During the off-season winter months, athletes tend to travel more frequently, whether for work or for pleasure. As a coach, I like to take these off-season travelling times for my athletes to do some unstructured workouts along with some functional strength sessions. These functional strength sessions can be done in small areas, such as a hotel room. I focus on four distinct movements/areas of focus that can be done quickly and with minimal equipment. They are:
Legs (Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Calves)
Push (Chest, Triceps, Shoulders)
Pull (Back, Biceps)
Core
I use functional, multi-plane exercises that often combine two focus areas into one movement.
These can also be super helpful for busy people! Below is the formula I use to create these quick travel-sized workouts.
Start with a Warm Up
Begin by warming up your muscles. Cold muscles are less malleable than warm muscles and have a greater tendency to get injured. In a hotel, simply jog up and down the corridor and stairs, slowly raising your heart rate. You can also do a combination of jumping jacks, bodyweight squats, and push ups. It just takes 3 to 4 minutes to warm up.
Main Sets
Legs
Reverse Lunges
Holding Squats (Slowly lower, hold for 2 seconds, slowly raise to standing)
Hip Thrusts (Lay on back with a neutral spine, slowly raise glutes off floor while squeezing them together, hold for 1 second, lower to starting position)
Push
Resistance Band Chest Press (Stabilize band on door knob, slowly push hands away from you at chest level and elbows up, hold for 1 second, bring them back to starting position.)
Push up
Pull
Resistance Band Back Rows (Stabilize band on door knob, hold arms straight in front of you, slowly pull back, hold for 1 second, slowly return arms to start)
Core
Finish with a Cool Down
Finish up your quick workout with some slow movement dynamic stretches and finally some static stretches. I like to do a few Sun Salutations from my yoga routine and then finish with some basic stretches to elongate my muscles and keep them limber.
Use these examples to continue your strength workouts while on the road or when pressed for time!