Pack these travel-ready workouts on your next journey.

Written by Merrick Lincoln Last updated on December 6, 2022

Travel is inevitably related to a departure from normal routine, but regular resistance exercise is one habit you don’t want to depart behind. 

Resistance training helps to keep up and improve physical health, appearance, and strength. Strong evidence even links resistance training to reduced risk of death from all causes. (1) Beyond these obvious advantages, resistance training is emerging as a possible intervention to support mental health. (2)(3)

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For the sake of your body, lifespan, and mind, resistance training have to be completed during travel. Since hitting the weights will be difficult once you’re on the road, listed below are three travel-ready workouts on your next expedition.

World-Class Travel Workouts 

Body weight-Only Traveler’s Workout

Staying in a hotel or short-term rental with no fitness facility? Fortunately, body weight training is a viable choice to hit nearly all major muscle groups.

No Weights, All of the Gains

This quick and efficient body weight workout will be performed within the comfort of your hotel room or short-term rental bedroom. Classic exercises just like the push-up are combined with difficult moves that train body parts you would possibly not have known were possible using body weight. Since strength levels and body weights vary, a big selection of repetitions are suggested for this workout. Shoot for a repetition goal that ends in a difficult set. 

Push-Up

• The best way to Do it: Lie on the ground together with your palms under or simply outside of your shoulders and your toes dug in to the ground. While maintaining a ridged plank (straight line through your torso and legs), push through your palms until your elbows are straight. Lower with control.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 5-20
• Rest time: Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Pike Push-Up

• The best way to Do it: Begin in a high plank or push-up position supported on palms and toes with straight arms and straight legs. Ward off into the “pike” position by shifting your hips back and keeping your back straight, inverting your head downward. Perform a push-up by lowering your brow toward the ground then pushing back to the v-shaped pike position. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 5-15
• Rest time: Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat

• The best way to Do it:  Arrange for the Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat, also often known as Bulgarian Split Squat, by sitting on the sting of the bed and straightening your working leg in front of you, together with your heel on the ground. Maintain this foot placement as you stand, and place your non-working foot behind you on the bed. Lower your body toward the ground with control, then return to standing. Keep most of your weight through your front foot, not on the rear support foot.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 10-20 per leg.
• Rest time: No rest between legs. Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Elevated Single-Leg Bridge

• The best way to Do it: Lie in your back perpendicular to the bed together with your knees bent roughly 90 degrees. Place your working side heel atop the bed, while maintaining the opposite leg unsupported. Bridge your hips up by driving your heel into the bed and lengthening your hip. Lower with control. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x5-15 per leg.
• Rest time: No rest between legs. Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Side Plank

• The best way to Do it: Lie in your side together with your support arm on the ground directly under your shoulder. Straighten your support arm and reach your top arm to the ceiling. For balance, widen your base by placing the heel of your top leg far in front of the toes of your bottom leg. Imagine a straight line running through your nose, chin, sternum, and zipper. Don’t let your hips drop toward the bottom. Hold this position for time before switching sides.
• Sets and Hold Duration: 3 x 20-30 seconds per side.
• Rest time: No rest between sides. Rest 60 seconds between sets. 

Travel Workout with a Resistance Band

Together with a toothbrush, deodorant, and clothing, a resistance band belongs in your list of “travel essentials.” One easy resistance band permits you to train and add resistance to movement patterns that may otherwise be inconceivable without access to a gym. Better of all, a resistance band is light, easy to pack, and cheap.

Have Band, Will Travel (and Train)

This workout will be accomplished with a single loop-style resistance band (41-inch / roughly one meter) of moderate thickness. Select a band between 0.5 and 1.5 inches (1.27 to three.81 centimeters) thick, depending in your strength. 

Band Pull-Apart

• The best way to Do it: Stand with the resistance band loop around your torso. Hold a brief length of band in front of your shoulders with outstretched arms, palms down. Stretch the band by pulling your arms apart and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Return to the starting position.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 10-20
• Rest time: Rest 90 to 120 seconds between sets. 

Band Push-Up

• The best way to Do it: Wrap the band around your mid-back, below your shoulder blades. Pin the ends of the band under your palms and start the exercise in the highest push-up position — supported in your palms and toes together with your elbows straight. Lower your body toward the ground, then return to the highest position. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 5-12 
• Rest time: Rest 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

Band Split Squat

• The best way to Do it: With the band looped across the base of your neck or across your upper back, securely anchor the opposite end under one foot. For safety, hold the band with each hands in the course of the exercise. Take a big step back with the leg that isn’t atop the band. While keeping most of your weight over your front foot, lower your body toward the ground by bending your hip, knee, and ankle. Drive back to the highest position. Perform all reps with this foot position before rigorously switching legs.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 10-20 per leg.
• Rest time: No rest between legs. Rest 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

Band Row

• The best way to Do it: Place one foot securely on the middle of your band. Hold the ends of the band with a neutral grip (palms facing one another) and perform a modified bent-over row by drawing your upper arms and shoulder blades back. Return to the starting position.
• Sets and Reps: 3×10-20 
• Rest time: Rest 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

Band Half-Kneeling Single-Arm Overhead Press

• The best way to Do it: Hold the band with one hand just above shoulder-height and anchor the opposite end of the band securely under the same-side knee. Place your opposite foot flat on the ground in front of you. Perform the press by stretching the band toward the ceiling until your elbow is straight but not fully locked out. Return to the starting position.
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 10-20 per arm.
• Rest time: No rest between arms. Rest 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

Band Good Morning

• The best way to Do it: With the band looped across the base of your neck or across your upper back, securely anchor the opposite end under each feet. For safety, hold the band with each hands in the course of the exercise. Perform the nice morning by hinging forward on the hips while keeping your back straight and your legs barely bent. Return to the standing positioning. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 10-20. 
• Rest time: Rest 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

Band Hammer Curl

• The best way to Do it: Stand with each feet securely on a brief length of the band. Grasp the opposite end of the band together with your arms at your sides and your palms facing inward. Perform a hammer curl by bending your elbows as you stretch the band. Return to the starting position. 
• Sets and Reps: 3 x 10-20 
• Rest time: Rest 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

Workout for the Hotel Gym

The standard hotel gym or “fitness center” is minimalist, to say the least. For those who’re lucky, you would possibly find a number of treadmills or stationary bikes, a set of dumbbells as much as 40 or 50 kilos, an adjustable bench, and, potentially, a random assortment of strength machines. Nonetheless, even a straightforward hotel setup is nothing to scoff at. It will probably provide the tools for a high-quality, full-body resistance training workout.

