How Can I Make Gains While Traveling?
Jan 19, 2018 mindpumpChanging your physique for the better requires lots of different things: good programming, adequate sleep, proper nutrition, etc. One factor weighs heavier than everything else: CONSISTENCY. For those of us that travel often, consistent workouts are hard to come by. Awful hotel gyms and long days on the road kill motivation. So what can you do to keep progressing forward while traveling?
Every workout doesn’t have to be amazing
Accept that sometimes you will have limited equipment. Do what you can to keep moving forward. The “all or nothing” mindset doesn’t lead to long term success when it comes to fitness.
Any type of exercise or resistance training is better than not doing anything. Again, CONSISTENCY is KING. Your workouts don’t have to be consistently great, or grueling, just consistently do enough to make progress.
Use Trigger Sessions
Sometimes the hotel gym is non-existent, and other gyms aren’t a realistic possibility. In these circumstances, it’s extremely handy to have some resistance bands available.
“Trigger Sessions” are used frequently in MAPS ANABOLIC. Via a combination of band and bodyweight exercises, you can easily create enough muscle damage to send a “muscle-building signal”. MAPS Anabolic uses trigger sessions on off days from the gym, to keep frequency and muscle protein synthesis high.
A trigger session isn’t as intense as a normal workout. Just run through 2-3 10ish minute trigger session bouts on days where you can’t find a gym OR the time to get a full workout in. It’s an effective strategy to keep progressing forward.
MAPS Anywhere
While trigger sessions are great, if you’re going to be away from the gym for an extended period of time, your workouts need more programming and focus to keep your body progressing. Enter: MAPS ANYWHERE.
MAPS Anywhere is PERFECT for anyone who travels often, allowing you to work out literally ANYWHERE, using minimal equipment.
There is a lot of negativity from the fitness industry directed towards bodyweight/minimalist training. However when, PROPERLY PROGRAMMED, even the most advanced trainee will see results from this style of training.
ADAPTATION is the key to improving your body. When the body is presented with a new stimulus (i.e. more training volume, new movements, etc.) it is forced to change to ADAPT to the new stimulus. The further the new stimulus is from what your body is used to, the more it will be forced to change.
Incorporating periods of calisthenics style training will elicit big changes in most, due to it being such a new adaption. Although I don’t recommend strictly bodyweight/band training long-term, going through a program like MAPS Anywhere is great for increasing your body awareness and connectivity, and will have you feeling stronger and better connected when returning to more traditional resistance training.
In short, traveling often only has to slow your progress IF YOU LET IT. Focus on consistently doing what you can, and incorporate new styles of training.
