Best Travel-friendly Workout Equipment

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Hola everybody and welcome to another blog post. As Spring is approaching, many of you will probably be traveling for Spring break, or taking a short holiday to celebrate the end of winter. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to put together a list of workout equipment that is ideal for travel. 

Personally, I don’t like to go to the gym when I am on vacation as I prefer to be outside or with friends and family, however, I still like to break a sweat and stay on track with my fitness goals. That’s where portable travel equipment comes in. The following items are light-weight but provide extra intensity when you don’t have access to weights. The best part is that you can use them anywhere so whether you fancy working out on the beach, by the pool, on a mountain, or just in your hotel room, you’ve got what you need to work up a sweat. 

So, without further ado, let’s get into these fabulous pieces and how to use them:

  1. Resistance bands. These bands are light-weight and provide a lot of extra resistance to simple movements. If you have the option, I would recommend a long band and a small heavy resistance band. The small band is great for firing up muscles that need a bit more resistance (i.e. legs and glutes), whereas the long band can be wedged in a door to do bicep curls, rows or tricep extensions. I will be posting a video this Thursday on my Youtube channel showing eight exercises for the glutes using nothing but a heavy resistance band. If you’re looking for a bit of resistance band inspiration, check that video out :) 

  2. TRX straps. TRX is a fabulous piece of equipment invented by former Navy Seal Randy Hetrick. The straps allow you to train your entire body providing you with as much resistance as you’d like. The TRX comes with a small weight so that you can wedge it into any door and have the straps securely anchored- perfect for hotel rooms! There are tons of videos on Youtube showing you how to use the TRX and some effective exercises, though I have a few personal favorites. If you all would like to see a quick video of some of my go-to TRX exercises, please let me know as I would be happy to put it together :)

  3. Jump rope. This one is an oldie but goodie. As I mentioned in the intro, when I’m on vacation I want to enjoy the place and people I am with, which means getting in a quick but effective workout. Few exercises are more effective than jump roping. Even if you only have 5-10 minutes to spare, grab your jump rope and go at it. Play with the tempo and number of rotations (i.e. trying to get more than one full rotation between jumps) to make the session more or less intense. Jumping rope works your shoulders, core, legs and helps to increase your endurance. If you don’t know how to jump rope or forget it at home, just pretend! You can do the same motions without the actual jump rope and still get in a great workout. 

  4. Sliders. Sliders are light weight and very affordable. You should be able to find them at any sports store though I bought mine at Tiger :) Sliders can be used to make an exercise more dynamic:

      1. Conventional push-ups—> one arm slides out to the side to engage the core.

      2. Split squats —> one leg slides to the back or side to challenge the balance and core.

      3. Glute bridges —-> Add a sliding component to engage the hamstrings as well as the glutes. 

* If you don’t have access to sliders, fuzzy socks or a towel on hardwood or tile will also work wonderfully.

What are your thoughts on working out while traveling? Do you have any creative ways to get active while you’re away from home? I’d be really curious to know so if you’re up to sharing, please leave a comment down below.

Also, if you’d be interested in seeing a video with some creative ways to use the equipment above while traveling please let me know as I’d be happy to put that together. 

Thanks for stopping by and until next week!

xoxo,

Alexandra