Best Workouts & Equipment While Traveling

I like a lot of things that training has provided but you can't always do what you want when it comes to certain things. Traveling for example can be a pain if you had to lug a kettlebell around or in dying need of a gym that a Hotel has (if that's what they call a gym) specific equipment. That's why I believe the best traveling form of exercise is Bodyweight; can be done in your hotel room, out in the hallway, at a park or hell on a plane (yes I literally have done movements seated on a plane).

Some people would like to travel with equipment that could be useful and resourceful. When I travel I usually take only 2 specific types of equipment that are light to carry but effective regardless of where you are. That would be the Chest Expander & the TNT Cables, they have been lifesavers for me as they give me the type of training I'd like to do that can be done just as in the gym. Hook the door attachment to a door, strap the cables in and you're good to go. Basic exercises like Pulls, Presses & Squats can be done with the cables. The Chest Expander is just as awesome if not more convenient and has nearly as many exercises to choose from. 

When it comes to specific workouts while traveling, hands down Circuits. Doing these for 20 minutes is all you need to get in good shape. The Darebee Workouts work best for training in hotel rooms, waiting for a plane or wherever. I once did a workout that involved stretching & Bridging exercises while waiting for a plane at the airport. I'd rather do a circuit in a hotel room or outside somewhere where i'm staying so I don't sweat all over the place. When it comes to equipment, resistance bands are best and to me Lifeline Fitness carries the best kind and very affordable. Do workouts that are within the 15-20 min range or less unless you're on vacation and may have more time you don't need to train any longer than that. When I'm in Lake Tahoe, I take advantage of my surroundings and head down to the lake to lift heavy rocks, swim, crawl amongst the rocks, climb ladders of the docks and anything else that suits my imagination. 

I get it some like to use a gym and maybe some may need it like Pro athletes or musicians, entertainers or whatever but for the most part unless you're a bodybuilder, powerlifter, strongman you don't need to go to a gym while you travel. Have some imagination. If you got a good small amount of space; you can do some crazy training. Since me and my girl are heading to Disneyland for her first trip to California we'll be walking the majority of the time but in the hotel, mostly calisthenics & resistance training will be used but at the parks in line for rides; Isometrics baby. Push, Pull, Wall Sit, Squeeze & flex in various positions as you stand in line. Be open minded and be resourceful with what you have. Use the environment and use your imagination and you'll never ever need the gym again. Value what you have and make use of your surroundings. Don't make excuses to not train. 

Why Cram It When You Can Spread It

One of the fascinating things about Fitness is not only the variety but the mixture of exercises put together. Now I'm not one to be fiddled routines and on occasions I put myself into only one workout for the entire but for the most part; I like to dabble with exercises throughout the day. The reason why for that being done is because sometimes one workout just isn't quite enough or I won't have a usual time to train everything I need to do.

Some folks can only do one workout within the day because that's all they can do which is understandable; job, family, emergencies, unexpected circumstances whatever the case may be you only have this much time to do what's important. I like to look at things from another perspective; doing exercises throughout the day may have some value you may not realize. Not everyone has an hour to exercise to the gym or even at home at times which is believe it or not perfectly ok. I would normally get my training in by the afternoon after promoting or hanging with my girl but at times when I travel or i'm out of my element in another person's home and I would sometimes have to improvise.

I do my best to teach you that when you can train anywhere at anytime there's more to it then just being able to get something in within those factors. As the title implies, you can do things throughout the day but in increments instead of just cramming everything into one specific set of time. Here's an example; in a little over a week i'll be in California for a family gathering and since i'm not there that often, things can get chaotic with me seeing everyone and going all over town and to other cities/towns within 30 mile radius my training won't be exactly the same and I won't always have the time I need to train the way I normally would. That doesn't mean I stop doing what I do, just spreading things out with exercises here and there to get going with the chaos that happens there. My exercises mostly contain push-ups, self resistance, stretching and Isometrics plus the occasional squat but overall I just do enough exercise to where I can get a few minutes in throughout certain areas of the day. Because of this trip, I'm doing what I feel is right for me to do and train even for a couple minutes before something crazy happens and if people give me looks or think something negative; their issues not mine.

Training throughout the day may sound taxing and exhausting but as Doc Brown would say "You're not thinking 4th Dimensionally" but with the right level of intensity and keeping reps down to only a few and the exercises only a few; it can keep you energized the entire day. Wouldn't it be cool to feel giddy & high on endorphins? Being able to stay active without fatiguing and enjoy the vibrations of your body's electrical feeling? It can even help calm your nerves with the right exercises and doing things without people noticing you. Be open to ideas and doing what's important for your body. Give yourself an opportunity regardless of time that your body matters and staying fit doesn't have to be complicated but a gift to have the chance to do something down to the smallest fraction. Make it work for you and not against you, be your own trainer.

Mountain Burpee Video

Video on my version of the Mountain Burpee. How many can you do in a workout?

The Mountain Burpee

Over the last couple days or so I've been in the mood to do Burpees. I never really gave them much thought before and never really liked doing them but my brain kept at me and get in the mood to do them. I did a few variations because as you know I get bored easily and would like to come up with things and just make it up as I go along. Routines most of the time for me don't last more than a week.

