The Classic Test Run + Traveling Workouts

Hey all, I thought I’d share a quick announcement and some client blog ideas with you all!

First of all, Dr. Dan is hosting an 8:30am Classic Test Run session limited up to the first 25 people who RSVP.  This time slot will be on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov 24).  He will be running through some workout ideas that you will see again for the 2017 Classic competition here at CFD!  (Please accept my apologies for the confusion if you signed up prior to this post—it was originally listed on the schedule as 9:30 by mistake!)

I also had a couple suggestions on blog topics, so I thought I’d address one here briefly as I think it could be useful with the upcoming holiday seasons.

Q:  What are some good workout suggestions to do while you’re traveling or otherwise away from your regular gym?

A:  This is tough and very individualized, but in general you can go a couple different ways with this.  First of all, what has your training looked like up until this point?  Are you in need of simply taking some time off, because sometimes the right Rx is to simply take it easy and give your body a chance to recover.  At least consider if this is a good option for you!

Otherwise, if you’re trying to stay active and get as appropriate a workout in as you can, there’s a few ways you can think about it and break things down.  First of all, it’s difficult to do any sort of upper body pulling without any equipment available.  Pair that with the fact that most people have some muscular imbalances regarding upper body pushing vs pulling, and you can be working on a strength while neglecting something that is already weak when you start to have limited equipment.  I think that’s what ultimately got me interested in things like TRX training systems, because it allowed you to get some really solid upper body pulling stuff in when you have very limited equipment availability (we would strap them to T-walls in Baghdad and work out that way if we had to!).

With that said, try to balance out your pulling, pushing, squatting, and bending.  If you have zero equipment, it can be tough to pull (as I mentioned above), but with minimal equipment, there’s no excuse to not balance your strength pieces as best you can.  If you’re limited to a hotel gym with a few sparse dumbbells, you can get in what you need to get in at the bare minimum.  It may not be as sexy as you like, but it’s all about working with what you got.

Squatting:  goblet squats, split squats, rear foot elevated split squats, lateral squats, lunges, split squat jumps, DB hang cleans, thrusters, etc etc….

Bending:  good mornings, RDLs, single leg RDLs, swings, power cleans/snatches, etc…

Pushing:  standing press, seated press, push press, pushups, bench presses, tricep extension, arnold presses, even cuban presses for some rotational work, etc..

Pulling:  Pullups f a pull-up bar is available, otherwise with DB or BB: single/double arm bent-over row, play with pronation/supination, reverse DB flies, prone rows, cable rows, bicep curls, face pulls, and don’t forget all the fantastic scap work like powell raises, trap 3 raises, external rotations, etc.

Once you realize that your movement selection isn’t as limited as you may have originally thought, you can start to get creative about how you piece things together.  With minimal equipment, you can still have a lot of variety in what and how your workouts look and feel.  Always take a step back and ask yourself if what you’re doing is balanced and what is best for you though—people have a tendency to hide from their weaknesses, which is ultimately why it’s best to have a coach!  Of course, the best thing for you to do is to be on a program that accounts for your travels and your individual needs and schedule.

I hope that helps—have a great Thanksgiving week, stay safe, and I will see you all soon!

RLTW <1>

—Coach Phil