dcman2

Good morning road warriors -

I have a 3+ week trip coming up. I work out regularly, minimum 5-6 days a week, and I won't have access to a gym the entire trip.

I'm an ex-bodybuilder (teens) and ex-swimmer (teens and into my 30's), I'm a P90x and P90x2 grad, and I'm currently doing a regimen of Body Beast (also by Beachbody, focused on weightlifting) and some running.

I intend to take some shoes and to run during my time away, but I won't have access to a gym or weights for my entire trip. I'm in my mid-40's so I have to work hard for the muscle I put on and I don't want to lose much of it. Please forgive a little vanity on my part, but the last few days of my trip will be spent on a beach and I'd like to look decent and not like I'm going to seed.

I will likely take a heavy resistance band and will do a regimen of push-ups, pull-ups as I can find bars, and ab work, but I wanted to ask. Do any of you folks have a regimen you put yourself through? If you do, would you mind posting it or sending it my way?

dcman2

annerj

I find very few places that I can't find a gym in even if it requires $ out of my pocket.

Without I don't mind the idea of resistance bands....body weight exercises (pushups/pullups/burpees/etc).

Not sure there is much subsitute for heavy lifting though if that is what you are after.

As far as workouts I've done things like:
100 burpess for time in the hotel room

Stairs if in a large hotel....bottom to top all out, walk down, bottom to top -1 floor, walk down, bottom to top -2 floors, etc.

Max pushups, cardio (usually run around building), max pushups, cardio, max pushups, cardio

etc

aztimm

I guess the bigger question is, where are you going?

I'm a member of 24 Hour Fitness. They have locations in many cities in the Western US. With my membership, I can go to any for free.

Most hotels have some sort of fitness center. I've seen everything from a closet-size room with a treadmill, an elliptical, and a bike, to full 25m lap pools, all kinds of weights, and nearly every combination in between.

If you currently swim, the USMS website has an exhaustive list of pools, both with teams as well as those that are open for lap swimming. This link should get you started:
http://www.usms.org/placswim/?utm_ca...local_programs
I swim with a USMS team, and I've dropped in with other teams when I travel. They're all very friendly and open to taking on visitors, and it makes a great way to meet people when on the road.

Like you said, running, pushups, situps/crunches, and other body-weight exercises are some of the easiest things to do.

dcman2

Thanks all -

We'll be in rural Oregon for a while, then on to Kyoto, Tokyo, with a stay with friends outside of Tokyo (Tochigi I believe). We'll have limited hotel stays so I won't have ongoing gym access. While I suspect I'll be able to find a gym or 2 around Japan, I can't depend on it.

My goal is to not lose the muscle I have during the 3 weeks, even though I'll be doing mostly exercise utilizing my body weight.

Thanks again for the help, I'd like to hear any other ideas folks have.

On another forum I was directed to this workout, which I liked. I thought you all might potentially find it helpful also.

http://www.beachbody.com/product/sta...on-the-road.do

Cheers - dcman2

aztimm

I did a semester of grad school in Tokyo, and I swam there pretty regularly. Mostly at the Yoyogi Aquatic Center:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoyogi_National_Gymnasium
and occasionally at another pool, I think it was near the Yotsuya subway station, but I can't really remember.

The Yoyogi pool had a gym also, and I think basketball, etc. Not everyone there spoke English well, but I think you had to buy a ticket from a machine, then put that ticket into a separate turnstile to get access. I speak some Japanese so was mostly able to get by.

There are some very funky rules with going to a pool in Japan. You need to wear a cap, and can't walk around with a towel around your waist. Some pools have their own rules too. Most guys wore speedo-type suits, but that could have changed, and younger probably wear board shorts to the beach now.

Tochigi looks to be a bit of a hike from Tokyo, but looks close to Nikko. I went there and it is beautiful, up in the mountains. Should be some great running up there.

Oh, and don't forget to bring gifts if you're staying at someone's house in Japan. Something small for everyone, preferably something local from where you live and/or connected with something about you or them. They love coffee table picture books, wine/liquor, etc.

dcman2

Good morning again road warriors -

aztimm - thanks for the suggestion about gifts. I have some plans to take gifts and have spent a lot of time researching what is generally good form in Japan. I do a great job embarrassing myself when I'm not even trying, visiting a country where their culture is quite polite and they have lots of rules I don't know has me a bit stressed.

annerj - thanks as well. God I hate burpees.

