I'm going on tour with my band in March, and I'd like some tips on how to maintain my form.

About touring:

No bike
Can't cook own food
A lot of sitting in a car and drivng

What I'm thinking about doing:

Eating a lot of fruit
No burritos/pizza
Pushups/situps/planks once a day

I'm mostly worried about what a week of no solid exercise will do to my form. I'd like to run, but I've had issues with my knee and stress fractures in my feet when I do.


Any tips?

Do a lot of MC Hammer.

Why no bike? I am drawing a blank on which band it was (toured in the 90s) whose lead singer would take off on his bike. When the rest of the band left later, they picked him up.

If you are in a car, get a roof rack. Kenny Chesney plays basketball. (Personally, that would drive me nuts).

Where will you be sleeping? Will they have exercise equipment or a pool?

Tough one.

I know that Neil Peart (drummer from Rush) does this...but they really travel in style and bike security during a tourstop isn't really an issue.

You should just take up running. Seriously. Great exercise, keeps you fit for the shows and groupies, and you can get a really good workout in a short amount of time.

Tip: Just wake your ass up before the rest of your band (read: before noon the next day) and go for a run. If you're afraid of getting lost in a new town, just start your watch, head out, when you get to 20 minutes, turn around.

Also, check out bodyweight exercises like burpees and plyometrics for things you can easily do in your hotel room (or parking lot outside the venue).

What's the band and where are you going?

Like I said, running messed up my knees/feet pretty badly. I know, not only from playing soccer for 12 years, but also from trying to take 1 mile/8 min. runs in the mornings last semester.

I have a rear rack, and seriously considered bringing it along, but it turns out it's not compatible with the van we're taking.

We'll be sleeping wherever we can (either a friend's place or the van). No hotels, though.

Plyometrics are a good idea, I'll add those to my list.

I had a couple of idea's. You could buy yourself a really small folding bike (16" wheel model) and take that with you. It could just be a cheap single speed model which would be good to make you work on a short ride. Something simpler and cheaper would be to get a Razor scooter and take it for a spin when you can.

Anthony

When I saw just your title I was going to suggest getting a mandolin or uke and play while you're riding to keep your chops up. But now I see you're asking about your biking form.

How long will you be out for? If it's two weeks or less, I would plan my training prior to the trip to be at it's hardest just before you leave. Then use the two weeks as a bit of rest/recovery. There are lots of bodyweight exercises you can do to help the muscles. Think of this as an opportunity to work areas that don't get so much work on the bike. Everything from planks, squats, lunges, pushups, pullups, crunches, yoga, etc., etc.

If you can't run -- and at age 43 my knees are glad that I've never been a runner -- walk fast. Find hills and stairs to climb up at as fast of a rate as you can handle. Go hike in the woods. If you're in a city, find a 20 story building and climb the stairs five times. Offer to carry the bass players 8x10 SVT cab for him. Get two Twin Reverbs and walk around town with one in each hand.

Longer than two weeks, I like the idea of finding a folder. Get one with racks so you can make the beer runs for the band.

And to second Mo'Phat, what's the band? What kind of tunes? What do you play?

Durr...I suck at reading comprehension. Sorry about that.

You can get cheap Yakima roof racks on craigslist...or put a couple of quick release blocks on the top of your trailer and clamp the bike up there. Get lockable ones or plan on bringing your bike into the hotel with you. Or get a bigger trailer for your bike and tell your bandmates to stash their weed under the seats in the van instead.

For other exercises besides running. Speed walking may look silly (if you do it like those silly speed walkers), but just going for a long walk up some hills or stairs is good.

Depending on what you play, you can make your show performance as aerobic as you want by jumping around all over the place like the shmoes in Sum 41. (If your band is Sum 41...synchronized jumping is shmoe-tastic).

Before giving up on running, go to a running store (running specific...not a sports chain store) and have them analyze your stride. They'll probably put you on a treadmill and videotape you. A lot of the time, injuries like the ones you mentioned are due to improperly fitting shoes (too much or too little stability and/or cushioning for your natural pronation).

If all else fails, do body weight resistance training, look for stairs or do stadiums, and bring a jump rope. Used properly, jump ropes are not for little girls on the playground. It's harder than it looks.

Honestly, and I'm a musician and I've been on the road, I would just rest.

For those who've never done it, going on tour with a rock band means long days crammed into a cramped van full of equipment, staying up until at least 3 am every night, and eating whatever you can find/afford/agree on

You can't really expect your body to recover from any training while your being subjected to that.

In a week, you'll get to heal up any nagging injuries, recover from some of the chronic fatigue we all generally suffer from, and give yourself a mental break.

besides, its still February

ride alot the week before you go, then take time off to tour, and come back and ease yourself back into it.

do a crap load of heroin...and mix in some coke........you should be able to keep your weight down and should have some energy boosts to keep going during the long hours