Fit Factor: Make yourself 'fully functional' even if your gym isn't
Categories: Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Motivation, Men's Health
I'm going to be traveling a few times this month for various reasons, so I'm already looking at my schedule to figure out when I might be able to squeeze in my workouts. According to the website of one of the hotels at which I'll be staying, they have a "fully functional fitness facility." Apart from informing me of their apparent obsession with the letter F, this statement tells me very little about the place itself. "Fully functional" can mean a wide variety of things. And when it comes to fitness centers, it could in one situation mean that it rivals Gold's Gym, while in another it could mean that there's a clunky exercise bike from 1978 and a set of sand weights similar to those that came in the Hulk Hogan Hulkamania Workout Kit I had when I was 10 years old (which also included a jump rope, motivational cassette tape featuring the voice of the Hulkster himself, and -- of course -- a tear-away, kid-sized Hulkamania T-shirt. Thankfully, no pictures remain). If the hotel's definition of "fully functional" is closer to the latter, I can pass on the gym altogether and still get a great body weight workout in my hotel room. However, if the fitness center happens to at least have the very basics (treadmill, weight bench, some free weights), that's more than enough for me to complete the following workout, designed for an on-the-go That's Fit reader by Greenwich, CT-based personal trainer Adrian Garce.
30-minute workout
1. Before beginning, be sure to do a few minutes of simple stretches.
2. Walk on the treadmill for one minute, increasing by one degree of incline every 20 seconds, walking at an average of 3.1 speed.
3. After getting off the treadmill, do 20 jumping jacks. Immediately after completing 20, go directly into 20 jump squats (Place feet a bit wider than hip width. Bend the knees into a squat, pushing off with the feet to jump,bringing the arms straight in the air. Return back into the squat position). Continue alternating between the jumping jacks and jump squats for two minutes.
4. Place your hands on the bench with the hands a bit wider than the chest with palms flat and fingers facing forward. Move back into a plank position, with your toes on the floor. Do two push-ups, jump your feet in towards the bench to stand up, take the hands off the bench and raise legs, one at a time, to tap the bench two times on each side. Put your hands back on the bench and jump back into a plank position. Repeat for either two minutes, or 24 reps (whichever comes first).
5. Pick up two dumbbells. Sit on the bench and do 10 curls, alternating one hand at a time, with palms facing up. Keep the shoulders back and back straight. Stand up with the weights, with feet approximately two feet in front of the bench. Keep the arms straight, with the dumbbells resting on the thigh. Bend the knees, squatting until you touch down on the bench. Push off with the feet to stand up quickly. Repeat 20 times.
6. Lay on the bench (the chin should be at the edge), facing down with a very light weight in each hand (arms are straight with the weights resting on the floor). Raise both arms up to the side, until they're at shoulder level with the palms facing down. Bring the arms back down to the ground. Repeat 12-15 times.
7. Slide back on the bench until your hips are off the bench, holding the underside of the bench. Extend the legs with the toes touching the floor. Engage the glutes, and lift both legs until they are level with the bench. Bring back down until the toes touch the floor. Repeat 20 times.
8. Return to the treadmill, setting the incline to two. For one minute, sprint at 80-90 percent maximum effort.
9. Pick up a light dumbbell in each hand. Make a 90 degree angle with your elbows, with the dumbbells up towards the ceiling, creating a straight line between the elbows on both arms. Bring one arm straight, raising the dumbbell up towards the ceiling. Bring the opposite knee straight up while holding the dumbbell up. Bring the arm down an return the foot to the floor. Switch arms and knees. Do as many as you can in one minute.
10. Return to the treadmill to two degrees of incline. Sprint for another minute at 80-90 percent maximum effort.
11. Lay flat on the floor on your back with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle in the air with ankles crossed. Using a light dumbbell, bring your arms over your head resting on the floor, fully extended, with both hands on the dumbbell. Lift your arms, head, upper back, keeping the elbows slightly bent,crunching towards your feet, as you bring your knees in towards your chest. Do as many as possible for one minute.
12. Return to the treadmill to an incline of 2. Sprint for another minute at 80-90 percent maximum effort.
13. Return to the floor and move into a plank position, with arms shoulder width apart and hands slightly turned in. Do one full push-up, and once back in plank, bring the hands in two inches each towards each other. Repeat the push-up, and once back in plank, bring the hands back out two inches away from one another. Repeat, moving the hands in and out after each push-up, doing as many as you can until fatigue.
14. Finish up with two to three minutes of stretching.
Recent Posts
- Heidi Klum Hits The Runway After Baby (11/20/2009)
- Thanksgiving Dinner Satisfaction And Perfect Portion Control: Time to Celebrate (11/20/2009)
- Cheesy Workout Video Round-up (11/20/2009)
- Kim Kardashian's Sexy Salad Commercial (11/20/2009)
- Simple Thanksgiving Swaps (11/20/2009)