I've been doing some additional research on workouts when traveling and have been surprised at how much information is out there. I wanted to pass some of it along.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/newre...e=1&p=20537900

http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/hotel-room-workout-0

http://www.realjock.com/article/825

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mohr73.htm

And there are lots more as well, including entrepreneurs selling their own DVDs to take with you. Lots of options.

Cheers - dcman2

Consultette

I love my TRX - it's very lightweight and super packable. Both the boy and I have them and love them.

It's a bit spendy but has saved me boat loads in daily gym passes without needing to rely on questionable hotel fitness centers.

brp1264

If you have tattoos, you need to be careful with gyms in Japan. Tattoos are synonymous with the Yakuza out there, so they are very strict about access to Gyms and Pools if you have tattoos. If you have any, don't count on being able to step foot in the pool at all. They will let you into the Gym usually, but you need to make sure you have all your tattoos covered. This happened to my co-workers out there and one of them had to use ace bandages to cover the visible tattoos on his forearms before he was allowed in the Gym. He was not allowed in the pool at all.

Katja

So-called "prison" (bodyweight) workouts: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/priso...#axzz2REIue8xs

annerj

OP any update to how the trip is going? Not sure when it was to start

yokozuma

I just got myself some of these high resistance bands www.bodylastics.com

Haven’t tried them out properly yet but they come with all sorts of extras and look pretty solid to me.

I’m going to be in Turkey for 3 weeks soon and travelling around Japan, SE Asia, NZ and India next year for 6 months so I needed something to take with me.

Again, there may be gyms in the hotels but you can never be sure what kind of state they will be in. Plus I have really bad knees so I can’t just jog around the block for a bit.

annerj

Those bands look good. If you do a p90x type routine with pushpus and using the bands for pulldowns, curls, rows, etc I think you'll be good to go.

JDiver

Resistance bands take up little space and with good instructions or knowledge can be used in so many ways... just be careful with hardware you may try using for some exercises, as a doorknob or towel rack is not likely to be able to, well, resist. (OTOH a bathroom grab bar, yes.)

And brp1264 is spot on about tats in Japan. Just one example, the pool at the Hilton Narita is placarded - no tattoos. If your little finger is missing, they may also 86 you, regardless of the reason.

TrojanHorse

I'm pretty much like you in age and what I think is the type of body and workout regime

However what I've learned from long extended trips without regular access to a real gym is this

1. 3 weeks without weights will not cause you to lose that muscle mass
2. 3 weeks without weights will make you to lose a bit of strength when you get back
3. 3 weeks without weights will take you about 2 cycles back in the gym regularly to get back to where you were
4. I have done some Extended Europe business travel and what I've found is that if I can find a gym once (maybe twice a week) just to get a "QUICK" set of heavy lifting in, thats all it takes to not lose the strength, however if you don't see #3
5. Caveat, if you do a lot of running in those 3 weeks, I mean way more than normal, AND you lose weight (5-10%) you will lose some body strength and it may take you 3-5 cycles back in the gym to get back to where you were. Again, you have lost muscle mass, but your body will be a bit more weaker

I think the end result is, you won't lose the mass in three weeks, you won't really lose any strength that you can't get back in no more than 2 weeks up return and for some body parts it will just take once cycle to get your strength back.

Another caveat, you will be sore that first week or so hitting the weights upon return

dcman2

Thanks for all the feedback and help -

Update: our trip is over, here is what happened. I took exercise bands, and used them 3x a week for the first 2 weeks of the trip. Then I got lazy, but still I maintained the majority of my strength for the trip. I lost some mass, mostly from the big downgrade in lifting time, but not much. I'd love to say I ran, but didn't, though we walked several miles a day nearly every day. Despite less healthful meals and some extended flight days (some around 12 + hours) I actually lost a pound, and maintained my shape and fitness level at a level I was happy with. I'm glad I did what I did.