By Emily Sabbah
With summer right around the corner, there is so much to be excited about! Warmer weather, outdoor activities, more sunlight, and especially summer vacations. From weekend getaways to month-long excursions, summer can be full of great opportunities to visit friends and family, explore new places, and unwind.
As much as I LOVE a good vacation, I also often feel a bit of anxiety about what all that travel will do to the stability and structure of my daily life- especially my workouts! For short trips, I love changing up my normal routine with a few bodyweight workouts. But if you’re used to training with serious weight and equipment, I’ve found that including some extra tools to add variety while traveling can be really helpful.
Criteria for Gym Gear You Need While Traveling
Traveling with workout gear can get really bulky and heavy, so during my travels, I’ve searched for tools that fit a few criteria:
- Lightweight
- Compact
- Inexpensive
When I’m traveling, I don’t want half my luggage weight and space to be taken up with workout gear! I also don’t want to have to stress too much if I leave something behind, so I only travel with items that are relatively inexpensive and easy to replace if I leave one behind in a hotel room (Which I’ve definitely never done before … ).
A few of the best travel fitness gear are resistance bands, glute bands, and sliders.
Glute Bands
These bands are small, super lightweight, and crazy easy to travel with. They usually come in a few different resistance strengths (light, medium, and heavy), but you can do an effective workout with just one. Plus you can find them in super fun patterns and colors! Don’t be fooled by the name, so-called glute bands aren’t just for your glutes. While they are great for squat walks, bridges, fire hydrants, and other glute moves, they can also be used to add resistance to a full-body workout. A few of my favorite banded exercises are bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, and bicycles. I love that these bands help you focus on both strength and stability!
Resistance Bands
Slightly heavier than glute bands, resistance bands offer incredible versatility in eccentric and concentric moves for your whole body. They typically consist of a long, stretchy band that may have metal hooks at each end. These bands often come in several different “weights” that you can use solo or in tandem to create just the right level of resistance for each move and muscle group. The bands with hooks at each end can be hooked together to create one circular band or you can add handles to each end and anchor the band behind a door or heavy object. My favorite thing about resistance bands is how easy it is to recreate workout moves that are typically dumbbell or barbell-based, such as rows, flies, and squats.
Sliders
Sliders are a new addition to my workout equipment, and they are an incredible value! These small, circular disks are double-sided to slide easily on hard or carpeted floors. Not only are they inexpensive, super compact, and lightweight, but they are also excellent for core strength. It can be quite humbling to add sliders to a bodyweight move and feel the extreme stability challenge! Check out this full-body slider challenge to try on your next trip.
Whether your travels take you to a full gym or you choose to get creative, here’s to a summer full of awesome trips and healthy habits!
What equipment will you use to shake up your travel workouts?
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