F1 while traveling

I'm only at home an average of 4 days a month. Monday-Thursday I'm in hotels, and I usually visit friends in various cities over weekends. How feasible is F1 considering I will not have much access to equipment?

Very feasible. You should be able to find a nice alternative equipment for pretty much everything.

It's feasible. With some creativity you can do all the exercises.

Rings are very travel friendly so you might want to look into that as they're the hardest to substitute.

Thats one of the greatest things about F1, for most exercises you only need the floor.

The biggest problem I had was motivation while traveling. I need routine to keep going so if I constantly have to change things based on my situation I find it tough to stick it out. If that's not a problem for you then it's going to be cake and like dritar said rings are very travel friendly.

I travel a couple of days out of every week. A couple of things to think about: Can you find access to a commercial gym. This will make your life a lot easier. You should be able to do much of F1. If not and you are stuck with your hotel room or a hotel gym you can do 60-70% and you'll have to be creative with your exercise substitutions.

I travel with a TRX as I can make that work in a hotel room, if needed and I can take it to a commercial gym. Some days, I find that I am really limited with what I can do and I try to stick with basic pushing, pulling, squatting movements. Pulling movements will be the hardest and that's where the TRX comes in. You can attach it to the door and do RC series up to a point.

Many of the pommel horse and stall bar exercises will have to be substituted.

The reality is your progression and mine will be limited, as we don't have the same advantages as everyone else when it comes to training. Dumbells, barbells and other commercial gym equipment can be combined with GST to help you overcome some of the lack of equipment, but it just wont be the same experience as everyone who has a gym set up to train GST.

Wayne Landt said:

(...) The reality is your progression and mine will be limited (...)

I strongly disagree with this statement.

It is my experience that having to figure creative ways to exercise in spite of not having easy access to all the conveniences is conducive to better and faster progress.

FredInChina said:

I strongly disagree with this statement.

It is my experience that having to figure creative ways to exercise in spite of not having easy access to all the conveniences is conducive to better and faster progress.

Creativity is all well and good, but if you're forced to use inferior technique due to equipment issues, it's going to interfere with your progress.

I agree with Fred. I think I and many other non-gymnastic-facility-trainees are doing okay. Unless your gym includes access to a coach and/or more experienced athletes (which would be the biggest draw for me, and counts as a resource-- hey, they could be training outside too), then I would rather engage some creativity and improvisation. I also think this is a good way to ingrain the habit-- the more effort you invest in making it happen, the less likely you are to let it fall by the wayside.

The only thing I can really think I'm missing out on (in my particular situation) are rings that I can swing on. A bench? Soft floor? Wall? Rings? Bar and pbars? Stall bars? Weights? Bands? Nothing difficult to arrange there, and I'm out getting my sunshine and fresh air.

Sure, the playground I generally train at here in Canada is across the road from a school and I swear I was watched by a police car casually parked there for a three weeks at first, but that aside...

Jon Douglas said:

I agree with Fred. (...) the more effort you invest in making it happen, the less likely you are to let it fall by the wayside.

 

(...)

 

I was watched by a police car casually parked there for a three weeks at first, but that aside...

Thank you... & thank you for putting my thoughts into words Jon

If you wore the same garb as on your avatar, it is a wonder they did not arrest you!

FredInChina said:

Thank you... & thank you for putting my thoughts into words Jon

 

If you wore the same garb as on your avatar, it is a wonder they did not arrest you!

I have a female housemate whom I force to come over to the park and at least read whilst I train as often as I can (she's in a sling, no training for her just now ). Seems to allay most of the suspicious staring from the mothers with prams I get otherwise >.< I can tell you the shirt stays on no matter how hot the day when I'm alone there.

Wayne Landt said:

I travel with a TRX as I can make that work in a hotel room, if needed and I can take it to a commercial gym. Some days, I find that I am really limited with what I can do and I try to stick with basic pushing, pulling, squatting movements. Pulling movements will be the hardest and that's where the TRX comes in. You can attach it to the door and do RC series up to a point.

I've just moved into uni and was wondering what I can use for pulling movements as those hook on pullup bars don't work in this room. Actual TRX is insanely overpriced, but some cheap webbing, a knot to keep it locked behind the door and some knots and loops for temporary handles seems sufficient for doing rows. Thanks!

Wayne Landt said:

The reality is your progression and mine will be limited.

It has the drawback as the neurological adaptations are not optimal.

(For optimal neurological adaptations you don't train similar exercises, only one for some time(maybe months) because your brain doesnt know what movement pattern to learn.)

Most of the exercises (such as on the floor) remain the same and because of this I don't think it is significant.

However there could be further benefit of changing places or people around you. It's known the hormonal response is greater when you're out of your comfort zone, when you experience something other kind of stress.

I made pretty nice progress while staying with a private family in Japan, for about a month. I can only speak for myself and the level I am on, which is pretty low, but it went quite well. The only thing I didn't do was the RC.

I was on the road literally ALL day, making deliveries, helping out in their cafe, running errands, doing the odd jobs, pretty much 16 hours a day. No playgrounds (tiny village), so I did it all in my room. For dumbbells, I'd use 2L water bottles, for the sPL/iM2, I just stand on my hands and knees, lifting a leg at a time (and I actually feel, having tried it on a pommel (well, bed), that my alternative version felt harder).
 

I did miss some equipment, mainly for the iM, but I don't think it's been a huge deal.

In any case, don't let it hinder you! Just get creative, and you'll be fine for the greater part!