You’re traveling either for work, a trip with friends, but you don’t have great gym access, if any at all. What do you do so you can get at least something in?

One easy solution is to go for a run. Running doesn’t require a gym or particular location. But if you’re also trying to work the muscles a bit more, don’t forget about the power of bands. I’m a big advocate of resistance bands and therabands. One because I use them a lot in the rehab space, but it can also get you by in the short term to still help send muscle building signals to the body. They’re also ideal if recovering from an injury. It is a good way to progressively load appropriately.

If you’re on a trip with little to no gym access, then you can use bodyweight exercises and/or bands. Even if you do a quick 10-20 minutes, getting a light pump will help still send that muscle building signal. That good blood flow can also help facilitate recovery. But if you’re stuck without a full gym or with limited time, this is where you would want to do more of a circuit routine with minimal rest. You might also do supersets of some sort with your bands as well. Below is a list of ideas to help you get started on how to still get a good workout with just your bodyweight and some bands.

With Bands:

• Step on one end of the band with one foot and can do bicep curls (can use different angles as well), tricep presses, or tricep kickbacks
• Place band against your back, then grab either side with your hands and press forward to mimic a chest press
• Standing, you can do reverse flys or can stand on band with both feet and do shoulder presses. - - Can also do this one leg/arm at a time for presses if worried about too much tension on the band standing with both feet about hip width apart on the band, grab each end at your desired tension. Squat down, then when you come back up, you will feel the tension from the band. So you will have to get a short grab initially to feel the tension from the band.
• Seated, you can wrap the band around a post, shelving unit, hinge in a door, and can do various types of rows. Can also do seated shoulder work as well in this position

Bodyweight:

• Run
• Push-ups (do varying kinds: triangle with hands, isometric holds at bottom, extremely slow down and up, angle with feet up on a bed or chair)
• Squats (can do jump squats, isometric holds at bottom, very slow down and up)
• Get into a position that mimics a Downward Dog, angle hands so fingertips face each other, and go down nose towards hands and press back up. This will work your shoulders.
• Lunges (helps work core, overall balance and stability)
• Sissy squats
• Toe raises for calves (reps, isometric holds, slow reps)

Hopefully this list of exercises is helpful to at least get your mind thinking of how to tweak a full body exercise routine if you don’t have much time and/or space. This will get the blood moving throughout the body, you can have minimal rest to get your heart rate up, and you’ll still get positive benefits from moving and working out. This might also be a good time to work on more mobility, flexibility, and proper movement patterns. You can feel different things without as much load or can take this time to work in other areas that you might not take your fitness to as much.