Traveling and Training: Part 1 Get Your Head In The Game
Coach Jimmy Roe spends much of his time working as an enginer on a ship, so working out while away from Iron Bridge Crossfit (or any actual gym) has become the norm for him. In this blog series, Coach Jimmy will share tricks and tips for staying consistent with your workouts while out at sea...or maybe just on the road. Thanks for the information Coach!
Traveling for work, visiting family, or for vacation can really throw a wrench into your training schedule and consistency. It can be easy to use these times as an excuse to stray away. Sometimes, you need these breaks to reset, and recover. However, for those who travel often, these breaks can be too frequent to be productive to maintaining your fitness goals. Below, I have outlined a few topics to think about if you need some help figuring out how to optimize your travel for training.
1. Have a plan
When you're on the road for work or pleasure, you need to have a plan. Where are you going? Where are you in your current training (strength phase, speed training, gymnastics)? What means will you have available to you?
Training on your own is all a head game. When you come into a CF gym, you have the support of your fellow athletes and the coaching staff. You don't have to think about what you are going to do that day, nor do you have to motivate yourself as much as when you're training alone. Once you step in the door, you're good to go. This is not the case when you are traveling alone. If you have a plan for training while traveling, it will help to motivate you to get some work done.
2. Do your research
What are the CF gyms in the area? No CF gyms, are there traditional gyms? What are their prices and requirements? Does your hotel have a gym? Are their any parks in the area?
Part of getting a plan together is knowing a little about where you are going to be. If you're traveling to see family, you will most likely have a good idea of the local facilities available to you. If you're traveling for work, you may not have this luxury. Do a little research online, make some phone calls, and find out what will be available to you.
3. Survey the area
Once you get to your destination, check out your research. Do a drive-by to the places you've researched, and take a walk through the hotel gym. Stop in, say hello, and take a look around. Check out the parks. How do these places look? Are they in good or bad areas? Talk to the hotel front desk and get some local knowledge about the area.
4. Be adaptive/Have an open mind
Been doing CF for a long time? Have never been in a real traditional gym (Gold's/Planet Fitness)? No facilities available? Strange machines in your hotel gym?
Don't let these little hurdles get in the way of your training, and don't be a CF snob. Despite what you may think, people have been doing great things in traditional gyms for many years. Don't be afraid to swing through a traditional gym to get some training in. They usually have very cheap drop-in fees, and they have very accommodating hours. If you have planned accordingly, you can adjust your training routine to maximize the equipment and space available to you at your hotel or local gym. Remember to be polite while working out at these gyms. You are a guest there, and you should act accordingly. You wouldn't want someone dropping in to your box and taking over.
Also, adjust workouts to maximize your surroundings. You might not be able to do a workout with heavy snatches coupled with rope climbs and handstand pushups. Taking up three stations at the gym will not make you many friends. Be aware of others working out. You may have to settle for a few sets of heavy back squats, then after you cleaning up that station you can go to another room and get some hollow rocks and pushups in.
If there are no facilities available, you can get some training in ANYWHERE. There are numerous travel workout blogs available to give you some ideas. You can also do tons of different workouts using only your body. Remember, you only need a pull-up bar to do Murph… just saying.
5. Go on the first day
Being self-motivated is sometimes tough, especially if you've been traveling a lot. When you get to a new place, sometimes it's tough to get settled in. Going early will boost your moral, and you already feel accomplished. You're also setting a standard for yourself that even if you are super busy, you can make time for your health. That's why, whenever (physically) possible, I like to go on my first day. Even if it's just going down to the hotel gym for 30 minutes, or running around the block a few times followed by a few sets of push ups. Get sweaty on your first day.
6. Just GO
Not sure about what you're going to do? Feeling non-committal on where you want to go work out?
Just GO!! Run to a local park (maybe not one filled with children) and do some pull-ups and burpees! Go down to the hotel gym and run on the treadmill for a mile or two and do some presses with dumbbells! Drop in to a local CF and just join them in their programming!
A huge part of CF is being good at everything, and ready for anything. It's easy to make excuses in your head and talk yourself out of getting a good sweat going. I also find that as the days spent not training pile up, the easier it is to psych yourself out. A negative mindset is contagious and can be infectious in your mind. The way to fight it is to just GO. Any amount of time spent away from the gym can all be reset to zero by just going ONE TIME. You will feel accomplished and proud of yourself for breaking the cycle, and getting back into it. Get out of your own head, and just go.
7. Have Fun
Why are you training? What are your goals?
At Iron Bridge, we promote wellness as opposed to just physical fitness. Part of this wellness is mental wellness. However you choose to train, it should be an uplifting part of your life, and not a cause of stress. Keep a positive attitude about training while on the road, and enjoy all of its benefits and shortcomings.
The bottom line is, you can train anywhere at any time. Remember why you decided to come into CrossFit in the first place. The decision has already been made that the status quo for health and wellness is not good enough for you. This momentum and motivation is already in your favor, so keep it going. Train hard, and be well.
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