Have you ever been in the situation where you have gone on holiday after spending forever in the gym to get your beach body ready, only to feel that you might lose it all, whilst enjoying yourself? Fear not as we have come up with a great selection of exercises that you can do whilst away enjoying yourself and can do 10 minutes a day to maintain your progress, also this arsenal of exercises target a wide variety of the different muscle groups. This ensures that you can be sure you are paying attention to the whole body. What’s great is that these exercises can be done using equipment that you would have taken on holiday with you, or things which are available to you. So here it goes:
Backpack Squats
Squats are one of the best exercises that you can do….PERIOD. They serve to not only focus on the glutes and quadriceps but also pretty much your entire core muscles too, making this an ideal exercise to include in your holiday workout. All you need to do is add some weight (water bottles, clothes etc) to make the resistance weight. What is great is that you can do different variations of squat. Such as front, back, hack and jumping to change up the intensity.
Book press-ups
The great thing about press-ups is that they are completely versatile, which allows you to do them anywhere with minimal equipment or preparation. A great twist that you could incorporate, could be to use some of the literature you have taken away with you to assist. Get in a press up position and put a book (Even if one is bigger than the other, as it will elevate one side and help with the training) under each hand. Now start to go down as if you are doing a normal press-up, but slowly separate you hands into a wide grip stance. Once you are at the bottom of the movement your arms should be far apart. Then complete the movement slowly return to the start of the movement. I know from personal experience how much this exercise burns, but it gives terrific results, especially if you are looking to show off on the beach.
Double arm bent over rows with a suitcase
This is a great choice for an exercise as the chances are that you would have taken a suitcase with you away on holiday. Double arm bent over rows are a great exercise to do anyway, as you can work the muscle groups in the back really hard, whilst at the same time working to strengthen your core. Furthermore because of the awkward shape of the suitcase, you would be working on your grip too and attacking the biceps. To do this exercise, load up your suitcase with a comfortable weight (which you can do 6-8 reps with). Then stand with your legs slightly bent, back straight, leaning forward and core tensed. Lift the suitcase horizontally and slowly row it towards your hips. When you get to the top of the movement, hold for a second and slowly lower. Then repeat for 8-10 times.
If you don’t have a suitcase with you, you can substitute it with a rucksack and instead of doing a double arm motion, you can do a single arm variation.
Suitcase Military Press
Another great exercise that you can do with a suitcase is a Military Press. This exercise is ideal for hitting the shoulders hard, if done correctly. So firstly make sure you pack your suitcase with a comfortable weight so you are able to do 8-10 reps. Next stand with your legs shoulder width apart and relaxed. Now start with the weighted suitcase clasped firmly in your hands horizontally and below your neck. In one motion press the weight up above your head and hold it for 2 seconds, before lowering back to the starting position slowly over a 3 second count. Repeat for 8-10 reps to complete the set. An alternative to this is to add weight to a rucksack/backpack, which is comfortable for one arm to lift and carry out the shoulder press motion on one arm at a time, completing for 8-10 reps, to complete the set.
Towel Rows
One of the key pieces of travel equipment that you are sure to take with you on your holiday is a towel. As well as being used for its primary use, it can also double up as a great piece of exercise equipment. This brings us to the exercise Towel Rows, which is great for the back and can be done from a number of positions to target different angles of the back. To do the exercise simply stand with a towel between your hands, about shoulder width apart (however you can adjust the width depending on where in the back you are targeting). Now stand with your back straight, legs bent at a 45 degree angle and head forward (as it stops you from slouching your back). It’s also important to tense your core muscles while doing this exercise, as well. Now row the towel into your stomach region. Once you reach the stomach, hold for 2 seconds and slowly extend over a 3 second count, back to the starting position. This is a quick and versatile exercise, that you can literally do anywhere while on holiday.
