How to be a Good Guest When Traveling and Crossfitting

I've spent all of my coaching career working in tourist areas, first Savannah, GA and now Williamsburg, VA. Drop-ins are the norm, especially during peek travel seasons. Here's some suggestions on how to be a good guest this holiday season.

1. Make plans with the gym ahead of time. Look over the website and/or reach out to the gym via social media to find out their drop-in policy. Do let them know what your experience level is. Don't try calling the gym. We all know most places do not have a receptionist and trying to call you back is next to impossible due to the coaching schedules.
2. Expect that you will need to arrive early. 15 minutes before class is typical. Don't show up right as class begins expecting to jump in. You are being disrespectful of the coaches time as well as the regular members of the gym who now are going to be held up while the coach finds waivers and introductions are made.
3. Expect to pay. If you are traveling to your small hometown they may not be used to having guests and not have an established drop-in policy. Ask how much it will cost per class/week or at the very least buy a shirt and leave a facebook/google review.
4. Do not ask to do your own thing. Take the opportunity to learn from new coaches and different programming. Unless you are a professional athlete, ie someone is paying you to workout, there is no reason you need to stick to your Invictus, Outlaw, Misfit programming. 

***If you believe that you will lose all your gains over vacation and absolutely must continue your programming then either find a gym that follows it or find a globo gym in the area that you can do squats, deadlifts and presses at and skip the oly work. This is typically what I do when traveling. I get up early and workout before our plans for the day and the easiest way is to find a 24/7 gym with a squat rack and dumbbells. Do not be an idiot if you go this route. Don't drop barbells and don't expect to set-up a met-con in the lifting area and monopolize all the equipment.

If dropping into a gym won't work then here are some home workouts I created that utilize minimal equipment and can get the whole family involved. Workout One, Two, Three and Four.

Finally it is not horrible to take time off from working out while traveling. Do not beat yourself up for this. The brain and body can use a break. Just get back in the gym when you get home!

My Favorite Things October Edition

October brought a visit from my mom-in-law, weightlifting meet at MDUSA and a whole lot of time spent at physical therapy trying to strengthen and relearn how to use my right shoulder.

Training I've Loved

• Downloaded some Barbell Shrugged podcasts for my drive home from the weightlifting meet. Mind Gainz: The Psychology of Strength and Conditioning is one of the best hours I've spent in a long time. What I keep replaying in my mind is the line about hating bumper plates. That their use implies that you think this lift isn't going to happen and you may need to drop the bar. I keep telling myself that if you put it on the bar you're going to lift it. I've PR'd my back squat, jerk and front squat triple since listening. If you're not taking your mental preparation seriously you're missing out on a key training element.
• Physical therapy, or getting an expert to watch you move and then doing what they suggest. I have a reoccurring shoulder issue and have been through PT several times. This time I've gone in with the attitude of an athlete who wants to keep moving for years to come, not just getting some relief so I feel better right now. Most days I leave cursing the therapist and mentally drained from having to think so hard to move my shoulder correctly. The goal is to strengthen my traps and upper back and to make the correct movement pattern sink in.

Good Stuff to Eat and Drink

• My mom got me this Black Raspberry Green Tea while in Savannah at what my family dubs the fancy gas station. I love having a cup of this in the afternoon. And if you're ever in downtown Savannah, GA looking for a place to buy wine, cheeses, gifts and coffee head to the Parker's. Seriously.
• I had a butternut squash and other vegetables that needed to be used so I made soup. This recipe is a great place to start and then improvise with what you have at home. I tossed a chopped red pepper, several stalks of celery and carrots in butter and cooked till they were soft. Threw the cooked veggies in a crock pot with a couple cans of coconut milk, the roasted squash and chicken broth and then used my stick blender to make it smooth. You could add chicken or sausage to make the soup a little heartier.

Workout Apparel/Accessories

• I have developed traps and lats and not much boobs to speak of. Sports bras are a pain in the ass to fit. They are too tight underneath my arms, are baggy in the cup or don't have enough padding and you give everyone a show. These Under Armour sports bras are my absolute favorite. Adjustable straps, good fit and some padding so I look like I have a chest. I have gotten my last two at the outlet mall and I paid around $35 for them. I wear an XS or Small. The blue one pictured I've had for over a year, worn once a week or so, and still is in great shape.
  

Little Einsteins Inspired Our Vacation

The Bligh's are headed to Norway. Yep all three of us. J and I haven't taken a big overseas trip since K became part of the crew. We've been itching to bring K along with us, but weren't sure if she was old enough or where we would go. After the move and new schools and all the adjustments she's made it was clear to us that she was mature enough to handle the long flights and unfamiliar food. But more importantly that she would remember the trip and could appreciate seeing another country and another way of life.

