Training perspectives that let you think outside the gym / By Ryan Nail / Photos by Rudy Arocha
One of the most important things I have learned in business is something my father taught me when I was younger. He drew the capital letter “I” and asked me what I saw. I replied “a letter ‘I,’ of course,” and he said, “No. I see a Roman numeral ‘I.’ ” Then he turned it sideways and said, “Now it is a field goal.” He taught me that the way you visualize things can change the world, and it is this perspective that I have taken with me in to the fitness world. Some people see parking-lot lines; I see line drills. With this perspective, a curb can become a total-body gym. The following exercises are for when you are on the go and want to maintain your exercise routine without the option of a gym. Remember, fitness is a lifestyle, not a period of time. Do it for you and remember, think outside the gym.
Tricep Dips
A chair is a great way to work your triceps by doing dips. Go down at a 90-degree angle with your arms and then extend your arms straight to the top of the chair. Remember, go up and down with your body and not front to back. Since we are in a time crunch, lift a leg up in the air to engage your lower abs. Switch legs every five reps and do a total of 25 reps four times.
Wall Squats
With your arms extended straight out in front of you, take a book and rotate your arms at a full 180 degrees until your pecs squeeze together. Twist the arms over and under and hold all of this in a wall squat for a full minute with 15 seconds of rest in between. This creates major definition in your chest and blasts your legs at the same time.
Push-up Pops
If you don’t have access to a medicine ball or a bosu ball, use a book. Most hotel rooms will have a Bible in the nightstand next to the bed. You can use this as leverage to enhance your push-ups by placing one hand on the book and the other on the floor. From this position, explode out of a push-up position to the other side of the book. This creates explosive power and builds your chest muscles to the next level. Do a total of 30 reps (15 on each side) four times.
Reverse Mountain Climbers
Another way to utilize your chair is to move into a decline push-up position with one leg in the air. From this position, drive your knee that is in the air to your chest. Do one side then the other. This is a major core exercise, stabilizing your upper body and blasting your lower abs. To really mix it up, add push-ups to this exercise. Do 25 reps four times.
