Today’s article is dedicated to those of you who travel a lot and prefer indoor workouts but don’t always have access to a gym or swimming pool.

2 aspects to consider when exercising in a hotel room

A hotel room workout can be just as effective as a gym session if you pick the right exercises and target all the major muscle groups. However, there are a couple of things to take into consideration when planning your workout session, such as:

1. The neighbours

It may be more fun to listen to your favourite tracks while exercising, but if you’re staying in a hotel and you’re not the only guest, it’s better to keep the volume at a minimum, and to make sure your movements aren’t too noisy. Avoid jumping jacks, jump squats and other such exercises if you do your workout in the hotel’s room, and make sure you respect other people’s rest hours.

2. The hotel’s profile and policy

If you’re staying in a 5-star hotel, it surely has a gym, so do take advantage of this but make sure to read the guidelines regarding the workout attire, the utilization of the fitness machines and length of workouts. Although rarely, some hotels restrict the workouts to a number of hours per day, or allow one to use certain machines – like treadmills or vibration machines for example – for a certain amount of time, to protect the equipment.

On the other hand, if you’re staying in a hotel with a special profile or design, such as a very old hotel or one that has very expensive and fragile decorations, and want to work out in your room, it’s good to ask if they have any restriction. And don’t forget to book a room that can offer you enough privacy for such activities; one with glass walls isn’t the best choice for sure.

25-minute full-body workout

Keep your routine short and simple and start with a warm-up to prevent injuries. Avoid jumping exercises but opt for stretching movements, or for jogging in place for 1 minute, followed by 10 squats and 10 push-ups. The warm-up routine shouldn’t take more than 2-3 minutes, as its purpose is to prepare your muscles and joints, not to work them.

As for exercises, opt for compound movements that engage more muscles at a time. Perform the movements for 1 minute each and avoid taking breaks. Maintain a fast pace to fatigue your muscles faster and to work your heart as well. 

Here are some recommended exercises:

  • For the upper body and core area: push-ups, triceps dips, planks, superman, side planks, crunches, reverse crunches, sit-ups, core twists, V-sits, mountain climbers, bicycle crunches – total time, 11 minutes
  • Active recovery: jog in place for 1 minute
  • For the lower body: front lunges, squats, lateral lunges, glutes bridges, calf raises, lying leg lifts, side leg lifts, glute  kickbacks – total time, 8 minutes
  • Cool down: stretch for 2 minutes
25-minute Hotel Room Workout (1)

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