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Workout everywhere – with lightweight equipment
By Jens Baltrusch
When you are travelling a lot from set to set, you might search for excuses not to workout, such as „I can`t take my dumbbells with me“… Skip this excuse next time, here is a short list of very effective training tools with which you can train everywhere!
Skipping Ropes
There are various kinds of skipping ropes that differ in terms of material used, their weights and the related swing action. Generali, I train with the simple plastic skipping ropes. They are available at a low price and they are easy to transport and clean. One can make the workout even more challenging by choosing a jump rope made of another material or with small weights attached to the handles.
I would certainly recommend a skipping rope with additional weight for users with advanced skills who want to place an emphasis on arm or shoulder muscles workout. The skipping ropes, which are made of higher quality materials and with ergonomic handles, are more expensive but they are also much easier to work with. Test various ropes and opt for one with which you can jump well. In the end it is the weight of the rope that counts when I travel, and that is unbeatably low with ropes made from simple synthetic materials with no grips.
Take the rope with you in your suitcase, go out and train in the next park. Train in short intervals and switch from rope skipping to push ups, from rope skipping to stabilization or stretching exercises. Be creative and compose your own workouts with all the exercises you know. The intervalls can be demanding or relaxing by changing exercise speed or length of intervals. You should vary the intensity consciously depending on your daily halth condition from easy to hard.
Rubber bands
Rubber bands are very useful and versatile training tools and they belong in any health-oriented household. I have a whole collection at home and I also recommend you to get a selection of bands. Choose the bands according to the intensity of your training or exercise –very light to very heavy resistance. Exercises with rubber bands are a basis of all of my outdoor workouts as the bands are light-weight and they save space. The color layout for the bands varies between the lowest and highest tension resistance, for which the strengths generally lie between 0.5-10 kg, depending on the manufacturer.
Just like the dumbbells, with the higher resistance bands you can strengthen your muscles effectively. The lower resistance bands are used for therapeutic exercises. With a huge selection of such rubber bands, you can make different training plans for exercise focusing on different parts of your body. These bands may not have a longer shelflife because particularly for outdoor workouts, they undergo faster wear and tear as they are often attached to fixed and rough surfaces. It is quite normal for such wear and tear to happen for low-priced rubber bands and they will wear down soon even if you use the bands in the interiors.
Always make sure to check the tapes for cracks before each workout. A snapped tape must be thrown away directly – keep the torn parts of usable length for exercises that demand little degree of freedom for movement.
TRX
You are travelling a lot, but did not hear about TRX? It is a great training tool with which you train your whole body effectively. Basically, this is a long strap with two handles at both ends which you fix at the door with a door anchor, at the ceiling or a tree. By using your bodyweight in different positions and with different movements you can vary the training intervals from easy to hard. The TRX is lightweight and fits into a small bag. I just returned from my holiday in Turkey where I trained every day at the beach by fixing the TRX at a palm tree.
No Equipment needed for YOGA
Just to mention, you do not even need equipment for effective training. Search in internet for some sample Yoga videos and train in your hotel room. There are endless Yoga style and difficulty variations from easy to hard. Yoga is one of the best disciplines to train mind and body at the same time. You train your whole body without equipment, just with your bodyweight.
Finally…
I always like to mix various training tools and styles. Visit my website www.jensbaltrusch.com or my Facebook group www.facebook.com/Wellness.Magazine to see some sample training videos or take part in an online review of my actual book release «Spa Beach Workout» and get more health related tipps! No excuse not tot rain when you are travelling a lot, because you just need to take the right equipment with you and look for sample training videos in internet. It is easy to stay fit and healthy, no matter where you are!
