Best Western's Travel Blog - You Must Be Trippin'

Workout. Anywhere, Anytime.

February 1 2010 by Casey Bower

It is time to get into shape! The holidays swept into town, tempted me with treats and the good life; we hung out, had a great time, and then they left, leaving my workout routine and discipline in ruins. I'm now 15 pounds heavier and have been thrown coldly back into reality where I remember that I used to be on a mission to lose weight, not gain it.

So, now it is time to refocus and commit. I don't do gyms (can't stand the scene), and I get bored just going for a run, so I need a workout that I can do anywhere, any place, any time... and quickly. I like workouts that don't require anything but shoes (by the way, you can do all these on the road in your hotel room).

Here are three things that I am doing to shed pounds and tone muscle that are simple, fast, and can be done anywhere, anytime. These should be great all your road warriors and avid travelers, because nothing (except the holidays) screws up your routine like constant travel.

100 Push Ups - Sounds impossible huh? I saw this site and basically laughed and kept on browsing... But I couldn't get the idea out of my head, the physical challenge and the way it sounds to say "I can do 100 pushups." It sounded more like a dare (and I like dares) so I returned to the site and read on. There is an initial test, and then the site has broken the challenge down into a six week program that makes the end goal quite possible. I'm on week 4 and going strong. I like this challenge because it takes a large problem (100 pushups) and breaks it down into achievable pieces. It builds confidence, strength, and helps burn the "holiday cheer" right off my love handles.

15 Minutes a Day - Who has time for a daily full body workout anyway? No excuses now, here is a 15 minute full body burn that will produce more results than any "stale gym routine." The kicker to this is that you take every second of these 15 minutes seriously; you have to commit to pushing with all you have, no breaks, no nonsense, just sweat and tears for 15 minutes. The best part about this workout is that all you need is a clock, a wall, and a chair. It is up to you to make this workout burn.

Get your heart rate up - For the first 5 minutes your only goal is to get your heart pounding. Push yourself and keep the heart rate up.
10,20,10,20 - Now that your heart is beating, move straight into pushups and sit-ups. If you can't do 10 pushups start with modified pushups (on your knees). There is no need to rush these items, go at a controlled pace and concentrate on feeling the burn. The 2 sets of each should take you roughly 4-5 minutes. As it becomes easier for you up the numbers or change your pushups so that you lower slowly and then explode upward on each rep.
Dips and squats - For the last 5 minutes you are going to need a wall and a chair. Rotate between wall squats and chair dips. Try to do a set of 3 wall squats, holding each for 20-30 seconds. Then move straight to a set of chair dips, I like to do these until failure and then call it a day, or repeat the dips and squats once more if time allows. *Tip for the chair dips; place the chair up against the wall so that it will not slide.

Get Creative - The world is your playground, now turn it into your training ground! Look around you, what do you have nearby that you can use for a workout, two 1 gallon jugs of water? Great, grab one in each hand and do some arm raises and curls. Are you near a high-rise? Sprint 10 flights of stairs, or throw on some gloves and spider crawl down them for a killer arm workout... Point is, if you get creative you can turn just about any structure of object into your personal training device.

Do a quick YouTube search for "urban workouts," it will blow your mind, or watch one of these quick videos. This video will make sure you never see a hand rail the same again, and this "chair climb" is just simply creativity.

Quick note about these creative workouts... use your better judgment, stick to climbing jumping and working out on structures and items that will not leave you in a cast... and if you do decide to attempt a chair climb or balance on a hand rail, do so at your own risk, and don't blame me if the chair folds up on you while you're in mid climb. =)

If you're on the same mission as me to drop some pounds and gain some muscle using little less than your surroundings, drop me a comment below and let me know what's working and not working for you.

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