Free home gym or hotel room exercises for athletes
Away from home? No need to panic. Stay calm, be creative, and keep fit.
Maintain your cardiovascular fitness and preserve your strength to keep a calm mind.
Home gym and hotel room exercises for runners and endurance athletes who want to strength train and keep their running fitness when travelling, on holiday/vacation, or when trapped at home or in a hotel room.
Informed by experimental and empirical evidence.
Designed by Thomas Solomon: a PhD scientist, an ACSM-certified Exercise Physiologist, and a UKVRN-registered nutritionist.
Here's my home gym. How does yours look?
Important: If you've never used this resource before, read all of the information below before using it. Otherwise, click here to find what you're after.
Medical information: The content of this page is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice of any kind. If you've never exercised before, the physical exercises on this page might not be appropriate for you. By voluntarily opting to use the training plan and exercises on this page, you are confirming that you have completed at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on at least 3 days per week for at least the last 3 months, and you are confirming that you are medically cleared to participate in structured exercise (click here for a preparticipation screening sheet). If there is any reason that an increase in your current physical activity level may impair your health (due to, but not limited to, existing injury, illness, chronic health conditions or diseases, such as cardiovascular, metabolic, or kidney disease), you should consult your doctor before using this resource. If increasing your current physical activity level causes any injury, illness, or disease, you must stop exercising and consult your doctor immediately.
Liability information: Accessing and using the content (including, but not limited to, the physical exercises) on this page is voluntary, and you use the content at your own risk. Thomas Solomon assumes no liability for damage, loss, injury, illness, or death which may occur when using the content. For more info, see the terms of use (opens a new tab).
Being away from your normal training environment is not as dramatic as you think.
∘ During lockdown, gyms were shut, climbing walls were closed, running tracks were out-of-bounds, the trails and streets were off-limits or under a curfew, and races were cancelled. Some folks were stuck at home; others were trapped in hotels.
∘ Although those restrictions are behind us, sometimes we find ourselves "stuck" at home or "trapped" in hotels. This can make you worry that your fitness will tumble! Fear not.
∘ During my time working in Denmark, I helped implement several inactivity studies where healthy active people were forced to reduce their daily step-counts from 10,000 to 1500 steps per day for 2 weeks. The good news was that following 2 weeks of daily step-reduction, VO2max only fell by 2 mL/kgFFM/min. Although the participants in these studies weren't athletes, other scientists have addressed that topic. For example, in well-trained cyclists, 21 days of reduced training volume (-50%), frequency (-20%), and intensity (-20% to -30%) had no effect on VO2max. A further study in world-class kayakers found that, although total training cessation for 5 weeks reduced muscle strength by 9%, maintenance of low-volume training led to losses of only 3%.
∘ So, what do you do when you don't have access to your normal training environment? What do you do when you can't train properly? Panic? Hell, no! If you maintain even a small amount of activity, your loss will be minimal.
Don't stress. Regroup. Reorganise your habits.
Instructions
The following information is important because it will help you use this resource to best effect while helping you learn to exercise safely and effectively:
Use this free training resource to learn how to train smart within the confines of your temporarily restricted environment while having fun, staying healthy, and maintaining your fitness.
Practice proper technique for all exercises by studying the exercise videos — this will enable you to get fitter in a safe and healthy manner.
Unlike some of my free training plans, this page does not provide a detailed training plan. As an experienced athlete, you can take care of your own training, or work with your coach. Instead, use this page as a guide for turning your home or hotel room into a world-class training facility when you lack access to your "normal" training environment.
I made this resource specifically for athletes stuck at home or in hotels with access to minimal equipment. All of the suggested exercises were tried and tested by my wife and I during our lockdown in Innsbruck when we were not allowed to leave the house for 4 weeks in April 2020. Yes, our peak aerobic fitness and maximal strength dropped, but the high level of fitness we had going into that home quarantine was maintained and unleashed in the mountains when our quarantine law relaxed.
Thanks for reading; you're ready to rock!
Press the buttons to choose what you want:
Running simulation exercises for runners, obstacle course racers, and endurance athletes
If you have access to stairs, use them to do full stair-climbing workouts.
If you ever met the ancient Greek philosopher, Pythagoras, he might have told you about his theorem; he's always banging on about it. In my house, the step height is 0.16 metres, and the step depth is 0.28 metres. Using Pythagoras' theorem, I know that the hypotenuse (the distance between step edges) is 0.32 metres. If you are a mountain athlete, this is very useful info. Why? The step height multiplied by the number of steps you took = the elevation gain in metres, and the hypotenuse multiplied by the number of steps = the distance travelled in metres. NERD ALERT!
If you do not have access to stairs or a ramp, use your doorstep or anything stable that simulates a step height of 15 to 20 cm.
