Hotel Workouts

Let’s be frank for a minute. When you’re home you have more excuses to not workout then when you’re on the road. So when you’re on the road, hotel’n it up, it should actually be easier to get in some quality exercise and food. Keep reading to find some useful tips that I learned during my stint in the minor leagues (as a strength coach).

The hotel gym is rarely crowded, especially if you get up and at ’em before 6am. So, just beat the rush, if there’s a rush at all, so you can have your own private gym for 30 minutes or so. In my experiences, most hotel gyms are at least equipped with a dumbbell set to 50lbs, a dual cable machine, a pull-up bar, an adjustable bench, some treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes. With a little plan of attack and a knowledge of few basic movements, you can get some great workouts while in the gym.

Here’s a few of my favorite hotel gym workouts:

• 100 Burpees
  • Whether you like them or not, with good technique, this quick and dirty workout never fails. Time yourself when you do it. If you’re out of shape, it may take you 15 minutes to crank ’em out; however, as you repeat this workout, over time, you’ll be able to shave minutes off that time. I wouldn’t recommend doing this workout more than once per week if you do it at all.
• RDL + Row & Chest Press Ladder
  • All you need for this one is a pair of dumbbells and a flat bench.
  • Many people struggle with proper RDL form, so remember to keep your knees slightly bent and fixed, driving your butt back while keeping your chest proud and back flat. At the bottom of the RDL, where you feel your hamstrings get tighter than fiddle strings, stay tight and row both dumbbells with a neutral grip and pinch those shoulder blades together.
  • As soon as you’re done with the RDL + Rows, sit down on the bench and crank out your dumbbell chest presses.
  • After each rung on the ladder, perform a constant exercise (one that doesn’t change) like a trunk movement or total body movement.
  • An example would look like this:
    • Ascending Ladder 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10:
      • Dumbbell RDL + Row
      • Dumbbell Chest Press
      • Constant: 10 Sit-Ups
    • You could also perform a descending ladder down from 10 or my personal favorite is an ascending ladder up and then back down. I like to ascend first as it gives you an extra specific warm-up sets before the volume starts to get high.
• Treadmill Sprints
  • These can make up your entire workout, or can be used as the first part of your workout or after your strength training. This can begin with as little as 10 seconds bursts every minute for as long as you can give a good effort in your sprint. Here’s a basic progression you could use:
    • Week 1: 10s Sprint, 50s Walk x 8 reps
    • Week 2: 10s Sprint, 50s Walk x 10 reps
    • Week 3: 15s Sprint, 45s Walk x 8 reps
    • Week 4: 15s Sprint, 45s Walk x 10 reps
    • You get the idea, keep inching the duration OR reps, but not both simultaneously.
• RFESS (Rear-Foot-Elevated-Split-Squat) and Pull-ups
  • Once again, grab a set of dumbbells, grab that flat bench, and make sure the pull-up bar is free. If you don’t have a pull-up bar, doing 1-arm rows will suffice.
  • This could also be done in a similar ladder fashion as above. Have fun with those, I love em!

As for nutrition, you can either:

A) Be the guy or gal that eats out for all their meals because it’s on the companies dime, and in that case, you just have to make healthy choices. Heck, even McDonald’s has healthier options nowadays, so there’s really no excuse to go belly-up at the bar and eat a huge burger with super sized fries. 

B) You know your hotel room has at least a mini-fridge in there, so you do a quick google search and find a local grocery store. “Yeah but I like Trader Joe’s!” Get over yourself, a Wal-Mart will do just fine. Grab some quick protein options (tuna in bags, cottage cheese, greek yogurt), a bag of raw mixed veggies, some of your favorite fruit (apples keep well, so I like those), maybe some mixed nuts, and a case of waters. This is so simple. You can do this!

C) A combination of A & B and you also bring your own supplements. In my personal opinion, supplements are game changers for busy traveling folks. Having convenient calorie controlled protein shakes and quality vitamin/mineral nutritional drinks can really save you money and make planning to be healthy even simpler.

“Yeah, but I have to take people out for dinner and entertain them. I need to eat like they eat and drink like they drink.”

What are you still in middle school?

Grow up. You’re better than that.