Photo Credit: forum.bodybuilding.com
Just kidding =), but if you’re traveling, keeping in shape is tough. There are many places where there simply isn’t a gym or workout center, but don’t worry, there are still plenty of other things that you can do to keep a good level of fitness while traveling, and we’ll be with you every step of the way for some added motivation!
One of my goals while traveling will be to maintain my current level of fitness, or better ;) It will involve a lot of body weight exercises but luckily those are some of the best to keep you in shape. You can use the weight of your own body for exercises like push ups, pull ups, squats and more. If you do a quick youtube search for body weight exercises you will be able to find hundreds of different exercises for all muscle groups. Mix in dedication and a good diet and you have a recipe for success. (A good diet on the road is a different story all together. I would say to just enjoy all the food you can but keep a good workout routine going, and keep checking in for our nutrition tips and stories)
We’re currently in the Dominican Republic in a small tourist town called Cabarete and luckily for me, there are plenty of gyms in the area. So, until it’s time to leave I will be working out at a place called Rogue Fitness, where I work as a personal trainer. Once we set sail though I will take pictures of when I left, as well as throughout my travels, and post workout routines for you, our fellow travelers.
To get you started:
A good tip for those already traveling with no gym access is to be consistent and vary the workouts. Do body weight exercises throughout the day when you can. Something that I started doing to increase my pushups was to do ten every time I stood up from my chair. Every day that passes up the pushup count by one. So a little something like this:
Day 1: 10 pushups
Day 2: 11 pushups
Day 3: 12 pushups etc…
You can also do the same thing with pullups. Simply find a starting number that suits you and go from there. Also, if you can’t do all of the pushups by the end of the day go down a number. So instead of doing eleven pushups each time, try ten.
Gabriel, I’m currently living abroad in Thailand in a rural area without a gym. It’s tough sometimes – all I have is bodyweight. But handstand pushups, pullups and dips comprise my muscle-buildoing routine. Were you a personal trainer before you moved to the Dominican Republic or did you score the job for the first time there?
Yea it can be tough to get in a good workout without a nice gym but you would be surprised how much you can actually do with your own body weight. I’ll be posting an article very soon about some body weight routines that you can do to get you started so check back for that.
As for personal training, in the States I had a couple of clients but it was just a side thing I did. If you have a lot of experience working out though and giving advice then it’s not that hard to get a personal trainer job as many countries don’t ask for credentials. They just take your word for it and you have to prove it to them that you know what you are doing.
This site was… how do yoou say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found something
which helped me. Many thanks!