10 Minute Exercise Program For the Road


by Isaac Wilkins - Date: 2006-12-17 - Word Count: 652 Share This!

Staying in shape on the road can be tough, there's no denying that. Between poor facilities in hotels and unfamiliar gyms chances are you're not going to be able to do some of the exercises you're used to doing. Usually when traveling time is at a premium between vacationing and business, so it can be hard to devote your usual time to working out.

Travel itself can be exhausting. After a recent trip home for a wedding I felt like I'd been put through the ringer. The last thing I wanted to do was spend an hour in the gym! I see time and time again my clients coming back from long business trips or vacations in far worse shape than when they left. Although travel training isn't always optimal, it is possible to improve or at least maintain fitness.

The stress of traveling leaves you with two choices. One choice is to simply give up and not exercise, but that's no way to achieve your fitness goals. The other choice is the favorite of Marines and country boys (like me!) everywhere: Improvise!

My upcoming manual will deal with exactly this problem of staying in shape while on the road by giving you a crash course in exercise improvisation and outlining exercise programs to do outside the gym. This article is a sneak preview of that as well as a solid muscle stimulating and fat burning quick program.

I've often said that I could "make someone strong in a bathroom" if I had to. Well, I'm not going to put you in the john to get a workout, but this can easily be done in a hotel room.

Make sure you warm up well before starting any exercise. Jog in place, climb the stairwell, or jump rope (if you have one) for five minutes to bring your core temperature up. Follow this up with a good, quick dynamic warm-up and/or stretching routine.

All right, on to the fun!

We're going to do six simple bodyweight exercises in a circuit for a prescribed number of reps. We'll shoot for each set of each exercise to last around 30 seconds with a strict 15 second rest period between exercises. That's not much rest, but this is a short, intense workout. It might help you to have a watch with a second hand in front of you to keep your rest periods strict. If this routine is beyond your current fitness level go at your own pace and try to improve every time you do this workout.

Here's what you're going to do:

Bodyweight Squats - 20 reps
-15 second rest-
Push-ups - 20 reps
-15 second rest-
Stationary Lunges - 5 reps each leg, step out and back each time.
-15 second rest-
Straight-legged Sit-ups - 10 reps
-15 second rest-
Jog in Place With High Knees - 30 seconds
-15 second rest-
Jumping Jacks - 20 reps
-15 second rest-
Bodyweight Squats - 20 reps
-15 second rest-
Push-ups - 20 reps
-15 second rest-
Stationary Lunges - 5 reps each leg, step out and back each time.
-15 second rest-
Straight-legged Sit-ups - 10 reps
-15 second rest-
Jog in Place With High Knees - 30 seconds
-15 second rest-
Jumping Jacks - 20 reps
-Finished!-

Keep the rest periods as strict as your fitness level allows and try to get your total time to under ten minutes!

Remember that these exercises are scalable to your fitness level. For example, if you are unable to perform 20 full push-ups then do as many as you can and then do the rest on your knees. The key is to challenge yourself and try to perform better every time you do the workout. If you have a medical condition that could be a concern during exercise then you should always check with your physician before beginning an exercise program.

There you have an intense, quick workout that can be done anywhere to work the bulk of your body, get your heart rate up, and kick the vacation doldrums!


Related Tags: fitness, travel, exercise, program, training, trip, strength, cardio, circuit, build, quick, shape

Isaac Wilkins, M.Ed, CSCS, NSCA-CPT is a private performance coach and personal trainer operating online and in Charleston, SC.

Isaac enjoys working with clients of all levels and helping them achieve their athletic, fitness, and health goals.

He can be reached for further consultation at http://www.wilkinspower.com or http://www.gotstrengthblog.com

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