all posts post new thread

Kettlebell Hotel Gym Help

Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)

Greg H

Level 5 Valued Member
Help! I’m driving myself crazy with too much searching, googling etc.

I do S&S 4-6 times a week at home mixed with LED. I also travel about half the month and have to experience the dreaded hotel gym.

I would say 99% of the gyms have dumbbells and a pull-up bar. Can someone please give me a program I can do every single time I am in a hotel gym with dumbells and pull-up bar? I want to do a bit more that just bodyweight aka NW.

I am driving myself crazy researching NW, Dan John 40 etc and overthinking this whole thing. I will be eternally grateful for help.
 
If you can find a version of the 1-arm or 1-arm, 1-leg pushup you can do, that's a great exercise.

You can do getups and windmills with a dumbbell. It's not the same but, with a moderate weight, it's better than nothing.

Pullups - there are a gazillion ways to do pullups, but most hotel gyms I've been in do not have a pullup bar.

-S-
 
There are things like Kettle Gryp that let you turn a dumbbell into a kettlebell.

And there are things like the water-filled kettlebell. The 14 inch version can weigh up to 45 pounds when fully filled.
I have not used either one of these, but am contemplating them for my own travel usage.
 
Is your travel by automobile or airplane? I have to assume by airplane because taking your bells with you in the car is obvious. If you have regular hotels where you stay, then maybe just buy them a cheap bell or two. This might be cheaper than day passes at gyms. Also are you in big cities or out in the country? I've had luck when on vacation looking up one of the certified trainers in the city and ask them where to work out. If I'm around for a couple of days I'll hire them for a form check just to pay them back for the referral.
 
Absolutely. But I guess my question is:
You walk into a hotel gym that only has dumbells and a pull-up bar. What workout are you doing that you can repeat all the time?

For example, would you do a Dan John 40 version with double barbell front squats, one arm barbell bench and pull-ups? PTTP dumbbell deadlift and dumbbell bench/press? Etc.

Mostly looking to take the thinking out of my hotel gym workouts like Simple Sinister did at home. But I need an effective program because at times of the year it can be 30-40% of my training.
 
Hello,

For the pull ups:
Friction of your body against the door make the exercise even harder.

Then, for something "minimalist" (push / pull / core / leg) :
HS Push up
OA / OAOL Push up (this also works the core very hard)
Pistol squat

Resistance bands may also be useful for DL or even OVH press.

If you want to keep some "conditioning" as per S&S, then, you can get inspiration using this article

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
Absolutely. But I guess my question is:
You walk into a hotel gym that only has dumbells and a pull-up bar. What workout are you doing that you can repeat all the time?

For example, would you do a Dan John 40 version with double barbell front squats, one arm barbell bench and pull-ups? PTTP dumbbell deadlift and dumbbell bench/press? Etc.

Mostly looking to take the thinking out of my hotel gym workouts like Simple Sinister did at home. But I need an effective program because at times of the year it can be 30-40% of my training.
I do this all the time.
If there is a pull-up bar you are lucky. Do FPP.
Or forego the gym altogether. Do NW and LED running.
 
I lived in a hotel in Germany for a few months, small gym, no kettlebells and the heaviest dumbbells were 45lbs. I would do a "full body" type of circuit three-four days a week. I did double dumbbell swings (skier swings), military press, pushups or dumbbell chest press and varying squat movements. I would do 3-5 sets of each exercise, varying the reps/weight by feel. The days in-between I took long walks around the area or got on the treadmill if it was raining.

I can't say that I made significant strength gains, but I did maintain the progress I had made prior to my travel, and when I got home I was back up and running at my pre-trip levels within two weeks.
 
Absolutely. But I guess my question is:
You walk into a hotel gym that only has dumbells and a pull-up bar. What workout are you doing that you can repeat all the time?

For example, would you do a Dan John 40 version with double barbell front squats, one arm barbell bench and pull-ups? PTTP dumbbell deadlift and dumbbell bench/press? Etc.

Mostly looking to take the thinking out of my hotel gym workouts like Simple Sinister did at home. But I need an effective program because at times of the year it can be 30-40% of my training.

I would say 99% of the gyms have dumbbells and a pull-up bar. Can someone please give me a program I can do every single time I am in a hotel gym with dumbells and pull-up bar? I want to do a bit more that just bodyweight aka NW.

I am driving myself crazy researching NW, Dan John 40 etc and overthinking this whole thing. I will be eternally grateful for help.

Just finished three consecutive weeks of hotel gyms myself. (Many Home2 Suites have dumbbells up to 75#.)

I went with an S&S homage program: Goblet Squats, Halos, pull-ups and push-ups in place of TGUs, and dumbbell swings—sometimes S&S style (10x10), otherwise 50+ consecutive swings.
 
+1 for the KettleGryp. It ain’t perfect, but you can do 2-handed swings with it. Only rated for 50#, but it’ll do until you get home. you cant really do 1-handed, because the rotational inertia of the dumbbell resists twisting MUCH more than a KB

I think Rogue or the like makes one that’ll take much higher weight, but doesn’t solve the twisting problem. Also, it’s heavy enough to be a luggage weight consideration.
do the kettlegryp and go higher rep
 
Status
Closed Thread. (Continue Discussion of This Topic by Starting a New Thread.)
Back
Top Bottom