Four workouts you can do in very small spaces

From hotel gyms to day passes to crowded Saturday mornings, you can always get a good workout in

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I try to maintain my morning routine when I travel, so I’ll spend the morning at my hotel gym or a nearby facility on a day pass. Hotel gyms are usually small (often tiny)—if there is more than one person working out, it can feel like you’re on top of each other. Strange gyms also pose challenges, especially in a big city where the space can be crammed, crowded, and often dark. You don’t know the gym, the layout, or the equipment, and you’re often tossed in during peak hours (before or after work) when people are just trying to get it done.

These scenarios can feel so intimidating, you may be tempted to skip it, or just jump on a treadmill (because at least you know how to work a treadmill). But if you really wanted to lift some weights, this can leave you fitness-frustrated, or mad at yourself for not having the confidence to grab a barbell and elbow your way in.

I’ve perfected the art of getting in a good workout with minimal equipment and very little space. Here are four routines you can do in a hotel gym, new gym, or even during a busy hour at your local gym.

Equipment

• Yoga mat

• Two dumbbells (same weight)

The yoga mat is going to define your “space,” because I promise this is all the room you need to get in a good session. (If the gym doesn’t have a yoga mat, grab an exercise mat.) You won’t have to leave your mat at all, which means this is your space for the full session.

If dumbbells are limited (like in a hotel gym), grab a matching set of two and use them for your whole workout—first come, first served. If there is good variety and the gym has extras (like two sets of 15’s, two sets of 20’s), grab a lighter set and a heavier set.

Pro tip: Choose the workout you want to do first, so you know which weights to grab. If they don’t have two matching, don’t sweat it! Grab two that are close, like a 10 and a 15; or a 20 and a 25.

Movement buffet

These are examples of movements you could do for a full-body workout. I’m including the basics, but if you know how to dumbbell snatch, hang power clean, or swing—go for it. You can also include any movement complexes in your repertoire, like man-makers or a bear complex.

Don’t forget bodyweight movements! Adding in push-ups, split jumps, mountain climbers, burpees, air squats, or jumping squats can get your heart rate up and pair nicely with dumbbell movements. That also includes any move you’ve done in a yoga class, like sun salutations or a knee-to-nose/elbow sequence. (I’d skip three-legged dog in small spaces.)

• Squat/goblet squat

• Squat + press (thruster)

• Squat jump (weighted or unweighted)

• RDL (Romanian deadlift, which starts in a standing position)

• RDL + dumbbell row

• Kickstand deadlift (a single leg variation)

• Lunge (forward, reverse, side)

• Hip bridge (weighted or unweighted, single or double-leg)

• Calf raises

• Dumbbell row

• Tricep kick-back or extension

• Bicep curl/hammer curl

• Renegade row (with or without push-up)

• Shoulder press (standing, lunge press, Z-press)

• Shoulder front/lateral raise

• Floor press (like bench press, but on the floor)

• Plank (any variation)

• Dead bugs/bird dogs

• Sit-ups, crunches, bicycle, twists, leg raises (any core move)

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Routine 1: Full body

The first routine is going to incorporate full-body compound movements. You can do these heavier/slower and make it more of a strength workout, or make these lighter/faster and get some cardio in at the same time.

Your sets, reps, and rest are up to you. You can put three moves together back-to-back-to-back as a “round,” rest 2:00, then repeat three to five times. You can superset two moves back-to-back with enough rest in between to keep your heart rate down. There is endless variety here, but I’d recommend super-setting so you can get more work done in less time.

Superset: Do two movements back-to-back, then rest—that’s one set. You can superset opposing muscle groups (like doing a lower body exercise, then an upper body exercise); superset the same muscle group (like doing a chest press, then a push-up); or superset similar-ish muscle groups (like doing a squat, then a deadlift).

Sample workout, cardio-focused:

• 10 squat + press (thrusters)

• 10 floor presses

• 20 mountain climbers

• 10 see-saw rows

• 20 bicycle crunches

Recover between rounds, repeat 3-5 times, finish with core and stretching

Sample workout, strength-focused:

• 10 goblet pause squats, superset with

• 10 (L/R) single-arm Z-press

Repeat x 4, then…

• 10 RDL, superset with

• 10 (L/R) single-arm bent-over rows

Repeat x4, then…

• 10 (L/R) single-leg hip bridge, superset with

• 10 chest press

Repeat x 4, then finish with core and stretching

Routine 2: Upper or lower-body focused

Sometimes, you want to get more focused on a specific body part or area. This is where I like super-setting complimentary body parts: back and biceps, chest/triceps/shoulders, or quads/hamstrings.

Again, sets, reps, and rest are up to you, but if you’re only using one set of dumbbells, choose a weight appropriate for the body part(s) you want to hit. (You can grab a heavier set for squats and deadlifts, but will need lighter weight for shoulders and triceps.) I’m not going to do a cardio-focused session here, because it’s hard to do bicep curls fast enough to get your heart rate up—I’d use more compound movements if that was my goal.

Sample workout, upper body:

• 10 (L/R) single-arm Z press, superset with

• 10 dumbbell push-ups (from toes or knees)

Repeat x 4, then…

• 10 chest press, superset with

• 10 (L/R) Tricep kick-backs

Repeat x 4, then…

• 10 (L/R) bent-over rows, superset with

• 10 dumbbell curls

Repeat x 4, then finish with core and stretching

Sample workout, lower body:

• 10 front squat

• 10 (L/R) split squat

Repeat x 4, then…

• 10 RDL

• 10 (L/R) reverse lunge

Repeat x 4, then…

• 10 (L/R) single-leg glute bridge

• 10 (L/R) lateral lunge/Cossack squat

Repeat x 4, then finish with core and stretching

Claim your space

I remember walking into a gym in NYC (on a $35 day pass) and thinking, “This is Sparta.” It was dark, crammed full of equipment, and packed with people exercising before their workday. Rather than fight people for equipment, try to work in with folks, or getting stuck on a treadmill, I found a small rectangle of floor in front of a window, spread out an exercise mat, grabbed a set of 20s, and got it done.

You belong in that space as much as anyone else. You have just as much right to that equipment, that floor space, that bench as anyone. You don’t have to cram yourself into a corner or limit yourself to a single exercise mat if you don’t want to.

But on days where you don’t want to battle it out but do want to get a good weighted workout in, try this approach, mix and match your favorite exercises, and sweat it out until you’re happy. (Bonus if you end your session with an on-mat meditation!)

What’s your favorite hotel gym/crowded gym strategy? Paid subscribers can discuss in comments