Elrond Hubbard, Third Time's a Charm

[ElrondHubbard]

Good looking sessions going on in here Dave. Quite heavy on the deads. That's strange about your elbows. I would say that if it is both of them then something with the new program is giving them a hard time? Did you do a big increase in volume or start doing a lift that you aren't used to? Very sorry to hear about your friend. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Could be the fact that I'm doing 7 sets at the same maximum weight. In my previous programs I was always ramping up on the sets, and only the final set was at the maximum weight. But those maximums were heavier and higher reps than what I've been doing recently. I expect it was inevitable. The first time I started lifting heavy, soon after doing Madcow for the first time, I developed similar issues. Maybe even worse, if I remember right. It happens during pushing and pulling both, but doing good warmups helps. I never warmed up well when doing Madcow.

The good news from Monday is I forgot to take my pre-workout aspirin, and didn't bother with the elbow wraps, but in the end, I had very little trouble with them. And I did do good warmups, so maybe that's the key.

[HomeGymChains]

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Tonight, I get to try bench presses above 200 lbs for the first time in forever. Wish me luck!

Best of luck!!!

[TM79]

Beautiful session yesterday Dave! Very respectable sets. Sounds like your friend was very fortunate to have you and your wife as friends. Reading the way you described him, it actually reminded me a lot of myself. It is honestly a miracle that I ended up with a wife and kids as I very much tend to keep to myself otherwise. Someone once said that the Lord has a sense of humor. That I believe is true... But I often think about how different my life would have been had I not ended up with my wife and it scares me to death.

Three weeks ago, I found out that my old roommate and best friend for many years (leading up to the time when I met my wife) had passed away. The family didn't say what it was so I assume it was suicide or maybe he ended up letting some pills get too much of a hold on him... Either way, I think back to how similar we were and how easily I could have ended up in his shoes. With no family I surely would have continued down the road of substance abuse, addiction and depression, much like he did. And eventually it probably ends in one of those two ways... It is frightening to think about, that's for sure. Anyway, he was very fortunate to have you as a friend and I'm sure that you overcoming what you have overcome had to be an inspiration, whether he chose to get in better shape or not. It's great to be around positive people who have a good attitude.

[ElrondHubbard]

Beautiful session yesterday Dave! Very respectable sets. Sounds like your friend was very fortunate to have you and your wife as friends. Reading the way you described him, it actually reminded me a lot of myself. It is honestly a miracle that I ended up with a wife and kids as I very much tend to keep to myself otherwise. Someone once said that the Lord has a sense of humor. That I believe is true... But I often think about how different my life would have been had I not ended up with my wife and it scares me to death.

Three weeks ago, I found out that my old roommate and best friend for many years (leading up to the time when I met my wife) had passed away. The family didn't say what it was so I assume it was suicide or maybe he ended up letting some pills get too much of a hold on him... Either way, I think back to how similar we were and how easily I could have ended up in his shoes. With no family I surely would have continued down the road of substance abuse, addiction and depression, much like he did. And eventually it probably ends in one of those two ways... It is frightening to think about, that's for sure. Anyway, he was very fortunate to have you as a friend and I'm sure that you overcoming what you have overcome had to be an inspiration, whether he chose to get in better shape or not. It's great to be around positive people who have a good attitude.

Thanks, Trent. You are so right that having the right partner can make all the difference in the world. First time around, I had the wrong partner, and either one of us probably would have been better off single. We were a long way from the best people we could be -- or even adequate. Since we've parted ways, we've each found the right person, and not only am I a totally different person in many ways, and a better one, my ex is also.

My wife tried to set our friend up with a couple of her girlfriends, but as much as I enjoy those gals, they would have been wrong for him, he and I both knew it, and even my wife had to admit it in weaker moments. He probably would have welcomed his end years earlier if he'd been stuck with either one of them.

[ElrondHubbard]

So, I'm delayed in journaling again (who'da thunk!?), and I have two sessions to catch up on. Since I shifted my schedule, I had a Wednesday and a Friday workout.

The one on Wednesday went quite a bit better than the previous week's had, but still left a lot to be desired. The previous week I had failed to lift 111 pounds on the overhead press at all, Wednesday I got 2 reps out of 112 pounds for 7 sets. Still far below my 5-rep max of 117 from a year or three ago, but I do hope to get back up there. I had 204 pounds on the bench press, and the program wanted me doing 2 reps at that weight. I didn't have much hope of getting there at my current state of progress (although I'm sure it will come back to me eventually), and I was happy to do 6 sets of 1 rep each.

