The Perfect Travel Week Workout Plan

It would be great if your life revolved around your workout schedule, but this is rarely true. And no matter how well you prioritize your fitness routine, traveling can easily throw you off your game. Fortunately, with some careful planning, you can keep the momentum going even while you’re on the road.

Whether it’s for business or pleasure, a trip doesn’t have to disrupt your consistency. After all, consistency is the number 1 thing that gets you closer to achieving your fitness goals. We’ve compiled a full week’s worth of workouts you can do at your hotel with minimal equipment and limited time.

This plan has you covered Monday through Friday with a mix of strength training, cardio and recovery workouts. We know travel weekends are most likely spent with family, friends or coworkers (or traveling back home), so we planned five days of workouts during the workweek — but you don’t necessarily have to do them back-to-back if you’d rather rest one or two days during the week.

Monday: Lower-Body Strength
Tuesday: Upper-Body Strength
Wednesday: Cardio
Thursday: Full-Body Strength/High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Friday: Recovery

Time: 30–35 minutes
Equipment: Dumbbells

Perform each exercise with a moderately challenging weight (or just use your bodyweight, if desired). Use a slow and controlled tempo during the eccentric (i.e., lowering) phase and then a fast-yet-smooth tempo during the concentric (i.e., lifting) phase. Rest for 30–60 seconds between sets.

1. Dumbbell Goblet Squat: 4 sets x 6–8 reps

2. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift: 4 sets x 6–8 reps

3. Dumbbell Reverse Lunge: 3 sets x 10 reps per side

4. Single-Leg Hip Thrust (upper back on bench, couch or floor): 3 sets x 12 reps per side

5. Dead Bugs: 3 sets x 12 reps per side

Time: 25–30 minutes
Equipment: Dumbbells, resistance bands

Perform each exercise with a moderately challenging weight (or just use your bodyweight, if desired). Use a slow and controlled tempo during the eccentric (i.e., lowering) phase and then a fast-yet-smooth tempo during the concentric (i.e., lifting) phase. Rest for 30–60 seconds between sets.

1. Dumbbell Floor Press: 4 sets x 8–10 reps

2. Bent-Over Dumbbell Rows: 4 sets x 8–10 reps

3. Pushups (elevate hands on a bench or wall, if needed): 3 sets x 10–12 reps

4. Band Pull-Aparts: 3 sets x 15–20 reps

5. Front Plank: 3 sets x 15–30 seconds

Time: 30–45 minutes
Equipment: Treadmill, stationary bike or nature!

Congrats, you’re halfway through the week! After crushing two strength workouts, it’s time to dial down the intensity with a cardio workout. You’ve got some options here, so pick your favorite.

Option 1: Run (outdoors or treadmill)
Option 2: Stationary bike

Perform a 5-minute warmup at an easy pace, then 25–30 minutes at 60–70 percent effort. Use the talk test to moderate your pace, meaning you should be able to have a conversation with someone during the entire workout (without gasping for air).

Time: 15–20 minutes
Equipment: Dumbbells

Now that the soreness from Monday and Tuesday has worn off, it’s time to hit another strength workout. This time you’ll hit every muscle from head to toe with just four exercises, using High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to get maximum work done in minimum time. Perform each exercise with a light weight (or your bodyweight) and move as quickly as you can while maintaining perfect technique.

Complete 4–6 rounds, resting 30 seconds between rounds

1. Dumbbell Swing: 15 reps

2. Dumbbell Thruster: 15 reps

3. Mountain Climbers: 15 reps per side

4. Side Plank: 15 seconds per side

Time: 20–30 minutes

After all that work, you’re going to want (and need!) a recovery day. Take some time to breathe and perform basic yoga poses to help stretch, strengthen and recover. Focus on your breathing during this routine, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth, as you transition smoothly and slowly from pose to pose.

Perform each pose in order, completing 3 rounds

1. Pigeon Pose: 6 breaths per side

2. Child’s Pose: 6 breaths

3. Cat/Cow: 6 breaths each

4. Downward Dog: 6 breaths