The 20-Minute Hotel Workout

March 13, 2019

This post was originally published on this site

Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/

If your hotel doesn’t have a gym, is your training routine doomed?

Should you just turn on HBO and get back to exercising when you’re home?

Not so fast! If you have 20 minutes, and a cozy hotel room, you can still get a great workout in!

I have a simple routine that I use when I’m stuck in a hotel room, and you can try it too!

Let’s get your heart racing and roaring, and then you can get back to complimentary cable.

Also, if you’re prioritizing working out while traveling because you don’t want to lose momentum on your fitness journey, you’ve come to the right place!

We have tons of resources for you to check out. If your hotel does have a gym, we have a Strength Training 101 guide that will show you exactly how to use it. If your diet suffers when you’re traveling, our healthy eating guide will provide tips on what to keep in your mini-fridge. And if you want more exercises to do from your hotel room, our Beginner Bodyweight Workout will walk you through another full routine you can do from anywhere.

You can grab them, and our other free guides when you join the Rebellion below!

THE HOTEL ROOM WORKOUT

Whenever I create a workout, I always aim for a complete full body routine that will build muscle, burn fat, and also exercise your heart.

And when I’m pressed for time, I do it in a circuit, so I can jump from one movement to the next.

I hit four types of exercises for my routines:

Legs – working both the front and back of your legs
Push – chest, shoulders, triceps
Pull – back, biceps, forearms
Core – abs and lower back

That means that you can work out almost every muscle in your body with just four exercises – simplicity for the win!

Always start with a warm-up (to get your core temperature up and muscles loose): 25 jumping jacks, 15 bodyweight squats, 10 push ups, 10 lunges (each leg), 10 hip raises, 25 jumping jacks. Do one exercise right after another – this should take you probably 3-4 minutes.

After that, move into your workout – set your watch/laptop for 15 minutes and then do as many full circuits as possible in that time frame, using PERFECT FORM for each repetition. I’ve split the workout into three levels – beginners should start at level 1 until they feel comfortable enough to advance to levels 2 and 3.

Do each exercise, one after another, without stopping if possible. If you need to stop between exercises or even in the middle of the set, go for it. Just remember you’re trying to complete as many circuits as possible within the 15 minutes without compromising your form. Advance to the more challenging exercises at your own pace, and if some exercises are too difficult or it’s too many reps, adjust them to fit your experience level – just make sure you are getting stronger and challenging yourself with each additional hotel stay. For example, if you can only do 5 incline push-ups…aim for six when doing the workout next time. So, here it is!

LEVEL 1

20 Body Weight Squats (you don’t need a chair like in video, that’s just if you need help)
15 Incline Push-Ups (feet on floor, hands on edge of bed or desk)
10 One-Arm Luggage Rows (each arm, use your suit case as your weight)
10 Reverse Crunches

LEVEL 2

25 Overhead Squats
20 Push-Ups
10 Inverted Rows (using the desk in your hotel room…just don’t break it!)
15 Reverse Crunches

LEVEL 3

25 Jumping Squats
20 Decline Push-Ups (feet up on bed or desk chair)
10 Inverted Rows (with feet elevated onto desk chair)
15 Reverse Crunches

After your workout (you should be sweating like crazy if you did it right), ALWAYS remember to stretch.

Here’s a cool down sequence you can try:

MORE WORKOUTS BUILT FOR HOTELS AND TRAVELLING

If you’re a road warrior and find yourself in hotels often, we have many resources here at Nerd Fitness to offer you.

If you enjoyed the Hotel Room Workout Circuit, it and others just like it can be found in our article “15 Free Circuit Training Routines: Build Strength and Stamina.”

If you like working out in unconventional places, like a hotel room, check it out! It’ll cover training in playgrounds, living rooms, or a gym (okay, that last one is 100% conventional).

Plus, there’s a circuit routine inspired by Batman.

You’re welcome.

The next resource I would toss your way is the article “How to Stay in Shape While Travelling.”

I took an epic quest of awesomeness for half a year, and while living out of a backpack, got in some of the best shape of my life. You can read all about it right here.

The last resource I will mention is our uber-popular 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. Many of our clients travel quite a bit, and having an accountability partner that is available in any part of the world has been a game changer for many Rebels.

Are you trying to learn a new exercise, lose weight, or build muscle, but find doing it on the road a challenge? I’d love for you to click below and find out if we are a good fit for each other:

WHY YOU SHOULD WORK OUT IN YOUR HOTEL ROOM

Even when I’m living out of hotel rooms, I prioritize working out.

I find that on days when I exercise, I eat better. Something activates in my brain when exercising that says “I’m trying to be healthy, so I’m going to eat healthy.” On days when I don’t exercise at all, I tend to say things like “meh, I’ll do it tomorrow” or ‘it’s only one meal” or “it’s only a few beers.”

Not good, because as we continuously remind Rebels, diet is 80-90% of fitness equation.

That’s why a workout, even if it’s for only 20 minutes, can be very critical while traveling. It really does have a way of stopping you from gorging yourself silly on pizza later.

The next time you’re in a hotel room, or any room, try our 20-Minute Hotel Room Workout. If you find even Level 3 too easy, try this one instead. I’ll warn you though, I don’t hold back on this more advanced circuit.

Alright, now I want to hear from you:

Do you spend a lot of time in hotels?

Travel a lot for work?

What are your tips and tricks for staying healthy while living in hotels?

Let us know in the comments!

-Steve

PS: I mentioned above that what you eat will be responsible for 80-90% of your fitness journey. If you have no idea where to even begin on eating healthy, like a lost sheep with no shepherd, I encourage you to check out our 10-Level Nutrition Guide.

It’s designed for beginners, with easy simple progressions, each level getting a bit more challenging and healthier. You also progress at your own speed, to make sure your dietary changes stick!