7
THE PORTABLE WORKOUT
What do you do when you can’t make it to the gym? Are you traveling on a business trip or a family vacation and have no access to traditional gym equipment? Maybe you just need a break from the gym workouts and need to try something different that focuses more on overall body toning and conditioning. Well, you can still get your workout in, whether you do it in your backyard, on a beach or just about anywhere. Portability is key—all you’ll need are resistance bands and a Swiss Ball, both affordable and fully functional.
NO EXCUSES
Your transformation can only occur when you’ve deemed it a need. Let’s be realistic—if you waited until the perfect time to start your fitness program and for the planets to align, you’d never start at all. Far too often potential clients tell me, “Hollis I hear you, and I am onboard … I just can’t start right now.”
There are so many excuses for the delay but when I ask why, I so often hear something like “I am on the road so much or I just booked my vacation.” And I say “So what!” There’s not a gym available where you’re going or a healthy food choice in that town? Let me be very clear here: There is no tomorrow, there is only today. Start now.
Consider that professional bodybuilders and other athletes derive their income from their bodies, and they travel extensively. In fact, the top pros travel globally and are often expected to not only show up in decent shape but also expected to improve upon their physiques (come contest time). They find a way to train and get their clean meals in on the road constantly and consistently. If they can do this, there’s no excuse for the rest of us. None.
COMING FULL CIRCLE
The Portable Workout features three circuits of exercises that provide you with a full-body workout.
CIRCUIT 1
- Band Resisted Push-Up
- Bent-Over One-Arm Band Row
- Upright Band Row
- Front Shoulder Band Raise
- Lateral Band Raise
Perform all five exercises, and then rest for 45 to 60 seconds. Repeat three times, and then move on to Circuit 2.
CIRCUIT 2
- Band Overhead Triceps Extension
- Alternating Band Curl
- Band Squat
- Band Lunge
Perform all four exercises, and then rest for 45 to 60 seconds. Repeat three times, and then move on to Circuit 3.
CIRCUIT 3
- Swiss Ball Crunch
- Swiss Ball Reverse Crunch
- Swiss Ball Rollout
- Swiss Ball Hip Crossover
Perform all four exercises, and then rest for 45 to 60 seconds. Repeat two times, and you have concluded.
IT’S JUST A MATTER OF TIME
Getting into shape does not really demand a heavy investment in time. At its most demanding, the Complete Physique program calls for performing 4 hours of resistance training per week and 200 minutes of cardiovascular activity. It simply comes down to when that work is performed. Whether it’s before, during or after work, we all share the same 24-hour time frame. It doesn’t matter when. It doesn’t even matter where. Just get it done. Do the work.
TAKE IT OUTSIDE
Another important reason for this chapter is the very real fact that some people just aren’t comfortable working out in the gym. To me, the gym is the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter if you’re sporting six-pack abs or are out of shape and obese. Rich or poor. Within its walls, you still have to do the work—and that is perhaps the gym’s most compelling attribute. You can’t pay for the work to be done for you. You yourself have to take action, regardless of who you are. The gym reveals the inner workings of what you are.
Still, your transformational process doesn’t have to be limited to the confines of a gym’s walls. You can easily set up and work out outside them, too. I’m confident that you don’t ever have to step inside a gym or other fitness center to claim the body of your dreams. To say, “This is the only way to see results,” simply isn’t true. There are multiple routes to any destination. So in the end, if exercising in private rather than among a crowd makes the difference between getting it done and not getting it done, then go for it wherever you feel most comfortable.
You can perform the Portable Workout just about anywhere from your backyard to the beach—or even in a hotel room. It features a baker’s dozen of efficient exercises that are divided into three circuits. Simply perform all the exercises in each circuit for the prescribed number of repetitions back to back, trying to keep your rest between circuits down to 45 to 60 seconds for an increased challenge.
The only equipment you’ll need is a Swiss Ball and stretchable resistance exercise bands (when traveling, just deflate the ball, and you’ll still have room in your bag for trail mix, a protein bar or shaker bottle to keep fueled for performance). The bands, which often come with handles, offer convenient change, coming in a variety of resistance levels, so that you can keep steadily progressing as your conditioning improves.
CIRCUIT 1
BAND RESISTED PUSH-UP
- 1 Place a resistance band around the rear of your shoulders and running down your arms, and place your hands shoulder-width apart on the ground.
- 2 Position yourself on your toes with your body in an elongated position.
