Work out wherever you go
No fancy equipment needed — all you need is something that slides!
Really, "not having equipment" is never a good excuse not to train; you can ALWAYS get an awesome workout using only your own body weight. For example, the circuit below can be done even in the smallest hotel room or on a cottage dock.
Sample body weight circuit: 20 squats, 20 lunges, 10 plank up/up/down/downs, and 10 burpies. Repeat three times through. To do plank up/up/down/downs, start in a plank position on your forearms. Don't let your pelvis move as you place your right then your left hand on the floor so you end up in a high plank. Then, with control, return to your starting position resting on your forearms.
But I digress; my intention was to talk about the joy of what I am going to refer to as "sliding exercises." Body weight exercises might be a fantastic "go anywhere" workout, but they can get boring, and nothing kills motivation like boredom. A portable and inexpensive solution is to add fun twists on traditional favourites like push-ups, lunges, and planks with "sliding exercises."
If you are working out on carpet use a Frisbee or a paper plate. On tile or hardwood use a towel. If you want to get fancy and actually buy the piece of equipment I am trying to mimic, they are called Gliders. Gliders are purple discs that slide easily. There are two types of gliders: one that slides on carpet and one that slides on hardwood or tile.
"Fun" lower-body and core sliding circuit
Warm-up with five minutes of cardio. Do each of the following exercises for one minute: run on the spot, jumping jacks, high knees, bum kicks, and finish with skipping (just mime the rope).
Now repeat the following circuit three times.
1. Do 10 basic lunges with your right leg forward.
2. Without resting, place the glider under your left toes. Slide your left foot forward and back 10 times. Make sure to stay low in the lunge, your right knee bent and torso stable. Switch and repeat both exercises with the left leg forward.
3. Glider hamstring curls: Lie on your back with each of your heels on one glider. Lift your hips into a bridge. Straighten and bend your legs so the gliders move to and from your bum. Repeat 15 times.
4. Glider knee tucks: Start in a plank with your toes on a glider and hands under your shoulders. Pull your knees into your chest so the glider moves along the floor. Return your legs to their starting position and repeat 15 times.
Rest for one minute and then repeat two more times.
One final word of caution: Don't do sliding exercises until you have mastered the basics. Make sure that you have perfected the standard version of exercises like the lunge, squat, deadlift, plank, push-up, and pull-up before adding any sliding variations.