20-minute micro workouts

[SirGrotius]

I'm going to be doing an insane amount of traveling over the next couple of weeks and will have precious little time to work out. Literally, I'll have about an hour a night in my hotel room max. Sooo...any reasonably effective 20-minute workouts you could recommend? I want to burn calories. I don't need to lose weight, but I need to maintain.

 

[Nicola]

Google HIIT. No problem with the time but what equipment do you have access to? You can always do wind sprints if you have nothing better.

 

[Nicola]

BTW you likely don't want to do HIIT every night

 

[danilo]

burpees
push ups (push up claps if you can do em) do as many as you can straight until you fall on your face. There's also plenty of different pushups you can do, wide stance, close stance, far above your head, right under your ribs, extend a leg out in the air


hand stand push ups against a wall

prone bridges
leg extensions
reverse crunches

there's an exercise a friend (crossfiter) told me about where you basically walk up a wall backwards using your feet on the wall and you hands on the floor he said it was pretty intense.

all of those are easily done anywhere and quickly, and I'm sure theres many more out there

 

[SirGrotius]

Originally Posted by danilo

burpees
push ups (push up claps if you can do em) do as many as you can straight until you fall on your face. There's also plenty of different pushups you can do, wide stance, close stance, far above your head, right under your ribs, extend a leg out in the air


hand stand push ups against a wall

prone bridges
leg extensions
reverse crunches

there's an exercise a friend (crossfiter) told me about where you basically walk up a wall backwards using your feet on the wall and you hands on the floor he said it was pretty intense.

all of those are easily done anywhere and quickly, and I'm sure theres many more out there

Just what I'm looking for...thanks! I'll be working out in a hotel room. Yes, I can do the claps, too!

 

[danilo]

don't get me wrong, doing regular push ups till you fail will help, I can usually get to 70 then I crash. I don't know if that sucks or not, but whatever.

I travel sometimes for a week or two at a time so I know how it is to miss the 'routine'.

The hardest thing with traveling is keeping a clean diet I think... as long as you still eat well and do some of the stuff above you can still keep an 'active' lifestyle. Doing little things like walking instead of taking the conveyor belts at airports or stairs instead of elevator/escalator also help even a little bit right! Especially when you're hauling around a 50lb backpack and some luggage haha

 

[willpower]

Buy a heavy resistance band that includes a door attachment. It's easy to pack and a great workout.

 

[otc]

If your hotel has some cardio equipment, you can definitely fit in some HIIT.

You could obviously also do it running outside but I'm not a fan. I either do them on the elliptical or outside on my bicycle...If you really kick your ass, when you finish the last few intervals you should be completely shot and on an eliptical or bike you can just spin through recovery while you prop yourself up...when running you just fall in your face