Workout Plans

The 25-Minute Hotel Room Workout

September 1, 2026 · 5 min read · Training

A hotel bedroom with a wooden bed and armchair

Travel is one of the most common reasons people fall off their training routine. You don’t need a hotel gym. Research on the minimum effective dose suggests that even a few hard sets per exercise, a couple of times a week, can maintain and even build strength (Androulakis-Korakakis et al., 2020). Here’s a routine designed for a small room and zero equipment.

25 minfull session

10 minexpress version

2×2 mof floor space needed

The plan

Do this as straight sets (all sets of one exercise, then move on) or as a circuit if you’re short on time.

Exercise	Sets × reps	Rest
Bulgarian split squat (back foot on the bed)	3 × 8–12 each leg	60 s
Push-up (feet on the bed for a harder version)	3 × 8–15	60 s
Single-leg hip bridge (shoulders on the floor)	3 × 10–12 each leg	45 s
Towel row (towel around a door handle — door fully closed and sturdy)	3 × 10–12	60 s
Pike push-up	3 × 6–10	60 s
Plank to side plank	3 × 30 s each	45 s

Make it hard enough

Bodyweight work builds strength when sets are challenging. To increase difficulty:

Slow down: 3 seconds on the way down for every rep.
Pause: hold 2 seconds at the bottom of squats and push-ups.
Use your suitcase or backpack: fill it with clothes, books or water bottles and hold it for split squats.
Add reps: aim to beat yesterday’s number.
Do 1½ reps: down, halfway up, down again, then all the way up.

The 10-minute express version

No time? Do two rounds of the first four exercises with minimal rest:

Exercise	Reps
Bulgarian split squat	10 each leg
Push-up	10–15
Single-leg hip bridge	12 each leg
Towel row	12

Ten minutes of hard work beats zero.

A travel-week plan

Day	What to do
Travel day	Walk the airport or station; stretch your hips and calves after sitting
Day 1	Full 25-minute session
Day 2	Walk to explore — aim for an extra 3,000–5,000 steps
Day 3	10-minute express session
Day 4	Walk or swim if there’s a pool
Day 5	Full 25-minute session

Keep moving between sessions

Travel days often involve a lot of sitting. Walk whenever you can: explore on foot, use the stairs, take calls on the move. The WHO guidelines encourage replacing sitting with activity of any intensity — it all counts (Bull et al., 2020).

Quiet-room tips

Skip jumping exercises if you have neighbours below.
Use a towel as a mat.
Keep a water bottle nearby — hotel rooms are often dry.
Check that chairs and doors are sturdy before using them.

Jet lag and sleep

Training can feel harder on little sleep. On the first day after a long flight, choose the express version and get outside in daylight. Save harder sessions for when you’ve slept.

The 3-minute warm-up

March or jog on the spot: 60 seconds.
Arm circles: 10 forwards, 10 backwards.
Bodyweight squats: 10 slow reps.
Glute bridges: 10 reps.
Inchworm walk-outs: 5 reps.

Swap your gym exercises

If you normally follow a gym program, you can keep its structure on the road:

In the gym	In a hotel room
Back squat or leg press	Bulgarian split squat, slow lowering
Romanian deadlift	Single-leg hip bridge or single-leg reach with a backpack
Bench press	Push-up, feet raised on the bed
Overhead press	Pike push-up
Row or pulldown	Towel row on a closed door
Biceps curl	Backpack curl
Plank or cable crunch	Plank to side plank, dead bug

Keep the same sets and use the hardest version you can do for the rep range.

How many sessions do you need?

Research on the minimum effective dose found that strength can be maintained, and even built, with a surprisingly small amount of training: as little as one hard set per exercise, two or three times a week (Androulakis-Korakakis et al., 2020). On a short trip, two full sessions are plenty.

Trip length	Plan
2–3 days	One full session, walk as much as you can
4–7 days	Two or three full sessions
2+ weeks	Three sessions a week, increasing difficulty each week

Using a hotel gym

Most hotel gyms have dumbbells and a bench or two. Prioritise the exercises that are hardest to load at home: dumbbell rows, goblet squats, presses and Romanian deadlifts. Wipe equipment down before and after, and check the opening hours when you arrive.

FAQ

Will a week of bodyweight training lose my gym progress? No. A week or two of lighter training won’t undo months of progress, and these sessions help you keep the habit.

What if there’s a hotel gym? Use it! Dumbbells let you follow your normal program more closely.

Can I do this every day? Alternate harder days with walking days so your muscles recover.

I’m too tired after a long flight. Should I skip it? Skip the full session if you need to and go for a walk outside instead. Daylight and light movement can help you adjust.

The bottom line

A bed, a towel and 25 minutes are all you need. Two or three sessions on a trip will keep your progress — and your habit — on track.

Sources

Androulakis-Korakakis P, Fisher JP, Steele J (2020). The minimum effective training dose required to increase 1RM strength in resistance-trained men. Sports Medicine. doi:10.1007/s40279-019-01236-0
Bull FC et al. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955

This article is general education for healthy adults, not medical advice. Check with a qualified professional before starting a new exercise or nutrition plan, especially if you have a medical condition. Full disclaimer.