Many professionals today spend the majority of their time on the road or in the air. This creates a challenge to those who truly desire to be healthy and fit. Some hotels don’t have a fitness center and others who do, have limited or old equipment. It certainly doesn’t make sense to carry dumbbells in your suitcase, so I have developed a couple of workouts that can be done in the privacy of your hotel room with a very portable resistance band or no equipment at all. The next time you find yourself on the road, don’t let that be a barrier to achieving your fitness goals. No matter how important you think your job is, your body is more important. Without a healthy, strong body you cannot perform your job effectively. Try one of these quick workouts the next time you travel.BAND WORKOUT
Most bands will come with a door strap and you will need it to perform these exercises.
Do three sets of 15 reps of each exercise with no more than 45 seconds rest between sets.
1. Chest press
Door Strap: waist height
Stand with your feet hip width apart and your back to the door. Grasp each handle and hold at chest height. The band should be underneath your arms and elbows slightly behind the body. Press straight forward in front of the body, ending with your thumbs down and hands together. Don’t go too fast. Your tempo should be two seconds out, two seconds back.
2. Back Fly
Door Strap: Chest height
Stand with feet hip width apart and facing the door. Arms should be straight out in from of your shoulders holding handles in hands with palms facing each other. Bend elbows and pull arms straight back squeezing shoulder blades together. Tempo is two seconds back, two seconds forward.
3. Abdominal Crunch
Door Strap: overhead
Kneel on the ground facing away from the door. Cross arms in front of the body while holding one handle in each hand on top of the shoulders. Contract your abdominals and bend at the waist to curl the body forward and down toward the ground. Hold for two seconds and slowly return to upright position.
4. Shoulder Press
Stand on the band with your feet hip width apart holding one handle in each hand. Make sure there is even resistance on each side of the band. Press arms up overhead ending with a slight bend in the elbows and hands directly above the shoulders. Slowly lower arms and end with a 90 degree bend in the elbows and elbows shoulder height.
5. Bicep Curl
Stand with feet hip width apart. Place band under one foot and hold both handles in one hand. Plant elbow into your side and bend arm up towards the shoulder hinging from the elbow. Contract bicep and hold for two seconds then slowly straighten arm back down toward your side.
6. Tricep Extension
Door Strap: overhead
With a staggered stance, face away from the door. Hold one handel in each hand, arms bent, elbows by your ears. Straighten your arms by pressing forward but keeping your elbows by your ears. Contract tricep and hold for two seconds. Slowly bend arms back toward the door.
7. Squat
Stand on the band with feet a little wider than hip width apart. Hold one handle in each hand. Raise arms to ending position of a shoulder press, with elbows at shoulder height and arms bent to 90 degrees. Bend knees and “sit back” like you were sitting into a chair. Knees should not go over the toes and should be bent to 90 degrees. Hold for two seconds then slowly stand.
BODY WEIGHT WORKOUT
Complete three to five sets of fifteen reps of these exercises in a continuous circuit with no rest between exercises.
1. Body Weight Squat to Calf Raise (when returning to standing position from squat, just raise up on your toes and contract your calves).
2. Push up
3. Crunch
4. Jumping jacks (20)
5. Tricep chair dips
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