This article will help you maintain your strength during time away from home, using what you have at your disposal. It will motivate your imagination and allow a deviation from your usual routine, but it’ll grant an efficient workout if you follow these principles:

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#1 ADJUST YOUR MENTALITY

When you get into your hotel room, evaluate the surrounding atmosphere and focus on making the best use possible of the space you have available. It will be necessary to temporarily adjust your mentality so that you can actually see a gym in your room. What equipment can you see, so that you can mimic movements you do regularly at the gym? Do you have furniture to work with? Can you transform a small area so that you create an environment that “fulfills your needs”?

#2 THE WALLS ARE THE LIMIT

You can be confined to a restricted space between for walls, but don’t forget about them when you structure your workout. Walls and floor can be used to implement an effective leverage system and they can challenge even the most advanced fitness enthusiasts if the angles are right.

A good example of utilizing the space available: push-ups. This upper body movement can become extremely hard if you change the point of leverage. So, instead of placing your feet on the floor, try and place them on the windowsill. This will turn classic push-ups into incline pus-ups with a higher intensity.

Same principles apply to Lunges if you raise your back foot up against the wall or on the bed, chair or something of the sort. This way you transform classic Lunges into challenging Bulgarian Split Squats. Grab your backpack for extra resistance if you want.

#3 FOCUS ON COMBINATIONS

Focus on a large muscle group: when you travel and are limited in terms of equipment, this is the best way to ensure some good caloric expenditure. The more energy you spend, the more calories you’ll burn, which will bring added benefits if you’re having a hard time maintaining your nutritional plan.

There are many exercises you can do to take the most advantage of your body in restricted situations like this one. In all cases, we advise you maintain the same scheme of sets and reps that you usually do, or complete a cycle with all of the exercises or even setting a number that you want to hit; A good starting point can be 10-20 reps for each exercise done in a circuit, 3 to 6 times around.

Squats – These are with no doubt the best exercise for restricted situations. As long as you have room to be standing up, you can squat. Squats work your legs, glutes and core (including the lumbar region) and can be adapted according to your needs, making them more challenging. Why not squat with your backpack on you? You can simply toss it onto your back, over your head, or embraced over your chest, this way stimulating different muscle groups. We only encourage you to add equipment to add resistance if you can perfectly execute squats with bodyweight.

Deadlifts – Deadlifting is common practice for most fitness enthusiasts and can be used in a variety of programs. The fact that you are on a trip with no equipment is the big problem here. So, try out the Romanian Deadlift, with a twist. This exercise works well in a hotel room and can be adapted to different needs. There are Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts, Tempo Romanian Deadlifts or even loaded Romanian Deadlifts, where you can add “load” via using even a person, performing the reps from top to bottom! This way you’ll be using the posterior chain to resist the load coming down and work concentrically on the way up!

Rows – Nope, you don’t have to give up back training when you travel, all you need to do is be a bit creative. Some options can be Bent Over Rows with your suitcase, or any other “load” that seems fit to simulate the movement. Also, Single Arm Rows with the suitcase on its side, since they usually have the handle. Or even bodyweight, by grabbing a friend by the feet! As an alternative, Pullovers using your luggage while lying in a chair!

Push-ups – Like we mentioned in entry nr.2, Push-ups are a great exercise to train upper body and can be adapted according to your training rhythm. Changing variables like leverage potency, tempo or even resistance can turn this simple exercise into a challenging workout foundation.

There’s no reason to stress about travelling, all you need to do is let your imagination fly loose and guide you, making you analyze available options. They can seem simple and quite restrictive, but understanding how you can adapt these exercises will guarantee that you maintain your strength during your time of absence from your usual routine.

Obviously, if you have access to a gym, or even to a hotel gym, you’ll be closer to a replica of your “normal” workout routine.

Perform all of the exercises correctly with the adequate number of repetitions, ensuring a full range of motion. Despite the conditions not being ideal, your body will move in a similar way to what it’s used to, independent of where you are, so don’t let your subconscious damage your performance.

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The more you stray away from the idea that travelling impedes training, the closer you are to succeeding. Planning and guaranteeing that you’re organized is crucial to remember, don’t face it as a sacrifice.

Even if you can’t perform all o the movements you usually do, it shouldn’t enough of a reason for you to give up!