8 Bodyweight Exercises That Help You Stay Fit While Traveling

Carrying dumbbells or resistance bands when traveling isn’t always ideal. Fortunately, it’s still possible to train meaningfully with bodyweight exercises. Here are eight exercises you can do from the comfort of a hotel room or local green space.

According to Joseph Hribick, PT, DPT, DSc(c), COMT, FAAOMPT, physical therapist and clinical assistant professor of physical therapy at Lebanon Valley College, squats target your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and core.

• Tips for proper form: Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and keep your chest lifted and your weight in your heels, Hribick said. Sit your hips back and down, as if you were lowering yourself into a chair.
• Changes: If you need a simpler version, Hribick suggests reducing the depth you descend or holding onto a stable surface for balance. For a more challenging version, you can try an offset position (squat squat) and add a jump or rear foot raise, said Julia Rosenthal, PT, DPT, a physical therapist and founder of Empower Physical Therapy in Brooklyn, New York.
• Pro tip: Think “knees out, chest up” to prevent your knees from collapsing inward and your trunk from leaning forward, Hribick said.

Push-ups are a great way to target your chest, shoulders, triceps and core, Hribick said.

• Tips for proper form: Place your hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your body in a plank position and lower your chest toward the floor with your elbows at a 45-degree angle. Press back and pause at the top before doing another rep, Hribick said.
• Changes: If you need a simpler version, Rosenthal suggests incline push-ups. These involve resting your hands on a bed or counter with your elbows at a 45-degree angle. Lower and press with a straight spine.
• Pro tip: Focus on quality over quantity, Rosenthal said. “Stay connected to your core and maintain a good plank throughout the movement.”

Burpees are great for full-body cardio, legs, chest and core, Hribick said.

• Tips for proper form: To do burpees, squat down, place your hands on the floor, jump your feet onto a plank, do a push-up, jump your feet forward, then explode upwards.
• Changes: If you find traditional burpees too difficult, place your feet on a plank instead of jumping and skip the push-ups, Hribick said. If you want to make things a little more challenging, add a tuck jump at the top, he said.
• Pro tip: Keep a steady pace rather than rushing to avoid sloppy form. “Also do burpees earlier in the workout, when you’re not pre-fatigued, to help you maintain good form,” Hribick said.

If you’re looking to target your quads, glutes, hamstrings and core, lunges may be an exercise you want to include, Hribrick said.

• Tips for proper form: Step forward and lower your back knee toward the floor. Keep your front knee above your ankle and push back to start. Alternate legs.
• Changes: For an easier version, Hribick suggests reducing the depth of the lunge and, to make it more challenging, adding a jump when you return to standing.
• Pro tip: Avoid leaning forward and keep your torso tall, Hribick suggested.

Planks are an essential movement that targets core control, shoulder stability and coordination, Rosenthal said.

• Tips for proper form: Make sure your elbows are under your shoulders and your body is straight from head to heels. Pull your stomach inward toward your spine and hold this position without sagging your hips or arching your back.
• Changes: For a simpler version, Rosenthal recommends kneeling when performing the plank. For a more challenging version, try shoulder taps, which involve tapping alternating shoulders in a plank position without twisting.
• Pro tip: Imagine balancing a cup of coffee on your lower back to keep your core engaged, Rosenthal said.

According to Hribick, glute bridges target your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.

• Tips for proper form: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet hip-width apart, he said. Press your hips up, squeeze your glutes at the top, and slowly lower.
• Changes: For a more challenging version, Rosenthal recommends a walking bridge or glute bridge with your feet elevated.
• Pro tip: Perform glute bridges slowly, says Hribick, and avoid arching your lower back at the top of the movement. This may mean not lifting the hips as high in the movement, he said.

Mountain climbers are a great choice for cardio, core and shoulders, Hribick said.

• Tips for proper form: From a plank position, push one knee toward your chest, then quickly switch, as if running in place, keeping your shoulders above your hands.
• Changes: If you need something a little easier, try a slower pace or fewer repetitions, Hribick said. Add a twist to bring your knee toward your opposite elbow if you want it to be more difficult.
• Pro tip: Keep your hips low to engage the abs rather than bouncing up and down.

To target your lower back, glutes and shoulders, supermans are a great choice, Hribick said.

• Tips for proper form: Lie face down on the floor and slightly lift your arms, chest and legs off the floor. Hold this position briefly then lower it with control.
• Changes: To make this bodyweight exercise easier, Hribick suggests lifting only your arms or legs. To make the task more difficult, increase your hold time in the lifting position.
• Pro tip: Don’t try to lift your arms and legs off the ground and be sure to exhale as you lift to help engage your muscles.

Bodyweight exercises are incredibly effective, especially when done intentionally, Rosenthal said. They improve strength, joint control, mobility and core engagement without equipment. Here are some ways our experts recommend turning these bodyweight exercises into a mini workout.

1. Create a 10-minute workout: Choose 10 bodyweight exercises and do each exercise for 40 seconds with 20 seconds of rest between each. Do two rounds to make it a 20-minute workout.
2. Perform a Tabata: For this high-intensity interval training (HIIT), choose four exercises. Do each exercise for 20 seconds, with 10 seconds of rest between each. Repeat each exercise four times.
3. Have a movement snack: A movement snack is a short period of activity that lasts only a few minutes. It is designed to reduce inactivity and improve mental well-being. Choose three or four exercises and do them quickly.

These workouts also meet you where you are, whether you’re in your living room, at the airport, on a work trip, or recovering from a tough week.