Strength Training Anywhere: Build on What You Already Have
Strength doesn’t live in the gym — it lives in your habits.
Whether you’re training from home, a hotel, or halfway across the country visiting family, you can still build on the foundation you’ve created.
This season is about consistency, not perfection. Here’s how to make it happen.
In my earlier post on strength training I provided some ideas for getting started, as well as some ways to progress what you're currently doing. Another key aspect of consistent strength training is pivoting when your situations change, and the holiday season is right around the corner. So what kinds of options should we look at to continue our training during a busy travel and gathering time period?
The first conversation to have with yourself is the duration of the travel or holiday window you're working with. Missing one workout over a long weekend really won't have much of an impact, but a week or two starts to slide into the period where it might matter physically and definitely has a mental impact. Also consider your current stress levels and how the holidays and/or travel will impact that, taking some time off or scaling back might be the best long term answer. And then of course, think about your goals and how those align with your timing. Personally for me, I typically travel between Christmas and New Year's, and then have the Houston Half-marathon in early January, such that training is important for me. But I also know that trip is very restorative for me and I can handle the training load.
So what does it look like to strength train through this period? I would look at 3 main options that are not only scalable for anyone of any level but very portable:
Body weight exercises, think squats, step ups, core work, and pushups all provide value and can be progressed reasonably well.
Resistance bands easily fit into a suitcase and can scale to pretty much any difficulty level and provide a full body workout.
A Suspension Trainer is another very portable option that does require a mount point (tree, bar, outward opening door) but allows another option for a full body workout and most likely a different stimulus.
I would then think about shortening your workout time and pivot towards more workouts. For example, instead of two hour long workouts, think of four thirty minute workouts. You can look at either mimicking your current exercises with these tools, or maybe take advantage of the novelty and try some new movements. All of the above tools allow for lots of variations of angles and pivot points which can significantly change the stimulus that exercise provides. This unfamiliarity will not only help with your training, but also mentally it will allow you to focus on the experience and not get caught up in trying to compare numbers.
The holidays don’t have to be a setback — they’re an opportunity to stay grounded and keep your momentum.
You don’t need a perfect plan, just a flexible one.
Build on what you already have, adapt when life gets messy, and keep forging forward.
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