This article was written by our new intern Courtney. She will be continuing to show up at the gym during classes to finish her internship process. Say “Hi” and welcome her Loco style!

Do you travel for work?  Do you vacation or take weekend getaways often?  What types of activities do you do while away from home?  Do you stay in homes or in hotels with gym facilities?  How much extra time do you have for exercise when traveling? 

I travel quite consistently, mostly for pleasure and often for only 3-4 days.  Most of the time, I have the best intentions of finding a CrossFit box wherever I am to hit a WOD.  But in all honesty, that rarely happens.  I would rather get outside and go for a hike, a bike ride or walk around Disney World all day.  I have been known to find a random spin class to attend while on vacation also!  But when I’m away, I love days where I can get my body moving and take a mental break from the gym.  When I get home, I always find myself physically and mentally ready to push hard at the gym again.  

There are other trips or days where I need a more intense workout.  And I’ve discovered that the internet has a plethora of “hotel WODs” to choose from.  I often choose workouts that require no equipment and can be done right in my room.  You don’t need fancy things to get in a good workout!  I love tabata workouts (20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest) because I can do multiple movements.  My go-to tabata is 16 minutes of work so I’m not spending a bunch of time away from my vacation.  I usually include burpees, sit ups, lunges and dips using a chair in the room.  

Active recovery days on vacation are also great to use to work on accessory movements that we often don’t put time into.  Planks, side planks, handstand holds, glute bridges and supermans are definitely things I don’t do enough, so sometimes it’s a nice change to be ‘forced’ into it.  These can be done tabata style or in slightly longer intervals (30-45 seconds work, 15-30 seconds rest). And don’t forget that taking a walk and enjoying a different environment counts as activity and can often be the most satisfying.

I’m going to list a few other vacation workouts that I really like.  If you’re away from home for whatever reason, I hope these will be fun and interesting while you’re gone.  And don’t forget that using your fitness outside of the gym is our biggest goal, so send picture of your adventures!

4 rounds for time

12 push ups

12 reverse lunges

12 mountain climbers

2 times through

20 air squats

20 jumping jacks

20 tuck crunches

30 second plank

3 rounds for time

1 minute plank

1 minute wall sit

15 push ups

25 squats

Run for 10 minutes (pace does not have to be sprints)

At 2 minutes, perform 8 burpees

At 4 minutes, perform 10 push ups

At 6 minutes perform 12 reverse lunges

At 8 minutes perform 14 plank shoulder taps

At 10 minutes perform 16 air squats