Friday night, I got off to a very late start, too late to get any of my accessories done in a reasonable amount of time, but that's actually a good thing. I was on the phone with a guy trying to open up an area for gold exploration, who's committing some major resources to doing a lot of drilling and sampling, and needs a senior geologist. It's hard to find someone more senior than me, at least one who's still willing to do field work in northern Nevada in the winter. He offered me an excellent position, that will see me to at least the end of the year, and maybe longer if the resource and the price of gold both turn out to be what we estimate.

Now that I qualify for medicare and medicaid, I'm actually better off as a contractor than an employee for these kinds of jobs, and this should work out well. The downside is I'll be away from home for extended periods, which means that this particular program will have to wrap up. I'll be doing dumbbells, bodyweight, and maybe bands while I'm on location. Not sure exactly when it will start, I still need to get a training certification out of the way, and I need to schedule that. If it works out, it makes my retirement picture look reasonably bright, and the work itself is the kind of stuff I enjoy, so I'm looking forward to it.

Wednesday, September 30, Week 41/13, Session 2

Bench Press:
204x1, 6 sets. The programmed called for 2 reps, but I'm just not there yet. With time, I will be.

Overhead Press:
112x2, 7 sets. Better than last time, at least!

Wider-stance Squat:
189x4, 7 sets. Felt a little heavy, but definitely could have done a few more.


Accessoris --
Pullups, bodyweight: 17 + 15 + 15.

Chinups, bodyweight: 10

Still not happy with those, I was doing much better just a few weeks ago.


And then...

Friday, October 2, Week 41/13, Session 3

Deadlift:
355x2, 7 sets.

Close-Grip Bench:
155x4, 7 sets.

Paused Squat:
170x4, 7 sets.

Seated OHP:
96x4, 7 sets. These were tough!

No accessories.

Tomorrow begins Week 42/14, it's programmed as a bit of a deload week. Things should be easier.

[TM79]

Solid work on those last two session Dave! I had no idea you were a geologist. Very cool profession. Interesting that you'll be on site in northern Nevada for a while. I'm a former travel/hotel fitness guru. Get yourself a doorway pull-up bar and you can get plenty done in your hotel room. Also, I'm not sure where you're talking about, but one time my old coworker and I flew into SLC and then drove west into NV on I-80. Then north on Hwy 93 (I think?) and into ID. He wanted to go that way so that we could stop on the side of the road and look for geodes(?). I'm usually down for random (and interesting) stuff like that so I happily obliged. I recall that we each found a few of them that day and then made our way north to ID for work. That area was gorgeous.

[ElrondHubbard]

Solid work on those last two session Dave! I had no idea you were a geologist. Very cool profession. Interesting that you'll be on site in northern Nevada for a while. I'm a former travel/hotel fitness guru. Get yourself a doorway pull-up bar and you can get plenty done in your hotel room. Also, I'm not sure where you're talking about, but one time my old coworker and I flew into SLC and then drove west into NV on I-80. Then north on Hwy 93 (I think?) and into ID. He wanted to go that way so that we could stop on the side of the road and look for geodes(?). I'm usually down for random (and interesting) stuff like that so I happily obliged. I recall that we each found a few of them that day and then made our way north to ID for work. That area was gorgeous.

The area I'll be working in is right off I-80. It will be about a 6 hour commute from home, so I won't be making it every day. I'll be west of US 93 by quite a bit. My latest word is that I'll be staying in an apartment rather than a motel, the town will be either Winnemucca or Battle Mountain, not quite sure which. Winnemucca does have a fairly nice gym, so I won't be so isolated as I thought. I'll be sure and mask up!

I signed the contract today, my mining safety training course might start next Monday. Things are not firm yet, but they're starting to gel a little.

I love geology, it triggers all my geek parts. The downside is that the employment can be boom or bust. I spent 17 years at one job, but never had any idea whether the job would be renewed or not from year to year. Made some very nice money consulting, then hit a dry spell for a while, and had to do slightly different work. Now, with the price of gold sky high, it's time to make my move back before I retire.

Travel/hotel fitness sure sounds like living out of a suitcase! I hope what you're doing now is fun and stable! (But not cleaning stables...)

