Going Out Of Town Without Going Out Of Shape
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Stop me if you’ve experienced this before: It’s half-way through day three of your weeklong vacation and, incredibly, you’ve already managed to exceed 10,000 calories. You’ve been making tons of progress in the gym as of late, but after a couple of days spent shoveling cheese dip, Corona, and breakfast burritos down your throat like some kind of Nathan’s hotdog eating contest, you are in serious jeopardy of losing what you worked so hard to attain.
You decide to break a little sweat in a desperate attempt to rid your body of its ghastly toxins but soon discover that the hotel fitness center is a rusty old sandpit with four sets of dumbbells and a downtrodden elliptical. Not to mention, a day pass at the local YMCA is going to cost you an arm and a leg. Obviously your normal routine is out of the question, so what now?
We’ve all been here before. Staying in shape while on the road can be extremely challenging, but with a little extra help, you can prevent the train from completely derailing.
First of all, if you want to take the week off and completely unwind, then, by all means, go for it!
Everyone deserves a little R & R, never let an unhinged weight-lifting junkie like myself shame you into anything.
HOWEVER, some of you lunatics can’t even fathom taking that many consecutive rest days without being forcibly committed to a psychiatric facility. If this sounds more like you then try implementing some of the tips below in your next hotel room workout.
Read the longer version. Reviewed by our experts to be the best, get a more in-depth perspective from these articles: Vacation Workout by Men’s Journal, Vacation Exercise by The Healthy, and The Ultimate Hotel Room Workout by Shape.
There’s no bench pressing 225 for reps at the hotel gym, so concentrate on burning off last night’s dinner more so than the hypertrophy style lifting you may be accustomed to. Trust me, your deltoids are not going to atrophy just because you didn’t hit military press for a few days. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is the vacationer’s best friend.
I always keep a small set of cheap resistance bands and a jump rope in my travel bag. It takes up less room than a pair of shoes, and can really save the day when creating an impromptu workout. With the resistance bands, I can stand on the center, holding an end in each hand, and perform bicep curls, lateral/front delt raises, overhead triceps extensions, and shrugs. I can wrap them around a sturdy bed frame or balcony post (emphasis on STURDY) and perform double-arm rows, rear delt flies, or triceps kickbacks. It requires a bit of creativity, but attaining a quality pump is absolutely possible. Use the jump rope for your cardio and you’ve got everything you need.
One of the easiest ways to maintain some semblance of caloric balance while on vacation is to skip the Uber and walk when practical. This also serves the dual purpose of allowing you to take in the local atmosphere in all of its glory.
Most likely, you won’t be able to get an hour worth of back work with the limited equipment. Instead, try more of a full-body approach, stimulating several different muscle groups in a single session.
Whether you’re skiing in the Rockies or sunbathing in the Outer Banks, your body will dehydrate exponentially quicker than it would during a day at the office. Mix in a cooler full of White Claws and Tito’s vodka, and you’ve just created a ticking time bomb faster than you can spell “hangover.” Make a concerted effort to drink double your normal water intake, and you can avoid this.
Without a full set of weights at your disposal, you’ll need to get a bit more primal with your exercises. Push-ups, jumping lunges, bodyweight/pistol squats, and bench dips require zero additional equipment and can provide you with a fun, new challenge to switch things up from your ordinary routines.
RN, BSN, CCRN
After a brief stint in the Men’s Physique competition realm, and even winning first place in his final show, John decided to use his expertise to help normal, everyday people create the body they’ve always desired. His book, “The Busy Body: Principles for Building a Great Physique without Missing out on Life” is the culmination of over a decade of honing his craft. John is currently an RN in the Cardio-Thoracic Surgery ICU at Duke Hospital.
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