Staying Fit

[paddler1954]

We use the Planet Fitness black card. $20/month and it gets you into any Planet Fitness.

[GEM1N1]

Originally Posted by markarbogast

I’m a bit of a Gym Rat. I go 4 to 5 days a week for 3 hours a day. I have been searching for a solution to working out on the road. I know some parks offer small workout areas. I hate the thought of having to carry weights around. Maybe a Total Gym or something like that. I would love to hear from others about what they do to stay fit on the road.

Welcome to PowerBlock - The Worlds Best Dumbbell Products for Home Use

I have a set of these at home. Extremley small footprint and very versitile. You could easily take these on the road with you. Amazing what you can do with a set of good dumbbells.

[OCM]

I do wind sprints to the refrigerator and 16oz curls. Works for me.

[Searching_Ut]

It's tough working out on the road, and unfortunately, as you get older, probably more important than ever before. I've found the aerobic part to be fairly easy. My preference is mountain trail hiking, preferably something with some serious elevation gain a couple times a week if possible with lesser hikes on several other week days. When that isn't an option my joints still seem to tolerate running most days of the week if I keep it down to 3 to 6 miles per session. It's sometimes difficult to keep to a schedule while traveling so I use a Garmin sports watch to help ensure I get at least 300 "intensity" minutes of aerobic exercise per week, and that it's spread over a minimum of 3 days during the week.



Weight training is a little tougher. I have a set of Ironmaster adjustable dumbbells in my home gym, adjustable 5 to 120lbs. Tried taking them a couple times but it just didn't seem practical. Tried working out with items at hand on occasion, again not necessarily practical, and to be honest folks look at you kind of funny when you're trying to do a variation of a goblet squat with a predator 3500 watt inverter generator. Lately I've just been settling for running or hiking for aerobics, coupled with some work with exercise bands and body weight exercises. Bands work fair for some stuff, but our fifth wheel doors aren't tough enough to anchor them for exercises best done that way. Sometimes I put a strap around a tree, or anchor them to a shade pole or something if possible.


For the most part, we haven't found RV park gyms to have anything for any real weight work, but often have exercise bikes and treadmills that are quite adequate.

[Cocomonaco]

Hi. We carry water resistance dumbbells with us (we are full-timers) and use the campground/resort pool to do water aerobics. We always follow warm weather, so that's not a problem - and we always stay at places with a pool. It really keeps us in great shape. And the dumbbells take up very little space in our coach. We also go for a lot of walks. Anyway, this works great for us! Good luck finding the best 'fit plan' for you!

[larliebler]

I'm a gym rat myself, I competed in bodybuilding contests in my 20's and have continued to workout ever since. My goals have changed, and so have my workouts, but I've stayed in reasonable shape. Currently I'm a fulltimer and have a gym membership, but I have pondered what I would do if I were to plan a several month RV trip, which I hope to do in the near future. Working out is part of my lifestyle and something I've done my entire adult life, so it's important to me to continue this lifestyle for the remainder of my life. I'm sure one day I'll be happy just to take a walk, but until then.... I looked into a lightweight folding bench and adjustable dumbbells on Amazon. I believe I could train my entire body (other than pulldowns for back) effectively on the road without adding too much weight to my coach. I don't train heavy anymore, but the water weights are just too light for me. Back in the day I rarely did cardio, but these days I do about 30 minutes each day. A cardio solution seems easy enough when you're on the road, it's the weight training that seems more challenging. I've also until very recently (back at work full time and too busy) been able to play ice hockey with my two adult son's which I attribute to my life long conditioning. Here is an example of the dumbbells and bench I was looking at purchasing when I'm ready for that long RV trip: Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells (Pair) (118 lbs) and Reebok Professional Deck Workout Bench (32 lbs). Good luck , and keep training!

[Searching_Ut]

Largely as a result of this thread I pursued things further with a personal trainer acquaintance who recommended maybe a kettlebell. Seems Santa brought me an Ironmaster adjustable kettlebell handle for Christmas. I already have the Ironmaster adjustable dumbbells so I didn’t need the weight plates and can adjust the weight from 22.5 to 80 lbs. Have only gotten in a couple workouts with it so far, but seems like it will work great for both aerobic and functional strength work. It’s also quite compact to store but of course somewhat heavy depending on how many weight plates you carry.

[Bahamaniac]

Cycling and walking/exploring the many trails available in parks.

[pduggs]

I always worked out at home, prior to going full time. I had a treadmill, weight bench, and pull up bar. I really liked doing pull ups and chin ups. So I fashioned a bar to my coach ladder, using several heavy duty c clamps. It works okay, but I hope to improve it over time.

I get a laugh out folks who see me doing pull/chin ups, hanging off my coach ladder.

[Ludmilla]

I use the Power Block Speedblock Dumbells:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000A6T9I8..._t1_B004DIEWKY

They sit on the floor near the dining table. They work very well. There are other brands available but these were the most compact I could find.

I also run and hike and walk with the dog.

[MO Fred]

I am 66 and have been jogging for over 35 years.... 3 to 4 times weekly, 4-5 miles each run. Usually run in neighborhoods around RV parks while on the road and then do some push-ups and sit-ups. Very rarely go to a gym. Developed this habit from being in the Army over 30 years.

[Spdracr39]

The young folks camped next to us had a foldable weight bench and some of those free weights that lock together. He did push-ups and went for daily runs. I settle for running (jogging and walking) two-three times a week.

[ChattaBob]

Earlier in this thread, someone mentioned that Pickleball is hard to find when traveling.

I use the ‘USAPA Places2Play’ and the ‘Pickleball Finder’ Apps to find games pretty easily.