How to workout on holiday

We all want to relax on holiday, but nobody wants to lose their hard-earned gains. The good news is, you can stay in great shape on holiday with a few smart choices and some short bodyweight holiday workouts.

5 ways to stay in shape on holiday

It’s 2021, and people don’t want to sink beers every day on their annual breaks. We want to blend relaxation and fun with fitness and wellness. No problem – it’s pretty easy to stay in shape on holiday when you know how.

1 Eat two main meals a day to avoid grazing and snacking all day long

2 Do some exercise every day (use our workouts below)

3 Walk a lot – for exploring, sightseeing, or to catch some sun

4 Drink 2-3 litres water a day

5 Choose dessert or drinks every day, not both

Best cardio options on holiday

Who wants to slog through boring hotel gym cardio when you’re on holiday in a stunning location? Make the most of the environment and switch up your cardio to stay in shape the fun way.

Water sports

If your resort or the local town offers kayaking, surfing, paddleboarding, or kite surfing, take the opportunity to learn a new sport and get some serious cardio in at the same time!

Hiking

Hiking is an amazing way to explore the local area and tick off the challenge of a particular trail or climb.

Swimming

Sea swimming gives you a cardio workout and works your upper body and core. Stay safe and only ever swim in open water areas marked with flags and attended by lifeguards.

Tennis

How about some Vitamin D with your cardio session? Outdoor sports give you the opportunity to work up a sweat in the sunshine. Most holiday resorts will offer tennis so book a court and get a good workout!

Quick full body holiday workouts

We’ve put together three full body workouts you can do on the beach, in your hotel room, or in the hotel gym to stay in shape whilst you’re away.

HIIT holiday workout

This bodyweight workout will get your heartrate up and keep it there to blast max calories in minimal time. Only one rule: push hard!

Complete 10 reps of each exercise, then 9 reps of each exercise, then 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, until your final set of 1 rep of each exercise.

Air squats

Walk outs

Burpees

Press ups

Sit ups

Lunges

Bodyweight holiday workout

Use bodyweight exercises to keep your body toned and in shape on holiday. Combine this with walking or daily activities (paddleboarding, anyone?) for best results.

3 rounds of:

Paused air squats 12 reps

Bulgarian split squats 8 reps each leg

Single leg glute bridge 8 reps each leg

Close grip push ups 10 reps

Triceps dips 10 reps

V ups 8-10 reps

Walking lunges 20 reps

Plank hold 45 seconds

Hotel room holiday workout

No gym? No problem. There’s a lot you can you in your hotel room with a bit of floor space. Blast through this hotel room workout whilst your roommate is taking a shower. Job done!

2 rounds of:

Down ups (a burpee without the jump at the top) – 20 reps

Press ups – 15 reps

Bulgarian split squats (back leg up on the bed) – 10 reps each leg

Towel pull ups (jam a towel at the top of a closed door and use the ends of the towel to perform rowing movements) – 15 reps

Butterfly sit ups – 20 reps

Handstand wall walks (start in a plank position and move your feet up the wall and you walk your hands closer to the wall) – max 10 reps

Want to get some more training tips and tricks? Check them out here.

Don’t forget to fuel yourself Pre, Intra and Post-workout – You can grab yourself all your workout must-haves here.  Make sure to let us know how you get on with your training program and tag us in your workouts on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter – @phdnutrition

Written by Nicola Joyce

Nicola is a specialist freelance copywriter for the fitness industry @thefitwriter