Hotel Workouts Formulas

Working out on the road or in small spaces

This past week I was reminded how effective a small gym space with limited equipment can be. 

From Sunday to Wednesday, I only had access to a hotel gym. There were no squat racks or barbells. And yet, every day, I got in a great workout which set the tone for a great day.

This made me think of two scenarios we can find ourselves in: no access to a gym or disruptions (i.e work travel) that get in the way of our best laid plans for ourselves. 

However, neither of these situations should hold us back! A great workout can be had with very limited equipment, space, and time. 

These are some of the formats I follow when concocting a hotel workout. 

The Classic

• Part A: Cardio for 20-30 minutes

• Part B: Choose a focus body part or two to and pick five to 10 exercises, usually in supersets. 

If the hotel gym is crowded, I might choose less exercises but do more sets (5 - 7) of each one so that I can grab a pair of dumbbells and set myself up in a corner without having to drag stuff around too much. 

For example, I’m still feeling this workout three days later! 

Run 2 miles

Superset 

• Rear-Foot Elevated Split Squats: 5 x 8 reps per side

• Dumbbell Bench Press in Bridge: 5 x 8-10 reps

Superset 

• Goblet Squat: 3 x 10 reps

• Pushups: 3 x 10 reps

Superset

• Crunches: 3 x 30 reps

• Russian Twists: 3 x 30 reps

I saved more recent examples of these to my Instagram Story highlights. 

The Chipper

Choose five to eight movements and do 100 reps of each. 

Here’s a favorite example from earlier this year. Only one piece of equipment was needed. This is an awesome format when you don’t have much space or the gym is crowded. 

thepleasantbox

A post shared by The Pleasant Box (@thepleasantbox)

The Timed Session

On this trip, I managed to get in full hour sessions every day which was a true gift. However, sometimes you’ve got less time or maybe you don’t want to spend a full hour.

In these cases, I time box everything. 

Pick a few movements, three to six is usually good, pick a rep scheme that feels right, set a timer for the time you have and go. I wrote about designing short workouts earlier this year. 

Gyms for small spaces

What works in a hotel gym is very similar to a small home gym. 

If a full home gym is not in the cards, you can absolutely get by with very limited equipment. 

I won’t tell the story of how I made due with one 26 pound dumbbell for four months in 2020. Or maybe I just did. 

The point is limited equipment doesn’t mean a less intense or effective workout. 

My legs are still sore from dumbbell only work this week. 

If I was building a home gym from scratch in a small apartment, I would invest in dumbbells or kettlebells. The adjustable options (Bowflex, Power Blocks, RepFitness) are solid. 

If you prefer single weights, you’ll need a little more room, but it hardly takes up more space than a credenza. 

I’d also make sure I have access to some form of cardio: running outside, a Concept 2 rower, a bike. 

After that, you start getting into nice to haves: 

• A bench or box would be great but you can hack it with a chair or a couch

• A pull-up bar in the doorway, but there are lat (back) exercise you can do without pull-ups

• Bands of all sizes are super versatile, inexpensive, and hardly take up space  

From there, you can use the formats shared above to craft effective sessions in a 10 x 10 foot spot. 

I wasn’t always obsessed with fitting fitness into my life. But now that I am, I can’t imagine going without it. And it’s shockingly easy, per the above, to fit it in, no matter the constraints we face. 

🙏 Thank you for reading! 

❓If you have a question you think I might be able to help answer, please reply to this email and thank you to those who have given me inspiration already! 

👩‍⚕️ You should consult a medical professional before starting an exercise routine.