Traveling? Keep Your Momentum Going with This Hotel Room Workout

Stick with your routine and maintain fitness no matter where your travels take you.

May 18, 2023

Vacations are an opportunity to step outside your normal routine. While you probably won’t miss the daily grind of commuting or household chores, there might be one part of your routine that you won’t want to leave behind: your workouts.

Fortunately, there are several ways to keep up your fitness habit while you’re away. First, if you haven’t booked a hotel room yet, check Tonal’s hotel finder to find a spot at your destination that has a Tonal, either in the fitness center or individual guest rooms. Tonal partners with hotels across the country so you can jump right back into your current program or favorite workout while you’re away.

Another strategy is to toss a resistance band in your bag. It won’t take up much space in your suitcase, but it’ll give you a lot more exercise options. “One resistance band can go a long way in providing some external resistance,” says Jenna Moore, a certified strength and conditioning coach and Programming Specialist at Tonal. Loop a resistance band around your ankles to make any glute exercise more intense, or wrap it through a door handle to do rows and chest presses.

But don’t panic if you didn’t pack any equipment at all. It’s possible to do an effective hotel room workout using just your body weight, according to Moore.

“With the right mindset, you can get a great workout absolutely anywhere,” she says. “It all depends on what you have available to you and your creativity.”

Specifically, you’ll want to get creative with what you have available. If you’re staying in a hotel, you’ll probably at least have a bed and chair, either of which can easily take the place of a bench in most bench-based exercises. Between bodyweight Bulgarian split squats, incline (or foot-elevated) pushups, elevated glute bridges, and triceps dips, you can essentially put together a full-body strength workout.

Even if you don’t typically do yoga, your vacation might be a good time to give it a try, as most moves require no equipment. Moore stresses that yoga isn’t just breathing and relaxing. A quick-paced flow can be challenging and incredibly effective. “The sheer fact of holding your own body weight up for long periods of time can really strengthen your whole body,” she says. Download the Tonal mobile app for sweaty yoga sessions including Fire Yoga and Light in Intensity. Grab a towel from the bathroom to use as a stretching strap in different poses.

Full-Body Hotel Room Workout

Here’s a quick circuit Moore recommends for doing in a hotel room without any extra equipment. It’s an easy way to get in a full-body workout, plus a little cardio burst, without taking precious time out of your vacation. Run through these moves 1-4 times (more if you’re more experienced or have extra time, fewer if you’re a beginner or in a rush).

Bodyweight Squats: 15 reps

Why it Works: “Bodyweight squats are never going to fail you,” says Moore. This essential move strengthens your glutes and legs. To make it more challenging, add a pulse at the lowest point in your squat, or grab a heavy bag or other object and hold it close to your chest throughout the move.

How to Do it: Keeping your chest open, reach your hips back like you’re sitting into a chair. Press the floor away from you and squeeze your glutes to power the hips forward and stand tall.

Incline Pushups: 10 reps

Why it Works: Pushups are another of Moore’s favorite bodyweight exercises. Paired with the bodyweight squat, these two moves hit most of the major muscle groups in your upper and lower body. The incline variation makes this exercise less taxing on the chest and shoulders, but feel free to do the move on the floor (or with your feet elevated) if you’re more advanced.

How to Do it: Place your hands at the edge of a chair or bed slightly wider than the shoulders, with legs extended behind you on the floor. Bend the elbows about 45 degrees from your body as you aim your chest to your fingertips. Once your chest is just above the surface, press through your hands to push back up.

Jumping Jacks: 30 seconds

Why it Works: Mix in a little plyometrics with this full-body cardio move that’ll get your heart pumping. If you’re not jumping because of joint pain (or maybe you don’t want to disturb the guests below you), simply hold a low squat and tap your toes from side to side.“It’s a common misconception that you’ve got to be jumping really high, running really fast, or lifting really heavy to get your heart rate up, but that’s not true,” says Moore. “You can certainly take the impact down and still drive the intensity up.”

How to Do it: Begin by standing up straight with your arms by your sides. Jump up and snap your feet beyond hip-width apart while bringing your arms above your head, hands nearly touching. Jump again returning to the starting position and repeat.

Suitcase Squat: 8 reps per side

Why it Works: It may technically count as equipment, but since you probably have your suitcase, tote bag, or something heavy to lift in your hotel room, take advantage of the extra resistance. This unilateral move challenges your legs and glutes while also forcing your core to remain stable as you resist leaning into the weight.

How to Do it: Holding your suitcase (or any heavy object) in one hand, reach your hips back like your sitting into a chair. Press the floor away from you and squeeze your glutes to power your hips forward and stand tall. Resist bending to one side as you lower down and stand up.

Triceps Dips: 15 reps

Why it Works: Isolate your triceps and feel the burn using only your body weight with this move. Since strong triceps are essential for lifting heavy in the bench press, you’ll be glad you did this move on your next chest day when you’re back home.

How to Do it: Sit on a bed or chair with your hands at your sides, palms down, and fingertips facing forward. Press down on the surface with your palms to lift yourself up, keeping your legs extended with your heels on the ground. Lower yourself down until your elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle. Push down with your hands and lift yourself back up until your arms are straight.

Mountain Climbers: 30 seconds

Why it Works: This cardio move will drive up your heart rate while also working your core.

How to Do it: Start in a hand plank position. Drive one knee forward with power like you’re sprinting up a hill, keeping the other leg planted on the floor. As you drive the moving leg back, power the opposite knee forward to the chest. Repeat quickly, alternating sides.

Hotel Room Workouts on Tonal

With the Tonal mobile app, you can do on-the-go workouts from anywhere without any equipment. Next time you’re stuck in a hotel room far from your Tonal, try one of these sweat sessions that are perfect for small spaces.

Quick Fit: Crush the Core – Coach Ackeem Emmons

You won’t need any equipment to challenge your deep core muscles in this workout. You’ll be feeling the burn as you work through two circuits of moves targeting your obliques, rectus abdominis, and transverse abdominis.

Killer Cardio Countdown – Coach Kendall “Woody” Wood

Start your vacation day with a jolt of energy from this high-intensity cardio session. You’ll begin with a quick warmup and then run through a 10-minute circuit of five exercises, trying to complete as many rounds as you can. You’ll spike your heart rate, break a sweat, and feel accomplished even if you spend the rest of the day lounging by the pool.

Full-Body Recharge – Coach Joe Rodonis

Spending hours sitting in a car or plane on the way to your destination can leave your muscles stiff and sore. This mobility session will unlock tight hips and shoulders while bringing mobility to your spine. You’ll flow through the moves, boosting your circulation, and prepping you for an active trip.

No-Jump Cardio – Coach Ash Wilking

This low-impact workout is a good option if you don’t want to wake up your travel companions or guests on the floor below with lots of jumping. You’ll boost your endurance and break a sweat while going easy on your joints.

Blazing Bootcamp: Bodyweight Heat – Coach Frances Flores