Get Your Money’s Value

This workout focuses on constructing muscle, also often known as hypertrophy. A variety of 8 to 12 repetitions is the standard advice for muscle growth. (4) For strong lifters, a hotel gym may not offer adequate weight to realize difficult sets on this repetition range. To treatment this predicament, the hotel workout uses advanced exercise variations, mechanical drop sets, and intensification techniques to make sure a stimulating level of effort is achieved. 

Heels-Elevated Dumbbell Front Squat

• The best way to Do it: Elevate your heels one to 3 inches (roughly 2.5 to 7.5 centimeters) by placing them on the frame of an incline bench. Alternatively, weight plates or squat wedges will be placed under your heels. Hold the dumbbells atop your shoulders. Keep your torso upright as you squat deeply and drive your knees forward to bias the quadriceps. (5) Return to a standing position.
• Sets and Reps: 4 x 8-12
• Rest time: Rest 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

Bench-Supported Dumbbell Row with Alternating Isometric

• The best way to Do it: Set an adjustable bench to 45-degrees and lie face down holding two dumbbells. Row each dumbbells to the highest position by pulling your arms and shoulder blades back. Hold the dumbbell on the left side in the highest position as you lower the dumbbell on the appropriate side and row it back up. Next, hold the appropriate dumbbell in the highest position as you lower and lift the left dumbbell. Alternate sides with each repetition.
• Sets and Reps: 4 x 8-12 per arm.
• Rest time: Rest 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

Single-Leg Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

• The best way to Do it: Hold two dumbbells at your sides and punctiliously lift one leg into the air behind you. Maintaining a slight bend in your standing leg, fold forward at your hips until you are feeling a profound stretching sensation within the hamstrings of your working leg. Return to standing. Perform all reps with one leg before switching sides.
• Sets and Reps: 4 x 8-12 per leg.
• Rest time: No rest between legs. Rest 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

Seated, Incline, and Flat Dumbbell Press Drop Set

• The best way to Do it: This can be a mechanical drop set — It uses the the identical set of dumbbells and progresses from essentially the most difficult exercise to the least difficult exercise with littler to no rest between each movement. Improved leverage (and mechanical advantage) will allow your muscles to proceed after initial fatigue. Set an adjustable bench to a totally upright position. Perform a set of seated overhead presses by pushing the dumbbells from jaw-height to lockout overhead. When your muscles fatigue, adjust the bench to 45-degrees and perform a set of incline dumbbell presses, pushing the dumbbells out of your upper chest to overhead. After reaching muscular fatigue again, finally adjust the bench to flat. Perform classic flat dumbbell bench press by pushing the dumbbells out of your chest toward the ceiling. 
• Sets and Reps: 4 x 8-12 for every movement (you might get fewer reps on the latter two exercises resulting from cumulative fatigue).
• Rest time: Rest only long enough to regulate the bench for every movement. Rest 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

Incline Dumbbell Triceps Extension

• The best way to Do it: Perform two arm exercises back-to-back without rest as a superset. Set the bench to a 45-degree angle and perform the incline dumbbell triceps extension — Hold the dumbbells alongside your head together with your elbows pointed toward the ceiling. Straighten your elbows to lift the dumbbells, then control them back to the starting position.
• Sets and Reps: 4 x 8-12
• Rest time: No rest before moving to the following exercise. Rest 90 to 120 seconds between sets.

Incline Dumbbell Curl

• The best way to Do it: Stay on the bench and start the incline dumbbell curl together with your arms hanging at your sides and your palms forward. Curl the dumbbells without allowing your upper arms to swing, then control them back to the starting position.
• Sets and Reps: 4 x 8-12
• Rest time: Rest 90 to 120 seconds before returning to the previous exercise.

Resistance Training on the Road

Travel will be hard on the body. Changing time zones and compelled sedentary behavior in a automobile, plane, or train threaten to disrupt our normal rhythms and routines. Fortunately, dedicated resistance exercise will be restorative. It maintains training consistency and enables ongoing realization of resistance training advantages. Whether you check into the hotel gym, use a resistance band, or just show up for body weight workouts, you should definitely pack resistance training on your next trip. 

References

1. Shailendra, P., et al. (2022). Resistance training and mortality risk: A scientific review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 63(2), 277-285.
2. Carneiro, L., et al. (2020). The results of exclusively resistance training-based supervised programs in individuals with depression: A scientific review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(18), 6715.
3. O’Connor, P. J., Herring, M. P., & Caravalho, A. (2010). Mental health advantages of strength training in adults. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 4(5), 377-396.
4. Schoenfeld, B., et al. (2021). Resistance training recommendations to maximise muscle hypertrophy in an athletic population: Position stand of the IUSCA. International Journal of Strength and Conditioning, 1(1), 1-30
5. Fry, A. C., Smith, J. C., & Schilling, B. K. (2003). Effect of knee position on hip and knee torques in the course of the barbell squat. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 17(4), 629-633.

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