Your Guide to Indoor Training While Traveling

Few triathletes can claim a perfect training cycle without work travel, family obligations, or inclement weather getting in the way. Instead of throwing away a few training days, approach your stuck-inside status with a strategic plan.

When athletes tell coach Julie Dunkle of Boulder, Colorado-based D3 Multisport that they can’t train during a business trip, her response is simple: “Can’t or won’t? I always make time to train, even if it’s 15 minutes—so it can be done,” she says. With limited time, the six-time Kona finisher suggests going hard and fast for short periods. For instance, if you only have 25 minutes for a treadmill session, divide it into a 5-minute warmup followed by 10×90 seconds max effort with 30-second walk breaks.

Coach Kyle Herrig of Arizona-based Triplex Training sees travel as a time to focus on building strength. “There’s no excuse to not get in some strength training while on the road,” he says. “Use your body weight and increase your reps or speed of movement to make the exercises challenging. I usually try to keep it simple and give our clients five to six exercises to do while traveling—something simple they can do anywhere.”

Stuck-Indoor Tips

• Seek out hotels that have decent workout facilities—with a treadmill and basic strength gear. You can get a surprising amount done, even with limited equipment.
• Load up on bike and swim workouts if you know you’re approaching a period of indoors- only time.
• Instead of ineffective hotel bikes, challenge your cardio at a nearby spin studio.
• Try a workout app like Skimble (Skimble.com).

4 Quick-and-Easy Workouts

5-Minute Desk Break

Repeat three times: 10 push-ups, plank 90 seconds, 25 squats with hands behind your head

20-Minute Hotel Stair Repeats

Warm up with 3 minutes of walking up and down the stairs, then:

• Run 1 minute up hard/jog down easy to starting point
• Run 2 minutes up/jog down
• Run 3 minutes up/jog down
• Run 4 minutes up/jog down
  *If the building is not tall enough for 4 minutes, run up for 2 minutes and repeat five times instead.

Stuck-In-A-Room Burner

Repeat three times:

• 10 squats, five push-ups, five burpees
• 10 lunges, five push-ups, five burpees
• 10 squats (arms above your head), five push-ups, five burpees
• 10 split squats, five push-ups, five burpees
• Finish with a plank for as long as you can hold it

On-the-Go Functional Strength

These five movements are basic, yet functional, enough for the entire body. Before you begin, warm up with walking, jogging in place, jumping jacks, or another dynamic movement.

Exercise #1: Rotational Lunge

Rotate one leg to five o’clock, pivoting on the front foot; bend the rear knee, keeping the pivot leg straight. Three sets of 10 reps each leg.

Exercise #2: Side Plank Rotation

While in side plank position, reach the top arm underneath the body. Three sets of 10 reps each side.

Exercise #3: Single-Leg Squats

While in a split stance, squat down while you reach both hands in front of the foot to the right, center, and left, each as individual reps. Three sets of 12 reps each leg.

Exercise #4: Rotational Mountain Climber

Start in plank position and alternate driving each knee across the body toward the opposite shoulder.Three sets of 30 reps.

Exercise #5 Burpees

Drop down to your hands, kick both legs back, drop into a push-up; bring both legs back up under your body and into an upright position with a vertical jump to finish. Three sets of 10 reps.