The best portable workout gear to stay fit on the road
Let's face it: Many hotel gyms are generally under-equipped and uninviting. Without the right equipment, a well-planned workout routine could go out the window — especially when you never know what equipment your hotel will have. But by bringing your own workout gear with you on the road, you can maintain the consistency of the routine and ensure it isn't disrupted by travel.
Bringing your own gear also allows you to explore your host city while getting great exercise. Here are a few of our favorite tools to stay fit on the road — and be sure to help us all out and share yours in the comments!
Within the compact package of monkii bars lies the suspension rope — a key design feature that truly makes this product one of the best portable travel workout tools that I've ever seen. Plus, the wood finish is incredibly aesthetically pleasing and inviting, and the caps can be customized in several colors.
The bars offer hundreds of movements for both the upper and lower body, and can basically be targeted however the user wants. Just pop open the cap, pull out the cords and loop them around any stable structure. The size and placement of the loops determines what type of exercise can be completed.
The video below really highlights how flexible the bars are (I won't be trying the hot-air balloon bit, but it's pretty impressive).
These funky straps are the travel accessory of choice for many health-conscious road warriors, especially given TRX's familiarity and omnipresence at the gym. The product acts as a suspension-training tool, and the straps can be intimidating. — there's a learning curve as far as knowing where to anchor, how to position the handles and what to do with your limbs.
However, once mastered, the TRX workout is incredibly challenging. The full body can be worked out within the variety of straps and loops provided. The body's weight is used to deliver the strenuous workout, and the straps themselves can be looped from almost any bar of a decent length.
The TRX is also handy because it can be used in many hotel gyms — as long as there is some sort of cross cable machine or pull up bar, these straps can be placed easily. This means that workout consistency can be maintained no matter what equipment is in the gym.
The best approach here is to learn a bit on the website, and perhaps even log a session with a gym trainer to customize a few good routines for travel.
Folding bikes
This might sound crazy, but I know of several execs who check an extra suitcase with a compact foldable bicycle to put in some serious miles before, during or just after a trip. This is especially common with business travelers trying to maintain a triathalon training regimen while on the road. The bikes are also a great way to get a feel for a new city while getting a good workout.
Montague Bikes was founded in 1987 by an MIT graduate student who put his engineering into play. The company offers full-size foldable bikes that can fit into a larger suitcase, and don't sacrifice any sort of performance within their portable frames. A couple of other favorites include the US-made Bike Friday and the extensive selection of brands at both Bike Fold and Citizen Bike.
Here's a curveball that you weren't expecting. AquaBells are water-filled dumbbells that fold flat and can be filled with water to add weight, but can be emptied so they don't weigh down your luggage.
Of course, this is the cheesiest and most made-for-TV product on this list, but still worth an honorary mention, if only for the entertainment of the above image.