In our fast-paced world, people are constantly finding new ways to make their lives more convenient. Take Honestbee making groceries more accessible, or Grab giving riders on-demand transportation services.
One might argue that this obsession with convenience is making people lazier — and by extension, less active and less healthy. But in reality, fitness doesn’t have to be inconvenient.
In my last article, I wrote about how fitness can make you a more productive worker. Here I’ll be sharing ways to stay fit without cutting down on your workplace productivity.
Whether you’re crunched for time, or have had a strict gym regiment broken up by a sudden business trip, there are always ways to incorporate a good workout into your busy workday.
Here are three workouts for the professional on-the-go — minimal space required, no equipment necessary:
I recommend doing three sets of 30 secs for each exercise. As these are all bodyweight exercises with no additional loads added, it’s important that you approach each set with the mindset of doing as many reps as possible to really get the most out of your workout.
1) Air Squats/Body Weight Squats:
- It uses just your body weight to tone and strengthen your quadriceps, glutes, calves, and hamstrings.
- Hands can be stretched out in front while the squat movement is being performed.
- Advanced version: Putting on a heavy backpack or carrying your suitcase/briefcase overhead is a good way to increase resistance in a pinch.
2) Plank/Side Planks:
- A strong core is the foundation for general fitness. Core workouts focus not only on your abdominal muscles, but also your lower back and obliques.
- A simple yet effective exercise to workout the core would be the basic plank. Side planks are a variation to focus more on the oblique muscles on your side. Always make sure to keep your neck relaxed, and your core tight throughout.
- Advanced version: Raise an arm or a leg, or even both at the same time, for the plank and the side plank.
3) Pushups:
- The pushup is a classic exercise for a reason. It’s one of the most effective exercises you can do for your upper body.
- While performing a pushup, a person uses his/her own body weight as resistance to target the following muscles: Pectorals, deltoids, triceps, abdominals, and your serratus anterior.
- There are many ways to change up this movement depending on the difficulty you want for yourself. If you are still struggling to pull off a full pushup, you can isolate your upper body by resting on your knees and pushing up from there.
- Advanced version: I usually aim to do power pushups (clap pushups) where you launch yourself off the ground with each rep. But to be safe, you can increase the reps instead.
These three exercises cover all major muscle groups, and you can do them in your hotel room, your conference room, or even at the airport (especially helpful during layovers between long flights).
And as with any exercise, it’s always best to have your form checked by a licensed trainer. It can be as simple as taking a quick video of yourself doing a few reps and sending it over. That way, we can correct your form and help you avoid injuries wherever you are, whenever you’re working out.
Ryan Fermin is an entrepreneur and fitness professional focusing on sports science, strength training, and conditioning. Find him on Instagram at @coach.ryfit.