[TM79]

Sounds like you'll have a little more normalcy staying in an apartment and going to the local gym. That's the way to go. I admire you for sticking with a career that seemed to have a lot of uncertainty from year to year. I've sought stability above almost everything else at this point as I had such a rocky start to my working career during the mortgage crisis and then the recession of the late 2,000's. Now, fortunately, I've managed to get into a position where I've met my income goals and am also the number 2 guy, so hopefully, if things get bad again, I would still have a job. Anyway, glad you are doing what you enjoy and will hopefully be setup well for retirement.

[ElrondHubbard]

Sounds like you'll have a little more normalcy staying in an apartment and going to the local gym. That's the way to go. I admire you for sticking with a career that seemed to have a lot of uncertainty from year to year. I've sought stability above almost everything else at this point as I had such a rocky start to my working career during the mortgage crisis and then the recession of the late 2,000's. Now, fortunately, I've managed to get into a position where I've met my income goals and am also the number 2 guy, so hopefully, if things get bad again, I would still have a job. Anyway, glad you are doing what you enjoy and will hopefully be setup well for retirement.

I hope so too, Trent. I've never known what stability or normalcy (or even sanity!) was, so I'm not sure if I'd recognize it if I had it! But I'm looking forward to what's ahead at the moment.

[ElrondHubbard]

Before it gets too late, I need to post Monday's workout. It's a decrease in weight, but an increase in volume, and once again, my elbows felt it. I'll definitely need a pre-workout aspirin before the next. Not sure why the pullups suffered, it wasn't just the elbows. Could have been the higher reps.

Monday, October 5. Morning Weight, 163.2 lbs.

Squat:
180 x 7, 7 sets

Stiff-legged Deadlift:
122 x 8, 7 sets

Incline Bench:
98 x 8, 7 sets

Accessories:
Pullups + 45 lbs: 5 + 6 + 6
Chinups + 45 lbs, 7 + 6

Pushups w/ grip handles, toes raised 3.5”, hand placement at base of rib cage:
30 + 24 + 32

Not sure why the middle set went south either, but I just collapsed. Almost gave up, but then the 3rd set felt easier. Weird.

[HomeGymChains]

Congratulations on the consulting contract!!!

[TM79]

Good looking session on Monday. I did some similar push-ups last week on dumbbells that were placed near the base of my rib cage and the lower chest and tris got a nice pump from that. I wasn't doing sets of 30 though!

[ElrondHubbard]

Good looking session on Monday. I did some similar push-ups last week on dumbbells that were placed near the base of my rib cage and the lower chest and tris got a nice pump from that. I wasn't doing sets of 30 though!

I like the idea of using dumbbells for handles. That form is definitely a lot harder than the classic pushups. I figure doing these on some workouts, and toes elevated pushups on others is roughly equivalent to switching up with incline and decline bench presses. You do get the pump!

[ElrondHubbard]

So I've closed out my "Average to Savage" program, ending at week 14. Should have gone to 21, but whacchagonnado? I may come back to it after I retire! In the meantime, I'll just be playing it by ear in my new environment until I can get some kind of stable schedule together, and figure out what's available to me. I'm not going to stop training, I'm sure of that.

This last week was a deload, and the weights were overly light for the reps. The accessories were as heavy as ever, though, and doing easier main lifts made those accessories easier to throw energy at. So it certainly wasn't a waste.

Wednesday, October 7, Week 41/14, Session 2

Bench Press:
135x7, 7 sets.

Overhead Press:
80x7, 7 sets.

Wider-stance Squat:
125x8, 7 sets.

Accessories --
Pullups, bodyweight: 17 + 16 + 15.

Chinups, bodyweight: 15+15

Pushups w/grip handles, Toes Elevated 18", rest-pause: 48 + 11x10 + 15

Barbell Shrugs. 135 lbs, Myo-reps: 15 + 6x5


And then...

Friday, October 9, Week 41/14, Session 3

Deadlift:
247x7, 7 sets.

Close-Grip Bench:
101x8, 7 sets.

Paused Squat:
112x8, 7 sets.

Seated OHP:
63x8, 7 sets. These were easy!

It was all too easy, actually. Still had to wear grips for the deadlifts, though.

Accessories:
Pullups + 45 lbs, 7 + 5 + 5
Chinups +45 lbs, 7 + 6

Pushups w/ grip handles, toes raised 3.5”, hand placement at base of rib cage, 32+32+32

Wednesday may be my next chance to do anything more than bedroom pushups, etc. We'll see!

[TM79]

Good looking last two sessions Dave. Way to finish out the cycle strong! Are you already on the road?

[ElrondHubbard]

Good looking last two sessions Dave. Way to finish out the cycle strong! Are you already on the road?

