To get an effective workout while traveling, you don’t need to pack a pair of dumbbells or search for a local gym. You don’t even need to leave your hotel room.
“Your best piece of equipment is yourself,” said Ani Oksayan, a personal trainer in San Marcos, Calif. Body weight workouts can build muscle, improve your endurance and help you maintain the habit of working out, making it easier to jump back into your regular routine when you return home.
Compound movements like squats, lunges and push-ups work multiple muscles and joints at the same time, and can be modified to make your workout more challenging.
If you’ve been strength training consistently for a few months, taking time away from weights won’t hinder your progress either, said Brad DeWeese, director of the Human Performance Science Program at Penn State.
You just have to be creative with how you adapt your routine, he said. Moving more slowly through the lowering phase of a movement like the squat, or adding a pause at the bottom, keeps your muscles working longer. Incorporating plyometrics, or explosive exercises — turning a lunge into a jumping lunge, for example — adds a cardiovascular challenge and helps you improve your speed and power.
You can do this no-equipment routine as often as you like while on vacation, Ms. Oksayan said. But listen to your body and take rest days as needed. “We’re not pushing iron, but it doesn’t have to be an easy workout, either,” she said.
Overview
Time: 20 to 30 minutes
Intensity: Medium
Adjust for You
Ms. Oksayan recommended doing three sets of 12 repetitions for most of the exercises below. If by the end you feel like you could keep going for another five or six repetitions, try performing the exercise at a slower pace or holding for up to three seconds at the bottom.
You can also shorten your rest time between sets. Begin by resting for 30 seconds between sets and cut time as needed.
Bulgarian Split Squat
Targets: Glutes, quads, hamstrings
Repetitions: 3 sets of 12 repetitions per side
Stand with your back to a chair, couch or low table at roughly knee height. To measure the distance your front foot should be from the chair, step two foot-lengths forward. Standing with your feet hip-width apart, bend your right knee and place the toes of your right foot on the top of the chair. With your hands on your hips or clasped in front of your chest, bend both knees at the same time into a deep lunge. Pause for a moment at the bottom, then rise back up. Complete all repetitions on one side before switching sides.
Single-Leg Deadlift
Targets: Hamstrings, glutes, lower back, core
Repetitions: 3 sets of 12 repetitions per side
Stand with your feet together and your arms by your sides. Engage your core, lift your right foot off the ground and hinge at your hips so your right leg extends straight behind you. Maintain a flat back and continue hinging until your torso is parallel to the floor. Pause, then return to standing. Complete all repetitions on one side before switching sides.
Reverse Lunge
Targets: Glutes, hamstrings, quads
Repetitions: 3 sets of 12 repetitions per side
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips. Keeping your torso upright, take a big step back with your right leg and bend both knees to 90-degree angles. Hold for a moment at the bottom of the lunge before rising back up and stepping your right foot forward to meet your left. You can do all repetitions on one side before switching, or alternate legs.
Lateral Lunge
Targets: Glutes, quads, hamstrings, core
Repetitions: 3 sets of 12 repetitions per side
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your hands clasped in front of your chest. Take a big step out to the left and bend your left knee as close to a right angle as possible, sending your hips behind you and keeping most of your weight on your left leg. Your right leg should remain straight. Hold for a moment, then press through your left leg to return to the starting position. You can do all repetitions on one side before switching, or alternate legs.
Plank
Targets: Core, shoulders, lats, triceps, chest, biceps
Repetitions: 3 sets of 30- to 60-second holds
Begin on all fours, with your hands directly under your shoulders. Engage your core and extend one leg straight back, pressing your toes into the floor, then extend the other leg back. Avoid allowing your hips to rise up or dip down. Hold this position with as little movement as possible.
If you have sensitive wrists, you can do this movement on your forearms, with your hands pointing forward. To add variety, you can switch between straight-arm, forearm and side planks throughout the 30 to 60 seconds, as long as you keep your knees elevated off the floor as you change positions.
Push-ups
Targets: Chest, shoulders, triceps, core
Repetitions: 3 sets of 10 repetitions
You can perform these from a straight-arm plank position or with your knees on the floor. Engage your core, then slowly bend your elbows out to the sides to lower your body toward the floor. Try to keep your body in a straight line, without allowing your hips to rise up or dip down. From the bottom of the push-up, drive your hands into the floor and press back up to your straight-arm plank position.
You can make this exercise easier by doing it standing up, facing a wall with your hands on the wall at shoulder height. To make this movement more challenging, place your hands on the floor and your toes on a chair or couch.
Prone Swimmers
Targets: Shoulders, back, core
Repetitions: 3 sets of 6 repetitions
Begin by lying on the floor with your forehead touching (you can place a small towel under it if needed) and your arms extended past your head, palms resting on the floor. Lift your arms just a few inches off the floor, and begin to slowly open them up to the sides. Once your hands are in line with your shoulders, flip your palms so they face up and continue moving your arms in a big circle toward your sides. Bend your elbows slightly and complete the circle by bringing your hands together above your lower back. Pause, then reverse the movement.
Alyssa Ages is a journalist in Toronto and the author of “Secrets of Giants: A Journey to Uncover the True Meaning of Strength.”
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