On the Road Band Workout

I travel with my JYM Strength Bands all over the world. Due to my recognition as one of the most academically awarded and renowned experts in the world on training, nutrition and supplements, I’m frequently on the road doing seminars, giving speeches and, from time to time, vacationing.

In fact, I'm currently writing this from Ubon Rathachani, Thailand, which is far off the beaten path from more popular Thai tourist destinations like Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai. As you can imagine, it's not easy finding a proper gym out here, so I rely on JYM Strength Bands as my personal gym at times like these.

But this is not to say that I'm making a sacrifice by using only bands. Quite the contrary, actually. Bands provide a unique type of resistance not possible with free weights: linear variable resistance, which in simple terms means the more you pull the bands, the more resistance they provide.

What isn't simple are the results you can achieve. Linear variable resistance with bands can increase power and strength, as well as improve muscle growth and even fat loss. Plus, the unique way in which it causes the muscle fibers to work can help you blast through ruts and prevent stagnation in gains in strength and size. In fact, research proves that adding bands to a strength-training program with free weights increases gains in strength and muscle mass better than free weights alone. 

A couple other benefits worth mentioning: convenience and practicality. The bands are so light that I can bring them in my suitcase or carry-on luggage and have over 400 pounds of resistance at my hands (and feet) with very little space taken up and no excess baggage fee. Try accomplishing that with dumbbells!

One of my favorite band workouts I do when traveling is my On The Road circuit-training routine. It's a full-body workout that hits every major muscle group while incorporating some cardioacceleration for legs. The On the Road Workout also involves pyramid training, as you increase the resistance from the bands each time through the circuit.

Workout Details

For this circuit, I typically start with the red bands (eight pounds). However, depending on your individual strength level, feel free to start lighter with yellow bands (three pounds) or green bands (five pounds), or even heavier. The first round of the circuit will serve as a warm-up for most of the exercises.

The workout goes like this:

Do one set each of the below exercises consecutively without resting. Do 12-15 reps per exercise and as many reps as you can until failure for exercises you can't do 12-15 reps with.

Once you complete all exercises, move to the next heaviest band and repeat the circuit. Keep repeating until you get to the orange bands (30 pounds), or until you can no longer complete more than five reps per exercise. If you can complete more than five reps using the orange bands, you can add extra bands to the handles for more resistance (ie, an orange band plus a green band).

Since you're limited on resistance for legs, do the leg exercise (the last exercise in the circuit) as 60-120 seconds of cardioacceleration. (This in lieu of a one or two-minute rest period between rounds.) However, you can also incorporate one or two other band leg exercises into the routine, like band lunges, band side lunges, band front squats or band leg extensions. When doing this, insert the other leg exercises between other upper-body moves to space them apart. (I'll also be giving you a separate band leg circuit soon, so keep an eye out for that.)

On The Road Band Circuit Workout

1. Band Reverse-Grip Chest Press
2. Band Low Row
3. Band Shoulder Press
4. Behind-the-Back Band Curl
5. Band Kickback
6. Band Lateral Raise
7. Band Curl
8. Band Overhead Triceps Extension
9. Cardioaccerelation: 60-120 seconds of squats (bodyweight or band), lunges or step-ups

When you move up in resistance, some exercises, particularly the arm exercises, will become impossible to complete for five reps. On those rounds, just do the exercises you can perform at least five reps with – mainly the multi-joint moves for chest, back and shoulders, plus the leg exercise at the end. That said, the later rounds of the circuit may look more like this:

1. Band Reverse-Grip Chest Press
2. Band Row
3. Band Shoulder Press
4. Cardioaccerelation: 60-120 seconds of squats (body weight or band), lunges or step-ups

This is the main reason I added extra arm exercises to the workout (there are two exercises each for biceps and triceps, yet only one each for chest and back). You'll likely complete fewer sets, or at least fewer reps, with the single-joint exercises compared to multi-joint moves. That way, the arms get sufficient training volume when they tire out on the later rounds with the heaviest resistance.

To watch me run through my On The Road Band Workout, check out this video:

Download This Workout

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