31 Days

Stay in Shape
(On the Road and at Home)

Want to be productive and energetic? You need to keep your body in peak fighting shape. You don't have to be a gym rat though, and really you don't even need a gym. There's plenty you can do whether you're at home or traveling. Motivation can be particularly challenging when on the road. Your schedule is messed up and maybe you're staying at a hotel without a gym (or worse, staying at a hotel with a tempting minibar). But that's no excuse, according to Kirk Myers, the founder of New York's exclusive DogPound gym, where everyone from Hugh Jackman to Victoria's Secret angels get whipped into shape. He says there's always a few exercises or combination of bodyweight moves that can spike your heart rate in a matter of minutes and get the job done. Herewith, just a few.

The best bodyweight exercises for home and hotel

Warm Up

Kickstart your workout with a quick three-minute warm-up: 25 jumping jacks, 20 body weight squats, 10 push ups and finish with 25 more jumping jacks. Do one exercise right after another.

Burpees

Reps: 10

A favorite of Myers, "these are the most effective exercise when time and space are limited." The high-intensity move combines strength training, endurance building and fat burning in one relatively simple move.

Tricep Dips

Reps: 15

Want bigger, more toned arms? Forget the bicep curls and focus on the tricep (which is actually the bigger arm muscle). These dips, using the edge of a chair, bathtub or bed, are your ticket to tricep stimulation.

Decline Push Ups

Reps: 15

When you don't have dumbbells, Steve Kamb of Nerd Fitness suggests placing your legs up on a chair or the bed to add a bit more weight to work your arms, chest and back.

Overhead Squats

Reps: 15

A great way to build the quadriceps, and because of the core strength needed to stay upright, it requires more total-body athleticism than the standard squat.

Want More Cardio?

Finish your workout by running a few flights of stairs. Or simply walking up them, skipping every other step for an added challenge. They're clearly marked on every floor of a hotel (and they're always empty).