above list 10 times... you are done! Make sure to take a few minutes to stretch and cool down. If you completed today's workout then you just passed beyond where many people do not go! Five solid days of working out goes back to what I talked about in doing a little bit every day. So congratulate yourself, think about what you got done and look forward to what is coming next.


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Day 6 of the 7-day Travel WODs Ok today is something new (big surprise) but not just new in the sense of the exercise but new in what the exercise does. After all it isn't what that exercise is that we should be concerned about but instead it should be what the exercise actually does for us both physically and even mentally?

Before you go on and read today's workout I want to do with you what we have done hundreds of times with our clients... prepare you mentally for the "trouble" that lies ahead. Well "trouble" only in the sense that we point out the difficulty of the workout before it happens so that you can prepare yourself to overcome it. Physical exercise is definitely physical as the name describes but even more so it is mental and mental preparedness is where the battle is typically won. Most often won BEFORE the physical even starts. Begin mentally telling yourself to push beyond what is comfortable. As you get better and more comfortable with physical exercising you can begin mentally pushing yourself intentionally into discomfort which is where you will see gains in your overall physical fitness. Today's workout will require you to push beyond the comfortable. Start warming up by running place for 5 seconds and then stop for 10 seconds. Do this 5 times before proceeding to the workout.

The following is known as an exercise pyramid. There are many variations to pyramids but today's involves increasing the length of time in work. Do each row according to the given times before moving down to the next exercise on the list. You will only go through this list 1 time making sure to rest after each exercise as listed. These are the exercises you will perform during this workout:

Jumping Jacks

Cross Jacks


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EXERCISE WORK REST

Jumping Jacks 1 minute 10 seconds

Jumping Jacks 2 minutes 20 seconds



Cross Jacks 1 minute

Total Time in Workout: 11 minutes NOTE: Many people are just fine with jumping jacks... for the first 30 seconds but things quickly change after that. Calf muscles love to sound the 4-alarm fire early prompting us to quit -- just push beyond the "burn". As you move through 2 minutes and 3 minutes of Jumping Jacks the movement becomes more of a whole body jump where it takes more effort to jump because the calves are "on fire". Do your very best to keep going. Use a countdown timer you can watch tick the seconds down and play your favorite music if possible. You will need these distractions to get through this. Once the entire workout is completed take time cool down and stretch your legs. Reach for your toes with straight legs for 30 seconds at a time. Pull one foot at a time up and behind you for a good thigh/quad stretch as well… again for 30 seconds at a time.

If you completed today's workout then I’m sure you are glad it is behind you. It is amazing how such a well known, old school exercise like a jumping jack can inflict so much fire-breathing pain if done in a certain sequence.

Great job on completing Day 6 of this 7-Day Travel WOD series. We have one more workout coming tomorrow.


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Day 7 of the 7-day Travel WODs Here it is the last workout in the 7-day Travel WODs -- Series 1 and if you haven't done so yet maybe because you think it’s silly then STOP – go ahead and congratulate yourself. No, seriously... congratulate yourself because no one else probably will. That is the funny thing about physical fitness -- there are certain milestones in any fitness journey that are difficult to achieve. Some being so difficult that when finally attained you feel like you've conquered the world yet most often there are very few people who know how you are feeling or likely even care about your achievements. Learning how to congratulate yourself is an important skill to acquire and makes you independently confident from the world around you.

Too often we are dependent on external support to keep us motivated and when that support structure fails us then we fail. Not anymore! Practice moving forward regardless of anyone else and you will achieve so much more. Then if someone does come along who supports and encourages you then simply consider that a bonus.

For today final workout we will do a strength/endurance test that involves a goal. As you do this test you will strive to reach the goal. Even if you don't make it to the set goal (which is possible by the way) make every effort to get as close to the goal as possible because it will serve as a benchmark that you can strive to attain and surpass sometime in the near future. Do the prescribed exercise at the beginning of every minute. This will go on for 15 minutes which means you will do (10 pushups x every minute for 15 minutes) = 150 pushups. If you have ever wondered how to improve your overall upper body strength this is how you do it. In fact you could do this particular workout 2 to 3 times per week for amazing results in strength building while developing the chest, shoulders, arms and back.


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This is the only exercise performed during this workout

Pushup

EXERCISE AT BEGINNING OF EVERY MINUTE

Standard Pushup 10 reps YOUR GOAL: 150 REPS


First, acknowledge the overall goal of today's workout and then turn your focus to the first minute. You simply have to do 10 full pushups in one minute. Do not worry about the second minute or third or fourth. Just focus on each minute at a time.

Secondly, you will find that you may feel like you can't get through this workout somewhere around the third or fourth minute. Knock that mental wall down and keep going. You have far more resilience that you may realize.

Lastly, as you do your pushups don't lead with your chin. Drop down until belly touches the floor and then push away from the floor like you are shoving a heavy door open. Tighten all muscles in the body to perform this movement. Change your hand position (wide, narrow, staggered) from time to time to squeeze more power out of your muscles and if all else fails and you have nothing left... drop to knee pushups for the remainder of the workout. But this should only be as a last resort.

Once the workout has been completed take some time stretch your chest wall by grabbing a wall directly out from your side and then rotating your torso away to create a deep chest stretch. Repeat that stretch in the opposite arm.

Well – that’s it. Enjoy your day... and remain determined to keep exercising!


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Cory Crabtree is one of three co-founders at LiveFitnessHub.com. As a published author, blogger and all-around fitness enthusiast he is well-travelled and enjoys exercising in all corners of the world.

You can see more from Cory as well as find other fitness articles and advice at LiveFitnessHub.com.

https://livefitnesshub.com/

the best 7-day travel wods for the busy minimalist · 2017-09-20 · the best 7-day travel wods for...

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