Developing A Hotel Room Exercise Routine
February 09, 2009 | in Fitness | 7 Comments Share
Is work travel getting in the way of your fitness routine? Here's 5 pointers from Air Force pilot Cameron Schaefer on how to stay in shape on the road.
This post has been provided by Cameron Schaefer, Air Force pilot and thoughtsmith at Schaefer's Blog—Lessons in Skilled Living, a blog with deep insight on mental toughness, perseverance and development of character.
Getting in shape is hard enough when you have a set schedule and stable environment. For people who travel frequently the task of staying in shape can become nearly impossible. The sedentary lifestyle that often accompanies long flights, drives, hotel rooms and eating out can put a damper on anyone's fitness routine if not carefully monitored. A good on-the-road exercise routine can make a world of difference, not only in maintaining good physical condition, but helping fight the draining effects of travel itself.
Over the past several months I've been traveling the world as an Air Force C-17 co-pilot. Since Sept I've logged over 300 flying hours, been on the road over 60 days and traveled to 14 countries. All of this has forced me to develop what I call my hotel exercise routine. It's not complicated, it doesn't take hours to accomplish and it has saved me from falling into a fitness slump during a very busy and erratic time in my life.
Maybe you won't be flying into Afghanistan anytime soon, but the following exercises can be helpful to any road warrior, regardless of occupation:
1) Push-Ups — no exercise spells simplicity and effectiveness like the push-up. I recognize I'm biased due to my military background, but the trend seems to be reaching the rest of the nation as well—www.hundredpushups.com. The awesome thing about the push-up is how easily it can be varied to work different muscle groups.
- Chest — Normal grip
- Back — Wide grip
- Triceps — Narrow grip
- Upper chest — put your feet up on a chair or the bed and use a normal grip
Editor's note: www.hundredpushups.com is a creation of the British Bulldog Steve Speirs—the man, the myth, the legend. Check out our interview with Steve, as well as the fancy Hundred Push Ups iPhone Application.
2) Sit-Ups/Crunches — when it comes to abs, there are more quality exercises available than time to do them, so pick a few, try them for a while and change it up every few weeks. I prefer the standard sit-up, generally using the hotel dresser to hold my feet during the exercise.
Another great ab exercise is the V-Up or Pike Crunch. To accomplish this exercise lie on your back with your arms extended above your head. Next simultaneously raise your legs and arms to meet at your waist. Your back should come off the floor slightly and you should come within a foot or so of touching your feet with your hands.
3) Shoulders — One of the best investments I made in the past year was to purchase a medium-strength resistance band. Doing so enabled me to do a ton more exercises in my room than I previously though possible—the best of which is shoulders. Placing the resistance band under both feet and grasping the band on opposite ends, I can do shoulder presses by extending my arms above my head and back down. Shoulder raises can also be accomplished in the same position by simply raising your arms in front of you and/or to the side, perpendicular to your body.
4) Squats/Lunges — Legs can be one of the harder parts of a hotel room workout since many of the popular exercise require some sort of weight or equipment. There's no doubt that legs can be worked much harder in a gym setting, but a hotel room routine is often more about maintenance rather than progression. For legs I really just have to exercises I do when on the road, squats and lunges.
For the squat I use my resistance band, placing it under my feet, grasping it on both sides close to my feet so it resists on the way up as I stand. As I said before, you can only get so much resistance using a typical band so I concentrate more on doing higher reps on this exercise. Lunges, on the other hand, require no equipment and can be done anywhere. If you want a little extra weight, wear a backpack and fill it with books until you reach the weight you want.
5) Running — One of the great joys of traveling is engaging in the culture and geography of a new place. The best way to do this is by taking a run. There's something about running that allows one a very intimate experience with his or her surroundings - taking in the sights, smells and sounds at a ground level. And of course, we run because it's good for us.
So, whenever I'm on the road, I always keep a pair of running shoes nearby. You never know when you'll have time, or the energy to hit the pavement. Running not only is good cardio, it's one of the best stress-relievers I know. Traveling frequently can take its toll on even the toughest road warrior, running takes away the edge and provides a great addition to your hotel exercise routine.
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Comments
Thanks for this wonderful piece of information information. But i have an issue with exercise, i tend to gain weight when i start a hectic regime. What am i doing wrong?
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work routines
cristinas01 | November 19, 2009
Excellent site, keep up the good work. I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say I’m glad I found your blog. Thanks,
A definite great read…
Barbara
Workout Routines | November 30, 2009
This is really a healthy tips for all. Wherever you are you can surely do these without equipemt.
Gold Coast hotels | December 02, 2009
Perfect site for all those looking for no stress exercise. Keep posting.
Brisbane hotels | December 04, 2009
Nice blog
sara
workout routine
sara | January 04, 2010
Hi Cameron, great article. When I travel I tend to do bodyweight exercises that work the whole body as effectively as possible, like push ups, squats and lunges.
I also like to throw in some more intense exercises like burpees, jump squats and variations of Planks, working the abs.
I put 5 exercises together and then work through each one with little rest. 3 rounds of that and I feel absolutely exhausted! Goes to shwo you don’t need a gym to stay fit!
Simon Dainton | January 28, 2010
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This is a great article. If there was one piece of equipment that I could have used for my ironman training while I was travelling for 10 weeks, it’s the TRX.
It has a door mount (perfect for hotel rooms), weighs 2lbs, and you can take it outside - perfect for beach workouts.
Nice work!
Cheers,
-Brandon
brandon | February 25, 2009