One Burpee variation that really caught my eye was combining two exercises and making them one into an exercise that truly hits every muscle in the body. Burpees in general are fat burning torture exercises and anyone that can multiple sets of them has my vote. I watched and tried out other variations just to get an idea but one really kept me coming back to and that's what I call the Mountain Burpee. It's a combo of a Burpee & Mountain Climbers.

Now granted because I don't do Burpees often I get winded pretty damn fast. This however really makes you eat dust in a matter of seconds. Here's what you do.....

Squat Down

Jump Into Push-up Position

Do a Push-up

Do a 4-Count Mountain Climber

Jump Back Into Squat Position

Jump Up

Repeat

Just doing a few of these is brutal enough and will help you build some solid conditioning. Make it harder by adding a second push-up after the mountain climber. This generates loads of Natural Human Growth Hormone when done consistently but in the beginning not everyday; work up to it and don't need to do a whole lot to get all the benefits. Start doing them in sets of 5, build up to 10, 20 until you can do 50 (because of the mountain climber count, you're hitting 200 climbers at this point). Don't have to do them all in a row, take a break if you need to and when you're rested do another set. Set a goal for the amount of reps you want to achieve or better yet use it as a finisher at the end of a work in tabata style (20 on, 10 off) or do them on your days off. You can do them anywhere at any time. Do a set in your Hotel Room while you're on the road, knocking out a few on a lunch break at work, at the park while your kids play, when commercials come on. Nervous before heading out on a date? Knock out a set of these bad boys and your endorphins will kick in and your anxiety just might fade away (make sure to take a cold shower after so you're not sweating and stinkin' on your date.

I plan on doing these on my trips to Disneyland & Tahoe this year, hitting them up in the hotel room before heading out to the parks, in the cabin before going to the lake or casino.

Comment about your experience with this exercise and give me your insights on it.

Time To Take The Wheel Again

Spring is on the rise in a few weeks and the body will have had enough time to recover from winter. Beach Season is coming not too long after this so getting in shape is on a lot of people's priority. The most common place to get shaped is the Core Muscles. People like to see awesome looking abs and that trim waistline. Believe it or not a lot of those that have good looking abs are not that strong in that area. This is where I help you find a solution to not only get muscular abs but a crazy set to boot. 

Crunches, sit-ups, ab machines and Insanity DVDs are the most common things those wishing to get abs flock to because they're either very easy or you just sweat out following someone. I'm here to tell you about the one device that can help develop really strong and muscular abs that takes the boring exercises out of the equation; one that I'm personally using myself to take off some fat especially in the lower areas plus the obliques. Just a few minutes with this bad boy and you'll see results quick.

It's called the Power Wheel. I've mentioned it in previous articles the most recent one being on legendary pro wrestler Bob Backlund using ab wheels to condition his abs and upper body. The reason why the Power Wheel is so effective its because you don't just have to use the handles to roll with but can also put your feet into the straps and do other exercises as well. Even the most simple exercises hit your Core hard and that's a good thing. Doing things that are too easy and in extreme reps won't give you true results. This wheel literally will tell you how balanced you are and that if you don't use the muscles needed for the exercise, you will lose balance. Learn them carefully and build a base. In my case, after a few rollouts I feel it immediately and I barely just get started. I'm seeing results within just the last 2-3 workouts, you don't get results that fast from doing boring crunches and sit-ups. The wheel makes you use every muscle just to balance on the damn thing.

You can't be loose when you use this thing, you have to flex every muscle and make yourself like a steel rod, if you're loose you'll know it right away. Less than 10 minutes of this a day and you'll have stronger abs in a matter of less than a few weeks; do it for 6 months and you'll have powerful abs you couldn't get in years prior. Check it out and for the Nutrition; keep a steady eating habit of real foods and less crap as possible. I even have some products you can look into that'll help trim your waistline awesomely.

Go after the 24-Day Challenge and get free workouts and extra meal plans in the process; using this challenge along with the awesome stuff i'll send and combining these with the Power Wheel; you'll be unstoppable and nothing will stand in your way to get the best abs you can have. Lose weight, gain energy, relieve back pain and eat & drink like a champion. INVEST in your health and INVEST in the Power Wheel.

Finding Comics For Inspiration At An Older Age

When I was a kid, I wasn't into comic books; it just didn't appeal to me as I had books ranging from Disney to Goosebumps & things of that sort. For all I knew back then was comics were for nerds and geeks and that was all that mattered to them. My comics came from watching superheroes on Saturday morning and after school like Batman: The Animated Series, Spider-Man, X-Men, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers & Superman. In the 90's, Superhero TV shows flourished, you couldn't find any kid under the age of 12 that didn't know who Batman or the X-Men were; quite frankly it surprises me that the comics themselves still sold like hotcakes since the Shows were towering over them.