Sure am! I found two gyms in town, I'll get a chance to check them out Wednesday. Internet is still a problem, but I can do basic stuff through the phone for now.

[Payton1221]

Accessories --
Pullups, bodyweight: 17 + 16 + 15.

Chinups, bodyweight: 15+15

Even on this BODYBUILDING site where many are intelligently using nutrition and programming to better themselves, I bet not one in 20 men can do what you just posted. I consider myself to be in "rare air" myself when it comes to these bodyweight exercises but you got me beat by a few reps!

[ElrondHubbard]

Even on this BODYBUILDING site where many are intelligently using nutrition and programming to better themselves, I bet not one in 20 men can do what you just posted. I consider myself to be in "rare air" myself when it comes to these bodyweight exercises but you got me beat by a few reps!

I read that thread you linked. Looked like a common theme throughout was elbow inflammation from weighted pull ups. I think my routine while I'm out here will be bodyweight pull ups, and lots of rest-pause or myo-reps for the general training. Then on my weekends at home (every other weekend, actually) I'll throw in more conventional and heavier lifts. This'll be an interesting experiment.

[TM79]

Even on this BODYBUILDING site where many are intelligently using nutrition and programming to better themselves, I bet not one in 20 men can do what you just posted. I consider myself to be in "rare air" myself when it comes to these bodyweight exercises but you got me beat by a few reps!

I've been marveling at his pull-ups for a long time now as well. It's just phenomenal. And as you said, I consider myself to be pretty good at BW exercises, but Dave is on another level.

[ElrondHubbard]

I've been marveling at his pull-ups for a long time now as well. It's just phenomenal. And as you said, I consider myself to be pretty good at BW exercises, but Dave is on another level.

Oh, stop it, you're embarrassing me.

I'm still a long way from my goal of 20, or any of my YouTube heros. But I do think I'm likely to get more volume if I work on them unweighted for a while, which is what I'll be concentrating on at least during the period of this contract. I can do them either at home or at the gym in Winnemucca.

Speaking of which, I bought a membership on Wednesday, and worked out there Wednesday night. The first time in 30 years I've actually shared a gym with other people. (Maybe the first time in 5 years is more realistic, because for 25 of those years I wasn't working out at all.)

I enjoyed it. It felt safe, the COVID-19 protocols were all in place. I had a mask handy for if the crowd started showing up, but for most of the time there were only a few other people there. I also had a disinfectant spray bottle and a towel to make sure I wiped down the equipment before and after each use. It's allowed to squat and deadlift without shoes, and they don't like you dropping the weights. There were a couple of families with kids there, and it was kind of heartening to see young teens and even preteens, both boys and girls, getting what appeared to be knowledgeable instructions on lifting the weights, and seeing them actually doing it on their own with proper form, and apparently enjoying it.

It was a bit of a light day for me, as the time per session is limited (although they said they only enforce it when usage is heavy), so my rest time was limited. There's also an altitude difference, which I think showed. I was surprised at how heavily as was breathing and how long it took to get back to normal. I did mostly myo-reps, and experimented with a couple of machines. I find the cable rows work well for me, for everything else I think I prefer the barbell. There are a lot of machines that I have no clue about what they do! A sign of my out-of-date level of experience, I guess.

The barbells are not the best, a lot of play in them, probably old and worn out. The best one they have is a CAP OB-86B, similar to the older one I have at home. It's on the deadlift platform. Not sure it's something a real hard-core power lifter would want to use, but it's excellent for the rest of us, and the floor on either side of the platform is well padded, so I think it has some good protection.

The plates are mostly Ivanko rubberized ones, easy to handle, although I have no idea how accurate their designated weights are. The one squat rack is a Rogue Monster, with lots of side projections for storing plates, and even a land mine attachment. I'm tempted to try that one of these days. There are other things there I still might try when I get brave enough.

Wednesday, October 14, Week 43, Session 1:

Bench Press:
135 x 5
155 x 5
185 x 4
155 x 5 x 3 -- myo-reps

Squat:
135 x 5
185 x 5
205 x 5
225 x 5 x 3
205 x 5 x 3 rest-pause

Seated cable row: Narrow, neutral grip attachment
150 x 6 x 4 -- not a bad feeling, but will take some getting used to.

Seated Dumbell Lateral Raises:
20 x 10 x 4

Pullups, Wide, semi-neutral grip:
12 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 5 -- Myo-reps, kind-of.

