traveling can make it difficult to maintain an exercise routine
It can be hard to stick to your normal workout routine when you're traveling, since you're usually dealing with jet lag, time changes, and unfamiliar surroundings. It's usually not possible to go for a run outdoors or get in a good workout at the hotel gym, since they are often small and have old equipment.
It's possible to work out your whole body in a hotel room while traveling, so you don't have to break your workout routine.
In this guide, we will introduce some workouts that can be done in a hotel room with limited space and time.
We will look at:
- Should You Work Out When You Travel?
- 5 Hotel Workout Ideas
Let’s get started!
Should You Work Out When You Travel?
Should you work out while traveling?
In short, the answer is that it is not necessary to work out while on vacation or traveling, but doing so can have many benefits for your physical and mental health.
thereby negating the benefits of your vacation If you want to maintain your fitness while on vacation, you should keep up with your workout routine. Otherwise, you will lose fitness and it will be difficult to get back into shape when you return home.
Some people believe that you should not exercise while on vacation, such as if you have just arrived and crossing time zones, if you are sick, or if conditions are not safe.
You should be guided by common sense and your instinct in these cases.
5 Hotel Room Workout Ideas
When traveling, you may have to do a hotel workout in your room if there are no other options. Some hotels have gyms, but the hours may be poor or the equipment may not be good. Motels, inns, bed & breakfasts, and AirBnb usually do not have fitness facilities.
Running outside can be dangerous depending on the traffic, road safety, and air quality. Some runners don’t feel safe going for runs alone in unfamiliar neighborhoods.
In such cases, a hotel workout in your room is a safer choice. Here are a few hotel room workouts for exercising when you travel:
#1: Total-Body Hotel Workout
Do 2-3 rounds of the following 10 bodyweight exercises, resting as little as possible. Each round should take 10 minutes.
- 60 seconds of push-ups
- 60 seconds of alternating forward lunges
- 60 seconds of chair/bed triceps dips
- 60 seconds burpees
- 60 seconds calf raises
- 60 seconds single-leg bridges (30 seconds per leg)
- 60 seconds jump squats
- 60 seconds plank
#2: Tabata Hotel Workout
If you don't have a lot of time or space, a Tabata hotel workout is a good option. Tabata is a type of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) that involves really intense efforts and very short rest periods in a 2:1 ratio of work to rest.
The traditional Tabata format, developed by Dr. Izumi Tabata in 1996, is eight rounds of 20 seconds of nearly maximal-intensity work followed by just 10 seconds of rest, making the entire Tabata workout just 4 minutes long.
The original Tabata protocol was designed for cycling, but can now be used for any type of exercise.
A few good exercises to do in a hotel room for a Tabata workout are jumping rope, jumping jacks, burpees, squats, push-ups, high knees, sprinting in place, or V-ups.
During each of the 8 rounds, choose one exercise to do. If you have more time, do a secondTabata with a new exercise.
#3: Resistance Band Hotel Workout
If you want to make your hotel room workouts more intense, you can pack a few resistance bands in your suitcase.
You should look for a set of resistance bands that have small loop bands as well as long tube bands with handles. The sets of resistance bands usually have different strengths or thicknesses to provide different levels of resistance.
If you want to be able to continue your strength training workouts while traveling, you can buy a travel gym set like Gorilla Bow. This is a complete resistance training system that provides up to 350 pounds of resistance.
Here’s a hotel room resistance band workout for total-body strengthening. Complete 2-3 rounds:
- 60 seconds of jumping jacks
- 20 squats and overhead presses, stepping on the band with both feet shoulder-width apart
- 20 push-ups
- 15-20 resistance band curls
- 15-20 burpees
- 60-second plank with leg extension (see instructions below)
- 20 clamshells per side, using a booty band just above the knees
- 20 resistance band split squat and row per side (see instructions below)
- 20 resistance band triceps extensions standing on the band and pulling it back overhead straight up into the air
- Shoulder clocks 10 per time (see instructions below)
- 20 single-leg bridges per side
- 20 resistance band anti-rotation pulses, attaching the band at the door knob level (see instructions below)
Anti-Rotation Pulses
- Attach a resistance band with a handle to the door. You can perform the exercise kneeling or standing, but the band should be chest height and you should be far enough away from the anchor point that there’s a good amount of tension on the band.
- Position yourself so that your body is angled 90 degrees from the band. In other words, the anchor point is to your right or left side. Hold the handle of the band with your arms fully extended out in front of you. There should be significant tension on the band.
- Brace your core and contract your glutes, while pulsing the band side to side. For example, if the band is anchored to your left, pulse the band with extended arms to the right about 4 inches per pulse.
- Pulse 50 times and then switch sides.
Plank With Leg Extension
- Get in a forearm plank position with a loop resistance band around your ankles.
- While bracing your core and maintaining proper form, lift your right leg straight up as high as you can without bending your knee.
- Return to the starting position with control.
- Complete 15 slow reps, and then switch sides.
Split Squat and Row
- Secure a strong resistance band in a door or on a stationary object at chest height. It’s best to use a resistance band with a handle and double it so that you’re holding both ends and the middle is secured.
- Hold the resistance band handle or handles (if doubled) in your right hand. There should be a fair amount of tension on the band.
- Step your left leg forward and drop into a split squat, bending both knees to 90 degrees, while simultaneously pulling back on the resistance band to complete an upright row (pull your extended arm back towards your body by bending your elbow, retracting your scapula, and pulling backward). Keep your core tight, chest up, and back straight.
- Keep your feet staggered in the split squat position, but press through your feet to stand upright again while extending your arm forward to the starting position.
- Continue dropping into your split squat with every row.
- Complete 15 reps, and then switch sides.
Shoulder Clocks
- Get into a push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and a loop resistance band around your wrists. There should be a fair amount of tension on the band in this starting position.
- While keeping your body in a straight line from your head to your heels (keep your hips down and in line with your body), step your right hand as far out to the side (3:00 position on a clock) as possible and then back in again.
- Complete 10 reps to 3:00, as well as 10 to 1:00, 2:00, 4:00, and 5:00.
- Switch and step your left hand out to 9:00 for reps.
- Follow up with 11:00, 10:00, 8:00, and 7:00.
#4: Cardio Hotel Workout
This workout is a simple circuit of calisthenics that will take 20 minutes. It's a great way to get a sweat going when you can't get out for a run.
Then complete three sets of the following cardio exercises:
- 60 seconds of high knees sprinting in place
- 60 seconds of jumping jacks
- 60 seconds of side to side hops over a line
- 60 seconds of mountain climbers
- 60 seconds of burpees
- 60 seconds of fast feet (squatting down, legs wide, alternating weight-bearing legs as fast as you can)
#5: Core Hotel Workout
Do this 10-minute core routine in your hotel room, with no equipment necessary. You can do 2-3 sets if you’re feeling ambitious.
- 60 seconds high plank with shoulder taps
- 60 seconds forearm plank
- 60 seconds dead bug
- 60 seconds bird dog
- 60 seconds right side plank
- 60 seconds left side plank
- 60 seconds Russian twist
- 60 seconds bicycle crunches
- 60 seconds V-ups
- 60 seconds up-down plank
The next time you're travelling and find yourself at a hotel with a gym, pick one of these workouts to try out and let us know how it goes!
Here are some strength training exercises to try if you have gym access.