The term “safe travels” has never been more apt. With South Africa’s Covid-19 numbers on the rise, a stay-cation is, for many, the safest option. However, the possibility of a safe and calculated escape to reunite with loved ones is the choice many of us will make, with a little bit of tinsel on our masks, perhaps.
If you are one of the fortunate ones heading off on a holiday, you’ll need to consider how to take your training with you. Not just your running kit, now is not the time to let the strength and cross training fall away. Here are some ideas on how to travel light, and maximise your holiday training time.
Easy to Add
You need not be a traveling gym. Pack a few of the following and mix up your workouts with each.
Resistance Bands
These little guys take up nearly no space and are multifunctional. They’re also one of the most inexpensive pieces of workout equipment you could own. You’ll get a whole body workout with a set of bands of varying resistance levels, and they hurt less than a dumbbell if you drop one on your foot.
Add them to your squats and lunges routine to prevent your workout being quad-dominant, by moving the work to your glutes. Exercises like ankle jumping jacks, lateral band walks, clamshells and hip bridge pulses can all be done using your bands and very little space.
Exercise Wheels
Exercise wheels come in various styles, but the premise is the same. They offer a solid ab and core workout, with some bonus upper body strength in the mix. Core strength is key for every runner, in terms of injury prevention and performance.
The good old ab wheel has been a favourite for many years, and they work. Cushion your knees on a soft mat and do a kneeling ab wheel roll out or take it up a level by starting in the standing position. Work your obliques by rolling laterally. YouTube has a plethora of tutorials if you can’t visualise it. Ab wheel exercises are great for anyone and can be scaled to meet your fitness needs. Home from the holiday with a 6-pack? Yes please.
Coolerbox
Literally any step can be your holiday training partner, even the coolerbox.
Step up! Some say it’s the enigma in sports training. Why? Apply some of the renown online step-up routines to your regime and you get single leg drove, both vertically and horizontally. Adjust the height of the box to shift the goals. Add weight (or water bottles) to your workout. Work your ankles, glutes and quads. On the Coleman, or the garden step, or a homemade bankie. Get stepping.
Basics
You can keep your basics happening no matter where you are. Home or away, keep it safe, fun and functional. We have no idea what 2021 holds, but strong and healthy is your best bet, right now.
Catch you on the flip side!
Words Kim Stephens