With steps/stairs you can do prolonged Easy-intensity work-outs or intermittent Hard/Easy-intensity work-outs - mix it up - vary the step rate, alternate the lead leg, use 1-step at a time or 2-steps at a time, change the direction you are facing (face-up, face-down, lateral movements, go up, go down) - keep it varied.
If you have access to an underground car park ramp, use it to do hill sprints or uphill bounds. Also, yell really loud down there, and the echo will make you sound like a beast!
IMPORTANT: Study the exercises in the videos below and practice proper technique. This will enable you to get stronger in a safe and healthy manner. Always "train smart to get fast and strong".
And, don't be fooled by the simplicity of a step-workout; even Eliud Kipchoge loves a good stair-stepping work-out and uses them as part of his strength-building base phase, including when en route to his "1:59".
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Body weight strength exercises for runners, obstacle course racers, and endurance athletes
Body weight exercises are awesome: you can do them anytime and anywhere to maintain or build muscular strength and endurance.
Use the full range of motion that you can move through, given your anatomical nuances or physical limitations.
Use proper form throughout all reps of all sets and always aim for high-quality sets: stop before your form fails.
Aim for a number of reps per set that takes you to around 2 to 3 reps-in-reserve (i.e. 2 or 3 reps away from failure or RPE 7 to 8 out of 10).
IMPORTANT: Study the exercises in the videos below and practice proper technique. This will enable you to get stronger in a safe and healthy manner. Always "train smart to get fast and strong".
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Resistance band strength exercises for runners, obstacle course racers, and endurance athletes
Resistance bands are phenomenal for simulating your gym lifts and for increasing the load above that which your body weight can induce.
If you do not own any bands, I thoroughly recommend purchasing a set: they are cheap and can be used anywhere, anytime.
Use the full range of motion that you can move through, given your anatomical nuances or physical limitations.
If the strength of the resistance band limits your full range of motion, use a lighter band.
Since you will likely not be able to match the load that you lift in the gym, use a number of reps per set that takes you to around 2 to 3 reps-in-reserve (i.e. 2 or 3 reps away from failure, or RPE 7 to 8 out of 10).
IMPORTANT: Study the exercises in the videos below and practice proper technique. This will enable you to get stronger in a safe and healthy manner. Always "train smart to get fast and strong".
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Plyometric exercises to develop power in runners, obstacle course racers, and endurance athletes
If you have access to a room with enough space to swing a cat in, you can do these exercises.
With some of these exercises, you can easily keep the intensity under control (moderately hard RPE 6-8/10, rather than maximal) and turn them into an aerobic workout.
If you want to build explosive power, use maximal effort and explosive movements (unleashing your maximal power output). But, in this case, use very few reps and take lots of rest between sets.
But, be careful! Plyometric exercises deliver a high level of stress. If you are not accustomed to them, take it easy and start low with the volume and go slow with the progression.
Always use controlled movements so that you do not lose your balance or land awkwardly.
Also, always ensure there are no bits of Lego on the floor, because landing on a Danish brick of joy during a plyo workout will unleash a scream that will raise the dead. The upside, however, is that you will perfect your race day "war cry" when it happens.
IMPORTANT: Study the exercises in the videos below and practice proper technique. This will enable you to get stronger in a safe and healthy manner. Always "train smart to get fast and strong".
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Grip strength exercises for developing hulk hands in obstacle course racers
If you have access to a pull-up bar, use it!
If you do not have a pull-up, find a safe ledge, post, wall, or anything that you can hang from and not die if you fall.
Use a variety of hang variations with and without lock-offs or "frenchies" — be creative.
Wearing an actual "hulk hand" is useful for ultimate power, but not essential.
Add some variety (and practice for "low rigs") by mixing some static holds (knees to chest or L-sits) into your hangs.
IMPORTANT: Study the exercises in the videos below and practice proper technique. This will enable you to get stronger in a safe and healthy manner. Always "train smart to get fast and strong".
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Carry strength exercises for obstacle course racers
If you have access to a person (or a dog), lift them, carry them, and then high-five them and feed them.
If you do not have an acceptable animate object, find a suitable inanimate alternative. For example, a backpack, an arm-chair, a washing basket full of goodies.
Use a variety of carries on flat ground, around the garden, or up and down stairs. Be creative, but be careful: no one wants to throw their wife down the stairs, sometimes it just happens.
IMPORTANT: Study the exercises in the videos below and practice proper technique. This will enable you to get stronger in a safe and healthy manner. Always "train smart to get fast and strong".
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How to exercise with a baby
Don't allow your newborn to prevent you from being physically active. Study the exercises in the videos below and practice proper technique. This will enable you to get stronger in a safe and healthy manner. Always "train smart to get fast and strong".
IMPORTANT: No babies were harmed in the making of these videos. My wife and I don't have children, so I was forced to use a practical substitute.
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