Fitness doesn’t take a vacation. But boy, can it be hard to find a hotel gym that’s worth anything.
If you travel, you know what we’re talking about. A hotel boasts a resplendent “fitness center” and when you get there, you’re lucky if there are any dumbbells heavier than 25 pounds. And barbells? Forget about it.
We spoke to some of our favorite strength athletes from powerlifting, weightlifting, CrossFit, and strongman/strongwoman to see how they handle situations like these.
IPF Word Record Holder in the Bench Press, 63kg Class (142.5kg)
I travel with resistance bands and incorporate them with dumbbell workouts. Hopefully, you are in a hotel that has a gym with at least some dumbbells, but if not, just do these exercises to failure.
Flat bench press
Wrap a band around your back and hold the ends in your hands.
One set of 20 reps with a “light” band.
One set of 10 reps with a light band and a 10-pound dumbbell.
Three to four sets to failure with a “heavier” band. (You can add in dumbbells, but I find the band is enough)
Incline Press
To incline the bench, prop one end up on a “step up” board to roughly a 30-degree angle. Most hotels have these, but if there is no board you can stack up some weights, mats, or a dumbbell. (Be resourceful, just remember you’ll have to stabilize yourself with your feet wide on each side of the bench.) Then I do two sets to failure with 20-pound dumbbells.
Decline Press
Set up the bench the same way as the incline, but in reverse with more of a 15-20 degree angle. My decline presses are nearly the strength of my flat bench, so I use a thicker resistance band and perform two sets to failure.
For a finisher, I’ll do some pushups to failure with a band wrapped around my back.
Retired 105kg professional strongman, broadcaster for Strongman Corporation.
My training only allows for access to weights. Even my home stuff. I don’t really have a plan to train people with out them. The advice I give is to pay a day fee some place.
That said, the most difficult thing you can do with light weights would be overhead squats. It’s a great full body movement and it’s hard to keep them right.
2013 USA Weightlifting National Champion, 2011 and 2012 American Open Champion, 4-Time University National Champion
With USAW’s Find a Club feature, training while traveling is a lot easier than it used to be. But I have had athletes of mine contact me about changing their programs based on a limited hotel equipment selection. These can be a little trickier based on what is available, but I would usually program circuits looking something like:
DB Goblet Squat 4-5 x 15
DB Press 4-5 10
Weighted Sit Ups 4-5 x 15
DB Lunges or DB Pistol Squats 3-4 x 10 per side
DB Push Up to Row 3-4 x 10-20
Pull Ups 3-4 x 10-20
DB Upright Row 3 x 10-15
DB Front Raise 3 x 10-15
DB Side Raise 3 x 10-15
DB Rear Delt Raise 3 x 10-15
I can’t say this will make you super strong, but it’s a good way to get a sweat going and keep some sanity.
Everything should be AHAFA (as heavy as form allows). In the Instagram video above, I used 50-pound dumbbells since it’s they heaviest they had in the hotel. Athletes can easily just use the Dumbbells for bent-over rows if they don’t have a row machine.