Keeping in shape while traveling?

Hi Guys,
I’ve been paddling 3-4 times a week towards the end of summer here and have gotten into pretty good shape. I travel for work, typically not in long stints, but I have 3 weeks back-to-back on the road coming up. Not wanting to lose all my hard-fought conditioning, I’m wondering what workouts I can do at a hotel’s (typically basic) gym that will help me stay in shape while I’m away.

Hotel gyms can vary quite a bit, but assume fairly basic equipment (no rowing machines, ergs, ect). Also, I have a set of rubber bands I can pack easily that can loop around a doorway or just be pulled between arms/legs/whatever.

What are some good workouts to do with basic equipment, rubber bands, or gravity resistance while I'm on the road to stay half-way in shape?

Thanks!
Marcus

Hi Marcus: On a few long trips I've done this with good results - returning with good fitness. Pick 3 or 4 exercises that you like. Ideally pick bodyweight or minimal-equipment exercises, one or two each of upper body, lower body, and core. Do them in a circuit for an appropriate number of reps, depending on your fitness. Test yourself or do them a couple of times before departing, so you have a number that's challenging, but doesn't result in much soreness the next day. Each day, add one or two total reps. The exact set / rep scheme doesn't matter, just get in a certain number of total reps. In other words, 3x10 and 5x6 are equivalent. You can do them with no rest, a short rest (15-60"), or do a set of something aerobic for 15-60" between sets (jumping jacks, bear crawls, "air paddling," etc). On a trip last year I started with 50 reps of the following, and built up to 100 reps over the course of the trip:

1. one leg elevated fist pushups
2a & b. rear leg elevated split squats
3. pike (a seated, straight-leg raise)

Have fun!
Don

I think DK's advice is pretty spot on. The only thing I would ad is a book recommendation: Complete Calisthenics by Ashley Kalym. This book was a revelation to me. Although I still lift weights; I have modified my gym routine to incorporate some of the ball breaking body weight moves in this book.

I've used darebee.com/ to good effect.

Tweak the workouts accordingly, there are hundreds of no-apparatus-required workouts there. Some quite difficult!

I'll often just go down to the park, sometimes do the workout in the room etc - as there just isn't always access to a decent gym.