Nomad Fitness With Resistance Bands

I've been traveling more lately and trying not to miss my training days. When you're staying at a hotel with unpredictable gym situations or somewhere without a gym, why not bring your own gym? Resistance bands make a fantastic travel companion.

They're light and compact.
They can provide high tension—you could pack 600 lbs in your suitcase!
Bands are easy to carry on an airplane.

Let's explore some options for staying strong while you’re on the go!

A Note On Bars

Initially, I was very excited about the Serious Steel bar because it unscrews into 3 parts, so you can just pack the ends and get a bar that is roughly the same size as the X3. Turns out, you can't carry bars onto the plane; you need to check them.

X3 Bar on the left, Serious Steel on the right

The TSA prohibits blunt objects in carry-ons, and I never check my bag, so I wasn't able to bring it. You can, of course, check your bag and put any bar that fits in there.

According to the X3 website:

We recommend that you put your X3 in a checked bag to avoid any potential troubles with TSA. Many TSA agents will stop travelers trying to bring X3 in their carry-on luggage.

Bare Minimum Setup

Although there are bars, footplates, yoga blocks, grips, hooks, and anchors you can use with resistance bands, the reality is that a single band can provide quite a lot of versatility, especially with loop bands.

Because I do not check any luggage and just want to take what fits in my bag, I decided to pick two versatile bands.

Two Bands: Selection Process

For starters, I knew I would not bring bigger bands (think X3 / Serious Steel black or bigger). You really need a bar for those, and even the X3 Dark Gray / Serious Steel Green is a bit much in the hands. The bars are simply the best ergonomic tools with bigger bands.

I decided to bring a Serious Steel Blue and an Orange. I'm definitely going to be doing higher reps with these, but it's got the basics covered. I can do every exercise comfortably with my hands.

What About Footplates?

There is a spectrum of footplates; some are rather large. Keep in mind that the foot plate, although used with many exercises, is not really required with bands that have less than 80 lbs of tension, so anything up to the X3 Light Gray / Serious Steel Blue should not need a plate. If you are planning to bring larger bands, going with a smaller, lighter footplate will be advantageous for obvious reasons.

Recommend Travel Plates (If checking luggage)

Serious Steels Acacia Wood Plate (7.3 lbs - 22" x 12")
The original X3 (non-metal) or Harambe footplates (non-cyber), if you can find one

Rubber Bands App: Creating a Travel Profile

Did you know Rubber Bands supports gym profiles? This powerful feature lets you set up a custom workout profile for your equipment, including bands.

My home setup has 14 bands (A mix of 41" and 37" Serious Steel bands). For this trip, I was only going to bring two bands, so I created a travel profile.

I only have two bands, so Rubber Bands warns me that the workouts will be less effective, which is true. The human body is not the same strength for every movement, so the more bands we have, the better we can work muscles to their maximum capacity.

The band limiter tells us that we only have these two bands

With the band limiter set, we can now generate workouts that use only these two bands and no equipment.

Conclusion: Pack Light, Train Right

Resistance bands aren't just a backup plan; they're a portable powerhouse for unbreakable consistency on the road and at home. With a compact setup like the Serious Steel Blue and Orange, you can hit every major muscle group, no bar or plate required, and slip them into a carry-on without an issue.

Create a custom travel profile in the Rubber Bands app to generate tailored workouts that maximize your limited setup, even if it means embracing higher reps for that burn.

Next trip, toss in those bands, stay strong wherever you are, and return home fitter than when you left.