In my last post, I mentioned how a deck of cards can provide a useful workout when staying in a hotel. It’s rare that I travel anywhere without cards. Card workouts aren’t your only option though. As you’ll see below, there’s plenty that can be done in a small hotel room. You don’t need a lot of space or any fancy equipment to perform an efficient, yet challenging session. Below, you’ll see one recent hotel workout of mine, and then I’ll share a takeaway lesson that extends far beyond any hotel room.
Hotel Workout Demonstration
First, here’s a quick demo of a hotel workout that I performed last month in New York City. I was away preparing Katie Taylor for her world title fight at Madison Square Garden. Fight week is always hectic, so I opt for short workouts in my room to make the most of my time.
On this day, I worked through a handful of exercises utilizing bodyweight, an ab wheel
Keep it Simple
When I’m on the road, I don’t pay attention to sets and reps. Instead, I allocate a block of time (ex. 30 minutes) and strive to fit as much into the session as possible. I push myself hard with each set and rest as needed. Nothing is tracked. I never know how many sets or reps I’ve completed. Therefore, I suppose you could describe the workout as random.
It’s not senseless however, as I try to include some push, pull, lower body, and core. It doesn’t always work out that way though depending on time. If I’m quite busy, I might just perform a few sets of squats and pushups. As I’ve said before, something beats nothing.
Take Home Lesson
Despite the random and somewhat unpredictable nature of these workouts, one constant that always exists is effort. Regardless of what I do, I push myself to do the best that I can. I’m not just going through the motions so I can check that I trained from my To-Do List. Whether it’s 10, 20, or 30 minutes, I’m doing everything that I can to make the most of my time.
When I push myself to do the best that I can, good things tend to happen. I don’t need to be following a specific program or protocol. The specifics matter less than the intent behind the work. And that alone is a lesson that more people need to hear.
Final Thoughts
In summary, despite what the fitness industry would like you to believe, complex programming is not necessary. You can do well with almost anything if you are committed and consistent. I certainly didn’t regress while away for a week just because I wasn’t following any specific plan. In fact, it’s been almost 15 years since I followed a structured plan. That doesn’t mean I’ve thrown logic out the window. On the contrary, it is more a testament to the potential of common sense coupled with knowledge gained through experience. As the years pass, you tend to figure out what works for you and it’s not something that needs to be written down or followed precisely.
Show up regularly, work hard, strive to be your best, and you’ll do well with almost anything. It isn’t rocket science.
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“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.” – Jim Rohn
Great post! I travel a lot for work and am always looking for different ways keep in shape. I really like the idea of not worrying about sets and reps, just tackle a hard 30 minute session without keeping track. Something is definitely better than nothing.
Quick question. I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about cbd and how athletes are even implementing into workouts and recovery. There’s a solid article about it here: https://www.healthyfitholistic.com/cbd-for-athletes/.
I was just curious if you or someone you know has looked into it?
Ross, thanks for all the great info and advice. What’s your mindset when you wake up? I know you typically tackle your main workouts in the AM from what I remember.
I’ve never been a “morning person” but I see the benefit of getting in a good training session first thing.
It’s funny because I just came from a separate blog, talking about home workouts – which is essentially the same as hotel workouts. I have a buddy who moves around a lot too and we trained together for years and when I ask him if he stills trains (because we communicate still on the phone) he always says he’s too busy – then I remind him of workouts like these lol
Congratulations on working with Katie. I’m from the same country as her and she has made us all proud of her achievements in boxing. She’s come along way! Herself & Conor Mcgregor are the most talked-about athletes in Ireland with regards to combat sports.
Keep up the great bud!
I follow your blog already more then 8 years now and still got so much inspiration and motivation from you posts!
Thx and keep up Ross!
As usual Ross, right on the money. The desire and the will to work always trump equipment, programs and training gurus. Wherever your body is you have a gym, any time available, even 10 minutes can result in improvement and progress. Once past a certain point in one’s training experience, intuition and creativity can manifest in some terrific workouts.When people tell me they have no time i ask them to do 20 push ups, 20 sit ups and 20 squats, then continue in that fashion for 10 minutes. Nexttime try to do more of each in the same time period. If someone starts there other possibilities open up and a habit has been created.Congrats on the big wins.
Peter.
Such an outstanding article, Ross!
Another proof that if you want it – you can do it. No matter what.
Thanks!
Great one.
I liked it very much. which is all about how to be ready and self motive tough you are out of town or holiday.