Chinups, narrow, semi-neutral grip:
12 + 5 + 5 + 5 -- Myo-reps

Barbell shrugs:
225 x 8 x 4 -- My traps have DOMs today from this one!

I didn't divide things up into main lifts and accessories, because everything was experimental, and I don't yet have a specific program laid out for this phase. Now that I've seen the gym, and know my schedule, I can put one together. I'm home this weekend, so I'll use the home gym tonight, then a 10-day work cycle starts on Monday, and I'll be using the out of town gym.

I'll come up with something!

[HomeGymChains]

Glad you found a gym you like!
Best wishes!!!

[Jdizzlean]

Sure am! I found two gyms in town, I'll get a chance to check them out Wednesday. Internet is still a problem, but I can do basic stuff through the phone for now.

just be glad you're not doing your consulting around here. Tri County Health just put us on nearly full lockdown. no restaurant can have more than 50 people TOTAL (staff included), indoor gatherings restricted to 5 people, and outdoor to 10, of which you're not supposed to have more than 2 households. bars shut down at 10, gyms re-closed entirely. the few places that were able to squeak by all this bs are going to be hard pressed even more now. and the laughably short 2 week time period for this is sure to be extended multiple times just like all the rest of the things. I'm waiting for our jackbooted govenor to make this a statewide mandate to go w/ the rest of the bs he keeps trying to do.

not to go political on you, but for the SECOND time in our day 225 of 10 days to flatten the curve, he's suspended evictions, because you know, landlords don't need to also pay their mortages... it's laughable.

[Payton1221]

I bought a membership on Wednesday, and worked out there Wednesday night.

The plates are mostly Ivanko rubberized ones, easy to handle, although I have no idea how accurate their designated weights are.

I think you'll like the 'attaboys you'll receive in a public gym. When you crank out a set of 15 pull-ups with good form, people take notice!

I might be wrong, but my understanding is that Ivanko is (was?) a premier brand and I suspect that their accuracy is very good.

[ElrondHubbard]

Just checking in... It's been too long. Enjoying the job, but the workouts are a bigger struggle than I'd hoped. It's a big reminder of how spoiled I am having a home gym.

Problem #1 is lack of sleep. It's gradually getting better, but I find I don't sleep well away from home, and it's a lot worse than it was during my last remote contract about 6 years ago. I end up being tired during the day, and have very little energy left for the gym. It's insidious. Combine that with having to wait on equipment makes it worse. The gym has a lot of machines, but it's the squat rack and the benches that get the most use.

I'm still getting workouts in, but their quality is significantly lower than what I get at home. The best I can hope for here is a bare maintenance, which is still better than nothing. I'm home every other weekend, and that's when lifting feels like a dream!

[Samraiwise]

You are stronger than me in every way so I'm not worry about you too much. You'll find a peace with whatever you face as always.

I've never faced any life threatening disease or accident....

You will be the man last standing no doubt.

That said, want to say anyway, wish you and your wife the best life ahead. *bow*

----------------

BTW, lately my avg. workout time getting longer, become over 70 mins. The reason is to keep me from getting injured.

When you train at home, the rest between sets tends to get shorter and shorter.

I wanted and started to go heavy again and need extra rest between sets. (find more and more that the longer warm up , the better performance of main sets)

While not in control of the rhythm of your workout surely sucks but extra wait for your next set might help your body recuperate enough not to get hurt irreversibly, though in a very subtle way.

----------------

Sorry I know I'm babbling. I missed those days so much, we spent together, with you and Zav.

The point is, we will thrive no matter what, Dave, Zav and Kaz, forever!!

[Payton1221]

The best I can hope for here is a bare maintenance, which is still better than nothing. I'm home every other weekend, and that's when lifting feels like a dream!

To maintain strength, I've found reasonable frequency, volume, and intensity is all I need. I don't need extreme frequency, extreme volume, or extreme intensity. I'm basically hitting the major muscles every third day with three work sets with an intensity that's ~80-85% (RPE ~8).

[TM79]

Thanks for checking in. Glad to hear that you are getting something in on the road. Yeah, sleeping in hotels is for the birds, IMO. I've spent literally years of my life in hotels and prefer to have that few and far between nowadays. I'm not sure what your work schedule is like but perhaps you can start breaking away late morning, early afternoon or at lunch and going to the gym? It will likely be less crowded at those times. Also, if you bring a doorway pull-up bar you can hit up some nice bodyweight metcons in the hotel room. I used to love those. Put the pull-up bar in the bathroom doorway and have at it. I used to do KB swings with my backpack and even do cleans with different pieces of furniture. Do dips between pieces of furniture. Push-ups and air squats, situps, not to mention the hotel fitness room. Eventually I started looking up good trails in the area and would do either trail runs or hikes on slow days. I saw some of the most memorable vistas of my life during those runs.