I had one comic when I was a teen not many knew about with me. It was a Fantastic Four comic. I can't tell you where it is right now but I remember reading it in my room a few times and it was the only one I truly knew about. How I got it that I don't remember. When Ironman & The Incredible Hulk came out in the late 2000's, it peaked my interest because it reminded me of my childhood watching the cartoons. In the last near 5 years since I lived in Idaho, I have collected more comics (graphic novels) than ever in my entire life. I found a store here that has at least 3 sections dedicated to comics and one of the first ones I picked up was I think a Thor & Hercules set of comics. I had the Thor Hammers made by Stronger Grip a couple years before that and I just got enthralled to the point I got into the comic book scene. I'm officially a superhero nerd when it comes to that kind of thing. They inspire me to train and get fired up for breaking PR's, inspire me to create and come up with new things to write, they infuse my imagination like Burgers & Fries it just worked.

I'm reliving my childhood all over again in my 30's and learning about amazing stories and classic/new artwork and how the images are so breathtaking & wonderful to view. I find it so fascinating that any book that I find interesting I grab. Most of what I've collected are graphic novels of Marvel and little of DC but always have a heart for both. I've got books on Harley Quinn, Thor, Moon Knight, Batman, Captain America, Spider-Man, The Inhumans & Hercules. I've even got books on Star Wars based on Characters & The Force. I've been to a couple Comic Cons in Spokane, WA and plan on to go again at Lilac City Comic Con going with my girl and her brother.

As you can imagine, as a crazy superhero fan with the movies its going to be one hell of a year. Already seeing Deadpool and moving onto Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice (I'm with Bats on this one) its going to be insane. I've become such a fan of both the comics and the films that I have put in my own Amazon Store exclusively for Comics of all types which you can go to here at My Comic Book Store with all the latest updates and Pre-Orders for upcoming comics and graphical art sets of paperback & hardcovers. Whether you want inspiration to train, learn about the characters or just a collector of new and classic books there's something for everyone. I'd recommend because of the craze of Star Wars & Marvel Films coming out get your hands on some of the newest editions of stories on Darth Vader & the Rise Of The Empire/Republic with Deadpool stories and upcoming hero stories based on the upcoming movies.

The Bob Backlund Workout

Most pro wrestling fans today (especially those in their teens) wouldn't know who Bob Backlund was or is. Most today who have heard of him only know about him being another Hall Of Fame guy or the weird looking dude with the Bow Tie and business shirt with red straps that appeared on Raw once or twice in the last few years. What you don't realize was that next to Bruno Sammartino was the longest reigning WWE champion that lasted over 5 years. Back in the 70's & 80's he was the poster boy for the babyface character; Howdy Doody on roids with a boy scout all-american personality.

Former College football player & wrestler transitioned into the pro ranks being trained by legendary pro wrestling coach Eddie Sharky (same guy who trained the greatest tag team of all-time the Road Warriors and former Minnesota Governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura) and ventured out on the road wrestling in the old territories. Backlund was about as a blue-collar american kid as you got. One of his traits back in the day was being in top condition on a frequent basis. We're talking about rough conditioning that would make some MMA Fighters blush and was able to go an hour with some of the top guys at that time including former Intercontinental Champion and 2004 HOF inductee Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. His training is still talked about to this day in some circles.

Since the mid 80's or so when his career was going down little by little he began training differently in order to build strength in his legs after being injured from constant running for cardio and some of the beatings he took in the ring and learned about the Step-Up test from Harvard University. So to substitute running he became a fanatic of the Step-Up Exercise going as fast (with good form) as possible. He would do this sometimes for more than an hour at a time. His other exercise he really got a bug for was the Ab Wheel. He believed that these two exercises were the heavy foundation that saved his career and his health. Granted these two baddies are as simple as you'll ever see but yet some of the most brutal exercises around. Doing rollouts with the Ab Wheel is no joke and will build muscle in the entire core along with strengthening the back, arms and shoulders. The step-ups are crazy in themselves because you're constantly quickening your feet up and down at a steller pace. I've done more than 5 minutes of this exercise and was dying so imagine doing that for more than a freaking hour.

You can do Step-Ups from virtually anywhere there is a step or stairs. Ab Wheels are great but the ultimate wheel is the Power Wheel from Lifeline. You don't just have to grip the handles, you can place your feet into the straps and can do all sorts of stuff that even the legendary wrestler would be impressed by; walk on your hands, do push-ups, pull-ins, hamstring curls, jumping push-ups and so much more. This device alone targets the core unlike anything else and makes machines look weak.

Backlund's best records with these exercises from what I read was 2800 Step-Ups (1400 per leg) and 700 Roll-Outs. That's seriously impressive don't you think? Although he did do other stuff to stay fit these 2 were his golden boys. So next time you want to get in a good workout, do 100-200 Step-Ups & 20+ Roll-Outs and see how you feel the next day. That's the thing I love about the old-timers, their training was off the chain and were revered as legendary and have been used to test guys who were tough enough. I practiced a good deal with the Power Wheel before I came up to Idaho and did stuff off and on in the few years since. Walking on my hands is my favorite exercise, second would be the roll-outs, those kill me every time. Here are a couple of videos of Backlund doing these exercises for your enjoyment.