- 3 Lower your chest nearly to the ground by bending your elbows while keeping your chest directly above your hands, feeling the added tension from the band. Repeat for 12 to 15 repetitions.
BENT-OVER ONEARM BAND ROW
- 1 Stand while holding one end of a resistance band in one hand, and step firmly on the other end of the band with the opposite foot, leaving a little slack.
- 2 Lean forward until your torso is parallel to the ground, while placing your free hand on your thigh for support and extending your opposite leg behind you.
- 3 Pull both up and back, until your hand nearly touches your chest.
- 4 Lower, and repeat for 12 to 15 repetitions per arm.
UPRIGHT BAND ROW
- 1 Firmly stand on a resistance band with both feet while holding the handles with an overhand close grip with your arms extended downward.
- 2 With your elbows leading, raise your arms upward, keeping your hands and the band close to your body.
- 3 Lower, and repeat for 12 to 15 repetitions.
FRONT SHOULDER BAND RAISE
- 1 Firmly stand on a resistance band with both feet while holding the handles with an overhand shoulder-width grip with your arms extended downward.
- 2 Raise both arms straight up until they are parallel to the ground, maintaining a very slight bend in your arms and keeping your palms facing downward.
- 3 Lower, and repeat for 12 to 15 repetitions.
LATERAL BAND RAISE
- 1 Firmly stand on a resistance band with both feet while holding the handles at your sides with your arms extended downward.
- 2 With a slight bend in your elbows, pull your arms directly out to the sides, following an arced pathway, until they are parallel to the ground.
- 3 Lower, and repeat for 12 to 15 repetitions.
CIRCUIT 2
BAND OVERHEAD TRICEPS EXTENSION
- 1 Kneel on the ground with a band running firmly just below your knees.
- With a handle in each hand, raise your arms up with your elbows in and your forearms bent behind your head running parallel to your lower legs.
- Raise your forearms straight up to full overhead extension.
- Lower, and repeat for 12 to 15 repetitions.
ALTERNATING BAND CURL
- 1 Firmly stand on a resistance band with both feet while holding the handles with an underhand grip approximately shoulder-width apart with your arms extended downward.
- 2 Bend your elbow, one arm at a time, as you curl the weight up toward your shoulder in an arced pathway.
- 3 Lower, and repeat with the other arm. Perform 12 to 15 repetitions per arm.
BAND SQUAT
- 1 Firmly stand on a resistance band with your feet apart in shoulder-width stance with your toes straight-on and your knees soft or slightly bent. Hold the handles of the band by your shoulders with your palms facing forward.
- 2 Bend your knees, lowering yourself until your thighs are parallel to the ground while keeping an erect posture.
- 3 Push through your heels to return to the starting position, and then repeat for 12 to 15 repetitions.
BAND LUNGE
- 1 Step firmly on a band with one foot while holding the handles by your shoulders with your palms facing each other. Move into in a staggered stance with one foot on the band placed flat on the ground in front of you and the other foot behind you resting on your toes.
- 2 Keeping your back straight, drop your back knee while simultaneously bending your front leg until your front thigh is parallel to the ground.
- 3 Push through your front heel to raise yourself to full extension. Repeat for 12 to 15 repetitions per leg.
CIRCUIT 3
SWISS BALL CRUNCH
- 1 Lie on your back on a Swiss ball with your legs bent, your shoulders supported on the ball and your palms on your ears.
- 2 Raise your torso toward your knees.
- 3 Lower, and repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions.
SWISS BALL REVERSE CRUNCH
- 1 Lie on your back on the ground with your arms at your sides and your legs bent and straddling a Swiss ball.
- 2 Raise your legs both back and up, while keeping a tucked-in position, so that your knees travel both backward and vertically.
- 3 Return to the starting position, and repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions.
SWISS BALL ROLLOUT
- 1 Kneel behind a Swiss ball, and place your fists on top.
- 2 Remaining on your knees with your back straight, roll the ball forward, leading with your arms and following through with your entire body.
- 3 Roll back using the same range of motion while keeping an erect posture.
- 4 Repeat for 15 to 20 repetitions.
SWISS BALL HIP CROSSOVER
- 1 Lie on your back on the ground with your arms at your sides. Grip a Swiss ball between your bent legs, lifting it off the ground.
- 2 Brace your abs as you lower your knees to the side while keeping your torso stabilized, and then reverse to the other direction.
- 3 Return to the starting position, and repeat for 15 repetitions per side.