When I traveled a lot, my workout schedule was totally different. I would usually do my main lifts (strength work) on the weekends when I was at home. Then I would take days off or do conditioning while on the road. That worked better for me. No hassle with going to the gym. Anyway, hope you can get it all figured out but good on you for getting anything in while on the road. That takes extra motivation and dedication.

[ElrondHubbard]

You are stronger than me in every way so I'm not worry about you too much. You'll find a peace with whatever you face as always.

I've never faced any life threatening disease or accident....

You will be the man last standing no doubt.

That said, want to say anyway, wish you and your wife the best life ahead. *bow*

----------------

BTW, lately my avg. workout time getting longer, become over 70 mins. The reason is to keep me from getting injured.

When you train at home, the rest between sets tends to get shorter and shorter.

I wanted and started to go heavy again and need extra rest between sets. (find more and more that the longer warm up , the better performance of main sets)

While not in control of the rhythm of your workout surely sucks but extra wait for your next set might help your body recuperate enough not to get hurt irreversibly, though in a very subtle way.

----------------

Sorry I know I'm babbling. I missed those days so much, we spent together, with you and Zav.

The point is, we will thrive no matter what, Dave, Zav and Kaz, forever!!

Thanks, Kaz, I always appreciate your unwavering kindness.

Actually, my problem seems to be the opposite of yours. When I work out at home, I feel relaxed, I can take my time, and my rest periods tend to be 3-5 minutes, sometimes even longer when I finish a group of sets. At the commercial gym, I feel more pressured for time, my sets are only a couple of minutes apart, so I recover less well. I really feel worn out quickly. If others are using the squat rack, I don't try to work in (still a bit paranoid about bringing Covid home to the wife, in spite of everything I think my immune system is a lot stronger than hers), but I use one of the machines in a more neglected part of the gym. They have several cable row/pull down machines, and I never have to share one.

It works best when I go later in the evening after the crowd thins out. But that conflicts with going to bed at a decent hour. It's still unresolved for now

[ElrondHubbard]

To maintain strength, I've found reasonable frequency, volume, and intensity is all I need. I don't need extreme frequency, extreme volume, or extreme intensity. I'm basically hitting the major muscles every third day with three work sets with an intensity that's ~80-85% (RPE ~8).

I'm doing something similar. My volume is way down, although once I get the sleep issue resolved I hope to raise it again by at least a little. I'll be retired before I can work out the way I really want to, and I'm curious at that point whether there will still be gains to be had or whether I'm just desperately hanging on against the inexorable. Probably won't make a whole lot of difference to my approach. Gains or not, I do it at home because I enjoy the lifting itself, as long as I'm reasonably well rested.

[ElrondHubbard]

Thanks for checking in. Glad to hear that you are getting something in on the road. Yeah, sleeping in hotels is for the birds, IMO. I've spent literally years of my life in hotels and prefer to have that few and far between nowadays. I'm not sure what your work schedule is like but perhaps you can start breaking away late morning, early afternoon or at lunch and going to the gym? It will likely be less crowded at those times. Also, if you bring a doorway pull-up bar you can hit up some nice bodyweight metcons in the hotel room. I used to love those. Put the pull-up bar in the bathroom doorway and have at it. I used to do KB swings with my backpack and even do cleans with different pieces of furniture. Do dips between pieces of furniture. Push-ups and air squats, situps, not to mention the hotel fitness room. Eventually I started looking up good trails in the area and would do either trail runs or hikes on slow days. I saw some of the most memorable vistas of my life during those runs.

When I traveled a lot, my workout schedule was totally different. I would usually do my main lifts (strength work) on the weekends when I was at home. Then I would take days off or do conditioning while on the road. That worked better for me. No hassle with going to the gym. Anyway, hope you can get it all figured out but good on you for getting anything in while on the road. That takes extra motivation and dedication.

The worksite is about 45 minutes away from where I'm staying. The good news is I'm out of the hotel and in a reasonably nice apartment with a kitchen and a relatively comfortable bed. I'm sleeping better, but not great. I can also cook now, although when I moved in it took them a week to get the kitchen sink unclogged, and they acted like I did it!

I'm thinking about a conditioning routine, actually.