Packing Light and Living Large

Here is my issue. I have three weeks in Europe, and I need to pack everything I might need (except for my competition equipment) in one travel bag. It is exactly 2807 cubic inches. That's a bag 22"x 14"x 9". Known throughout the world as the maximum size for a carry-on piece of luggage.

For scale those are my size 13 Nike's in there.

What to bring? I have to be dressed appropriately for all the activities we are going to do. So how do I pack my entire wardrobe in a carry-on?

Time to introduce the 80/20 rule. Pareto's Principle. As an Italian economist, he observed 80% of all the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the total families in the 1906. Later, people confirmed this by reviewing business records.  Leading to other similar confirmations:

• 80% of profits come from 20% of customers
• 80% of complaints come from 20% of customers
• 80% of profits come from 20% of the time you spend
• 80% of sales come from 20% of products

In my case, 80% of everything I wear will be represented by 20% of everything I could bring. Attempting to be smart about this, I figure we will be spending the majority of time in cities walking, eating, sightseeing, eating, shopping and eating. The notable exceptions will be the occasional workout and the nice romantic dinners where you don't look at any prices on the menu, you just order.

The plan is simply to bring:

• 2 pairs of shoes. One for workouts and travel, the other for walking and more formal dress.
• 4 polo collared shirts. Nice enough to wear for fancy dinners and casual exploring of cities.
• 3 pairs of Khaki shorts. Good for everything but working out and fancy dinners.
• 2 workout shirts. 
• 2 workout shorts.
• 1 pair of linen pants. Light enough for city activities and dressy enough for formal attire.
• 3 pairs of socks and underwear.

Anything else can be bought or borrowed. It's a weird thought for me. For years I had to plan for any and all contingencies while working out in the weightroom or on the field while working out athletes. Now I have to only pick 16 things. It's making me sweat and my blood pressure is up.

Actually, its not all that bad. I learned an idea from Tim Ferris' book, The Four Hour Work Week a few years back and have been working it in where and when I can. During my workouts and programming for athletes, this really is evident.  Looking at a typical workout, I realized there are three main exercises with some active recovery or mobility work added in. It has been a process, and mistakes have been made along the way, but I have a good idea what the minimum effective dose is for not only exercise selection, but what actual sets and reps are for the different training cycles. Of course, some people think they need to do more, but with over fifteen years of data backing me up, the return on the investment of their time and energy does not justify the change of their performance.

In working with competitive athletes, weightlifters, and strongmen, it comes back to a few basics things. In the weightroom: get the hips right (both strong and stable), pull vertically and horizontally, press weight overhead, hammer the hamstrings, and because you are only as strong as your hands--work the grip. Nutrition is easy: eat more protein and vegetables, and drink more water. Get the basics done and you are 80% there to being strong and fast!