Summer is here, kids are out of school, and it’s the time of year when many people take some time away from their busy schedules to travel and relax. But what does this mean for your fitness routine?

Here are some ideas for how to get your workout fix while you’re on vacation. 

Drop in at a local Crossfit gym

One of the beautiful things about CrossFit is that it is a truly global community. CFN frequently welcomes visiting athletes who are in the area for work or leisure and still want to get some fitness in, and other gyms are no different. Especially if your destination is a major city, it’s likely that you’ll be able to find a CrossFit gym where you’ll be able to drop in to a couple of classes for a small fee or in exchange for purchasing a t-shirt. You can use this tool on the Crossfit website to find a gym near your destination, and you can ask around at CFN — other members may have recommendations for you.

Do a hotel WOD

Many hotels have gyms where you have access to cardio equipment and dumbbells, but you can get a great workout in under 20 minutes without even leaving your hotel room. We’ve listed a few ideas here, but google “hotel WOD” and you’ll find dozens of additional options. 

• Pick a number between 5 and 15, and do that many burpees on the minute for 15-20 minutes. Or simply do 100 burpees for time.
• Do death by push-ups. Start with 1-5 reps in minute 1, then add 1 rep each minute until you fail to complete the required number of reps.
• Do variations on “Cindy,” for example an AMRAP of 5 push-ups, 10 sit-ups, 15 air squats.

Other bodyweight movements you can incorporate into a hotel room workout include lunges and pistol squats; planks, supermans, and hollow holds; v-ups and tuck-ups; headstands and handstands; jumping jacks and tuck jumps; and reverse burpees.

With dumbbells, the possibilities are nearly endless, but some good options are dumbbell versions of workouts typically done with a barbell. For example:

• DB Kalsu: 100 DB thrusters for time with 5 burpees EMOM
• DB Chief: five 3-minute AMRAPs of 3 dumbbell power cleans, 6 push-ups, 9 air squats
• DB Randy: 75 dumbbell snatches per arm for time
• DB DT: 5 rounds for time of 12 dumbbell deadlifts, 9 dumbbell hang power cleans, 6 dumbbell push jerks

And of course, stretching and other mobility work can be done nearly anywhere and are a gentler option if you’re not in the mood for high intensity work or you don’t want to get sweaty.

Apply your fitness

Does your vacation involve hiking or biking? Swimming or surfing? Paddleboarding, canoeing, or kayaking? Golfing? Skiing? All of this is great exercise — no gym or fancy workout plan required. As a bonus, running and biking in particular can be great ways to explore a new area while burning a few calories, since you can cover ground much faster than you would walking.

Take the week off

This is a completely legitimate — and healthy — option. Sometimes the best thing we can do for our bodies is to give them a week to rest and reset, and a vacation is the perfect time to do that. What’s more, you’re probably getting more exercise than you think, even if you’ve chosen to take the week off, just by walking around, exploring a new place, and seeing the sites. You’re not going to lose any gains by taking a week off, so don’t stress out about being away from the gym or finding time to fit in a workout, and have a fabulous vacation! 

P.S. If you’re going to be away from the gym for a week or more, let us know and we can put your membership on hold until you’re back.