1. Use high reps to failure (in safe exercises)
If you’re a guy looking to build muscle, you’ll be disappointed by 95% of hotel gyms with their weights that only go up to 30 kilos. The solution coincidentally comes from Japanese exercise science researchers.
They compared lifting to failure, with both heavy (6 reps) and light (30 reps) weight, allows beginners to build the same amount of muscle.
So don’t be afraid of using high reps to failure in exercises that are safe for this purpose (such as lying triceps extensions and biceps curls). Don’t do this with barbell squats or bench presses. Train hard but safe!
2. Superset bodyweight exercises with dumbbell exercises
You can do high rep pushups and follow that with dumbbell presses. This helps deplete the muscles of energy stores and increases “turbulence” during your training so you get greater post-workout afterburn.
3. Switch Your Tempos
That means slowing the time it takes for you to lower the weight in every exercise. Bring the dumbbells down to your chest in five seconds, rather than two seconds. This will mean you can use less weight and still get a training stimulus to put ‘turbulence’ on the muscles to create afterburn.
4. Experiment with Unilateral Exercises
This will require you to start with half the weight that you usually use.
For example, do dumbbell chest presses with one arm. Keep the other hand resting on your abs to remind you to keep your core tight. Slowly the lower the weight and press it back up like normal. You can do this for incline presses and overhead presses too, plus leg exercises, rows, rear-delt raises, and so much more.
Slow it down, go single limb, and you’ll get a great hotel gym workout.
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