How many times have you been traveling and checked into a hotel that advertised a “fitness room,” only to find out their idea of fitness is a low-quality treadmill and a 1970s era Universal machine…or worse? I think we’ve all had the same experience at least once over the years. I developed a workout I call my “Travel Routine” to deal specifically with that situation. The workout requires no equipment and can be modified to your particular level of fitness. Unless the hotel has a superb fitness area, I actually prefer this routine to trying to make do with inferior equipment.
The routine only has three exercises, so it is easy to learn. It can also be performed in the privacy of your hotel room without anyone else around. That being said, when I travel with other fitness colleagues we will often meet in one room the first thing in the morning to perform the routine and then return to our own rooms to shower and prepare for the day’s activities. Working out soon after waking, before food has been consumed, helps your body use fat stores as energy faster than waiting until later in the day to exercise. When you wait until later, the body first has to burn up whatever carbohydrates you have in your system before it naturally taps into your fat stores as energy.
Early morning is a good time to exercise. Another reason I like that time of day is because nothing else has entered your schedule yet, so you can’t be sidetracked away from your workout. We’ve all been to conferences or conventions where we had every intention of exercising later in the day only to have an unplanned activity derail our workout plans. This way you have already completed your workout before the “official” start of your day, giving you a sense of satisfaction and better helping your body cope with any stresses that you may encounter that day.
The three exercises are: forward plyometric lunge, pushups, and “bicycles,” an abdominal exercise. I will explain proper form for each exercise. For the lunges the starting position is standing with your feet about shoulder-width apart. With your non-dominant leg (most people are right-handed, so it’s probably your left foot), step out farther that a normal step. Keep your spine upright, perpendicular to the ground. (There is a predisposition to lean forward. Don’t do that.) Also, visualize railroad tracks running forward from your shoulder-width stance. When you step forward, keep your foot on that railroad track. It will improve your balance immensely. When I begin working with a new client, they have a tendency to move their foot inward, like they are walking on a tight-rope. Tight-roping might be good for circus performers, but it makes lunges much more difficult than they need to be.
With your non-dominant foot in front of you, slightly bend the other leg so your knee approaches the ground. This will help keep your weight evenly distributed on your front foot. Otherwise, we tend to put too much weight on the ball of the forward foot, placing excess stress on that knee. To return to the starting position, push forcefully off the forward foot while exhaling at the same time. Don’t let that foot touch the ground until it has returned to the start position.
If your foot consistently touches the ground on the way back, try slightly shortening your forward stride. In time you will be able to step out farther but for now let’s stay within your current abilities. Also, this exercise makes my knees hurt slightly for the first set or two and I have no history of knee problems. After a few sets, I’m warmed-up enough that any knee pain goes away. You may find this to be the case with you as well. If you have knee problems, shortening your stride may help significantly. Also, as with starting any exercise program, consult your physician to make sure you are healthy enough to workout.
Pushups are the second exercise. Lying face down on the ground, place your hands in a position so that an invisible line running between your thumbs would go directly across your chest, with your feet facing downward at your normal height. Most people do pushups with their hands too far forward, turning the exercise into more of a shoulder exercise than one for chest. Also, make sure your hands are spaced so your forearms are parallel to each other. With your hips slightly elevated, exhale as you push yourself off the ground. Maintain a rigid stability throughout your body. Your only bodily position change should be at the elbows. Keep your body stiff. I often see people performing pushups where their body position changes constantly throughout the movement. We want your pushups performed correctly because that’s how we get the most efficient results!
For people unable to perform full-body pushups, do them from your knees. The important part to remember is to lower your hips enough to create a straight line between your upper and lower body. Otherwise, all the other fundamentals mentioned above apply to you.
The last exercise is for abdominals. Bicycles are performed lying on your back, with your feet about six inches off the ground and your hands behind your head. Bring one knee up and move the opposite elbow toward it. Your knee and elbow don’t need to touch but get them as close together as you can using your abdominals to move your upper body. Don’t force your elbow up with your arms as this places undue stress on your neck and also reduces the workload on your abdominals. The next repetition is performed with the other knee and elbow.
If this exercise is too hard or if you have a history of low-back problems, try placing your feet on the ground with your knees bent. Otherwise the fundaments remain the same. After a few months of performing them in this manner you will probably be able to perform them as described above.
My standard routine consists of 24 lunges (12 per leg), 12 pushups, and then 24 bicycles. That constitutes one set. I rest for 30 seconds to a minute and then perform another set. The beauty of performing the sets with little rest is that you also get a cardiovascular workout during this strength training session. Ten to twelve sets is a great workout and only takes about 45 minutes.
I have a few helpful tips for you. The intensity of the workout can be increased or decreased in several ways. To increase the intensity, you can perform more repetitions per set and/or rest less between sets. To decrease the intensity, do fewer repetitions per set and/or rest longer between sets. I generally have a cup or two of coffee before I perform the workout as caffeine has thermogenic fat-burning properties and it provides extra energy. I also put coins on a table and move a coin from one pile to another after every set to keep track of the number of sets performed. Counting the sets is easy at first but it does get a little difficult when you are well into your workout, feeling low on brain oxygen, and almost continually moving from set-to-set.
The next time you find yourself needing to workout but lacking equipment, give this routine a try. You’ll be glad you did!