Enter The Little Einsteins
The first tv show that K ever watched with interest was The Little Einsteins. The first time she saw the aurora borealis she was hooked. We would spend weekend mornings getting sucked into a YouTube wormhole of breathtaking videos. When a friend moved to Alaska she sent links to watch the lights live and photographs of the amazing show she witnessed from her backyard. It seemed natural to make this her first big adventure.

Norway
J showed me we could fly round-trip to Oslo for cheaper then a trip to Cleveland and I said let's get K her passport. We'll be using Norwegian Air out of JFK. They bill themselves as a budget airline offering non-stop services from a few US airports to Europe and the Caribbean. You pay for in-flight services ala carte (Want a blanket? That's $5 but you get to keep it. That sort of thing.).

Once in Norway we'll be spending a couple nights in Oslo, then flying north to Tromso. Even though we both have traveled overseas several times, it's always startling to see how much cheaper it is to get transportation within a country in Europe. Be that a train or flying. For less then the price of one ticket to get from Norfolk to Savannah all three of us are flying.


But forget all the prices and numbers. Why take a five-year-old to Norway? Because it's supposed to be one of the friendliest places to visit. Oslo has lot's of children appropriate museums and a castle to see. Because it looks like where Frozen took place. And the Northern Lights are like magic.

Weekend WODing at Home

Bonus Workout

25 Walking lunges, weighted (carry your dog, kid, groceries, books, frozen turkey you didn't defrost)
25 Squats
1:00 Wall Sit
1:00 Jump Rope
1:00 Plank
1:00 Handstand Hold
1:00 Deadbug Hold

Scaling Options-Accumulate the 1:00 hold or go for it and do it continuous. Want more? Do it over!

Friday WODing at Home

Workout 3

Partner WOD
6 Rounds
Partner 1- 10 Burpees
Partner 2- Hold a Plank of any variety
Then switch

Scaling options Do more rounds! Burpee, complete drop to the floor and pop up, step feet back and back up, drop to a high plank and pop up. Plank, low or high, alternate, side plank on elbow or hand, reach through, or star.

Burpee Options

Plank Options

Turkey Day WODing at Home

Workout 2
Warm-up
Google Flower by Moby and get the family moving. When they say "down" squat. When they say "up" stand. Modify by sitting down in a chair and standing up.

WOD
Deck O' Cards
Can be done many ways. Decide to pull cards for 10-20 minutes. Complete half the deck, or go for it and do the whole deck.
Clubs-Mountain climbers (Left+Right=1)
Hearts-Lunge (Left+Right=1)
Spades-Chair dip
Diamonds-V-ups
You complete as many reps as the card is worth. Jack, Queen, King 12 reps. Joker come up with something-run around the house, walk on your hands, hold the splits, somersaults, try to do a back bend...

Scaling Options-Dips the further your feet are away from your butt the more challenging it is. You can also add a weight to your lap (a pan, book, kid, frozen turkey you forgot to defrost). V-ups if you cannot touch your toes aim for your knees.

Wednesday WODing at home

I'll be posting four workouts. These can be done in any order and require no special equipment. These are family friendly. I'll make suggestions to scale up or down if you need it.

Workout 1

Warm-up

30 Superman pulses

30 Glute marches on the floor or feet elevated

Video example 

WOD

Complete as many rounds as possible in 11 minutes

40 Single jumps, or pretend if no jump rope is available

30 Sit-ups

20 Squats

10 Burpees

Scale up options-double unders, lateral jump after each burpee (jump over something if you're feeling fiesty).

First days of summer

What constitutes a vacation? Does it mean months of planning and saving? Pouring over websites and tour books. Joining forums and travel sites trying to find the best deal and the hotel with the perfect location.

Or is it simply a break from the norm? Sleeping in, coffee on the back deck, putting your phone on silent, pajamas till noon.

Are family and friends along too? Or is vacation time spent alone?

One of my favorite childhood memories is the summer we traveled all over the coast of Michigan. No reservations, no navigation system, no cell phone to check the reviews. Dad driving, mom beside him, Scott and I in the back equal parts fighting, ignoring and playing with each other. We crossed the Mackinaw Bridge, spent the day at Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, had the luck of a rainy day to find Petoski stones, and spent one night searching for a hotel finally finding one that mom was not happy with. I remember the room being blue, she found a cockroach in the bathtub and insisted we keep our socks on at all times.

Making memories with my own family now. K is an easy and enthusiastic travel companion. I have dreams of sharing Paris and Italy with her. Of showing her how big and amazing the world is.