Travel Workout – Stairs at U of MN

Do workout when you travel? I do. And this past holiday weekend was no different. We had a chance to be our son’s house dorm-guests at the University of Minnesota. Sure it was packed with all of us packed into a single room, but priceless time with him. While there I had to find a way to workout at least once and I found some stairs.

If you’ve read many of my posts, you know I dislike running, but stairs hold a special place in my heart. They pack an excellent workout for both legs and cardiovascular system in a neat little package. Since the UofMN is my alma mater I knew the area and where to look for some stairs.

East River Flats Park

The East River Flats park is located just south-east of the Washington Avenue bridge and is nestled along the Mississippi River. The park holds countless memories for me and it was great to add some more on this trip while we walked around with my son and his girlfriend. As a third-generation at the school in our family, he is continuing a golden gopher heritage.

Hidden in the far south-east corner of the park is a set of stairs. To be exact it is a set of stairs with 186 steps setup in a switchback of 12 flights. Back and forth, back and forth. This setup was perfect for a travel workout.

The Travel Workout

My workout was a mixture of activities, but provided a great start to the day during our trip. Here is what I did:

• Jog around the park to the stairs
• Sprint the stairs, two-steps at a time.
• Walk to recover, then jog back down to the park.
• 10 Burpees
• 20 Pushup, side-plank tees.
• Sprint the stairs, two-steps at a time.
• Walk to recover, then jog back down to the park.
• 30 Decline Pushups with my feet on a railing.
• 2 sets of 90 count plank holds.
• Sprint the stairs, two-steps at a time.
• Walk back down the steps
• Recover at the bottom.
• Sprint the stairs, two-steps at a time.
• Walk to recover, then job back down to the park.
• 20 Bulgarian Squats each leg
• 10 Pullups on a tree branch
• Walk back to cool down

It doesn’t take much to workout while traveling, just a little detective work to find some steps and a little section of grass. Check out Craig Ballantyne’s Ultimate Bodyweight Workouts for more ideas on body weight exercises to do while traveling, or any place outside the gym. His program has more than 101 bodyweight exercises to help you lose fat and build muscle.

What’s Your Travel Workout?

Let’s hear from you. What do you like to do for exercise when you travel? Do you hit the stairs, run on a treadmill, or skip workouts all together?

About Troy Pesola

Troy is the founder of Cube.Dweller.Fitness. He's an innovation catalyst in several areas of life including business, marketing, and process improvement. Outside of work he's actively involved in fitness, health, and living vibrantly in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.