Have you ever wondered what exercises to do on vacation? Have you ever felt uncertain while traveling, because you didn’t know if they would have a gym at the hotel or, if they did, what equipment they would have? If so, you’re not alone, and this blog will help. This blog provides you with two “create your own” bodyweight workouts—along with videos for each exercise– but before that, let’s discuss something important.
If you’re on vacation, then please enjoy the freaking vacation.
It’s wonderful that you want to keep up your routine and stay active while at the beach, desert, in Atlantis, etc., but vacations are meant to be enjoyable. If adding a few days of exercise is going to stress you out or cause you to miss time with your family, then it’s probably not worth it. Of course, at the end of the day that decision is up to you.
If however, you travel frequently for work or know that exercising would make your vacation even better, then have at it. So, with that preface out of the way, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of this blog.
The Workout
The following are two “create your own” bodyweight-only workouts. So, as long as your have your body with you, which I hope you do, then you’ll be good to go. Here’s the breakdown on how to read it:
- The far-left column features a letter and a number—for example, “A1”—in which the letter indicates a group of exercises performed in a circuit fashion, and the number indicates which exercise in the circuit it is.
- For example, there are 3 “A” exercises, 3 “B” exercises, 2 “C” exercises, and 1 “D” exercise on the strength workout. You would perform A1, A2, and A3 exercise in order to complete the circuit once, then repeat it 1 or two more times.
- The middle column has multiple exercise options (click any name to see the video), of which you’ll pick one for a given workout. The multitude of options gives you a ton of room for variety with your training, but ultimately you’ll want to pick the one that you can train the hardest with.
- Every exercise is given a range for the sets and the reps. This will allow you to do more or less work on that given day to fit your needs.
- For example, if you see “2-3 x 8-10,” that means 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps on that exercise.
- A “/” symbol indicates that the exercise is done on each side.
- For example, “Split Squat 2 x 8/” means 2 sets of 8 reps per leg.
- For the “D” section on the strength day you have the option of doing 3 to 5 sets of the exercise you choose, along with 3 different options for the :work/:rest ratio.
- For example, if you chose “Fake Jump Rope” for “3 x :20/:40,” you would perform the exercise for 20 seconds, rest 40 seconds, then repeat it two more times.
Strength Training Day:
(click any exercise name to see a video of it)
| Exercise Name | Sets X Reps | |
| A1 | Power:
· Snapdown |
2-3 x 3-5 2-3 x 3-5 2-3 x 3-5 |
| A2 | Core:
· Dead Bug |
2-3 x 3-5/ 2-3 x 3-5/ 2-3 x 3-5/ |
| A3 | Mobility (Shoulders or Hips):
· Lumbar Locked T-Spine Rotation (Shoulders) · Single Leg Lowering (Hips) |
2-3 x 5 breaths/ 2-3 x 5/ |
| B1 | Squat: |
3-4 x 6-10 3-4 x 6-10 3-4 x 6-10 |
| B2 | Upper Body Push:
· Eccentric Push-Up to Knee Push-Up · Push-Up |
3-4 x 6-10 3-4 x 6-10 3-4 x 6-10 |
| B3 | Core: |
3-4 x :20-:30 3-4 x 5-8 3-4 x 5-8/ |
| C1 | Lower Body Push: |
2-3 x 6-10/ 2-3 x 6-10/ 2-3 x 6-10/ |
| C2 | Upper Body Pull:
· Prone T · Prone Y |
2-3 x 6-10 2-3 x 6-10 2-3 x :20-:30 |
| D1 | Fixed-Fixed Conditioning (Pick one exercise only): | (Pick one :work/:rest interval only)
3-5 x :10/:50 OR :20:/40 OR :30/:30
|
Conditioning Day:
(click any exercise name to see a video of it)
| Exercise Name | Sets x :Work/:Rest | |
| A1 | · Skater Jump and Stick | 4 x :20/:40 |
| A2 | · Dead Bug | 4 x :20/:40 |
| A3 | · Lateral Squat | 4 x :20/:40 |
| A4 | · Eccentric Push-Up to Knee Push-Up
· Push-Up |
4 x :20/:40 |
| 2 MINUTE BREAK | ||
| B1 | · Bodyweight Squat | 3 x :30/:30 |
| B2 | · Push-Up Position Plank | 3 x :30/:30 |
| B3 | · Jumping Jacks | 3 x :30/:30 |
| B4 | · Glute Bridge | 3 x :30/:30 |
Remember, if making time for these workouts on vacation will stress you out or cause you to miss time with family and friends, then you may be better off skipping them. If, on the other hand, you travel frequently for work or training on vacation makes your vacation better, then get after it.
Training should add to our lives, not detract from it—especially on vacation.