Small Space Circuits: The Vacation Workout

As a trainer, I am constantly combating excuses about why a client “can’t” work out.  I don’t have time, they say; I’m not a member of a gym, they wail; I never know what to do on my own, they claim.

What if I could solve all of those issues with just one simple (but tough!) workout?

I recently had the opportunity to go on a river cruise down the Mekong from Cambodia to Vietnam with AmaWaterways.  The cruise itself was amazing (and highly recommended), but being a river vessel, the gym space was limited – as was my time, since part of the reason one goes on vacation is to experience another culture, not to spend hours working out.

The beautiful cruise ship AmaDara

Because I had the benefit of traveling with a fitness-minded friend, I recruited her to partner up with me and we committed to 20 minutes of exercise on “most” days.  I designed a short, high-intensity workout to keep both of us active and strong without wasting our precious cruising hours.

Ready to work out!

Get ready – this one’s a toughie, as there’s not much rest and there is much running/cardio.  Feel free to modify the workout if you have access to equipment (i.e., run on at treadmill if you have one, jump rope if you brought one, add weights to your squats if you have some) – but know that you don’t need a speck of stuff to get your sweat on with this routine.  Let’s go!

Fitness room onboard the cruise ship AmaDara

SMALL SPACE CIRCUITS

Warm up with 1-2 minutes of easy cardio, like jogging, jumping jacks, or cycling.

Next, alternate 2 minutes of high-intensity cardio (like sprinting, jumping rope, or burpees) with 2 minutes of full body exercises (listed below), continuing for 5 rounds.

Rest 30 seconds between each 4-minute round, finishing with a 1-minute plank after the fifth round.

Cool down and stretch for 1-2 minutes.

2 MINUTE RUN / 1 MINUTE PUSH-UPS / 1 MINUTE STEP LUNGES

REST 30 SEC

2 MINUTE JUMP ROPE / 1 MINUTE TRICEPS DIPS / 1 MINUTE SQUATS

REST 30 SEC

2 MINUTE MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS / 1 MINUTE BICYCLE CRUNCHES / 1 MINUTE PLANK-UPS

REST 30 SEC

2 MINUTE JUMPING JACKS / 1 MINUTE KNEE-TO-ELBOW PLANKS / 1 MINUTE SQUAT-KICKS

REST 30 SEC

2 MINUTE BURPEES / 1 MINUTE SUMO SQUATS / 1 MINUTE V-UPS

REST 30 SEC

1 MINUTE PLANK

One more step – pat yourself on the back for having a) worked out on vacation and b) made it through a really tough 20 minute effort.  Now bon voyage!

Vietnam ahoy!