On Tom Rowland Podcast Episode 59 (How 2 Tuesday #19), I show you three workouts you can do with no equipment, anywhere you travel. You do not need a gym, a deck of cards, or even shoes for most of them. I walk through jelly legs, a burpee and air squat ladder; three miles and 300 push-ups; and a burpee shuttle between two lines. Each one scales up or down so it challenges anyone, from someone just getting started to a flat-out super beast. Travel knocks a lot of people off track, and these workouts make sure it never knocks me off mine.
Listen now: Spotify · Apple Podcasts · or press play in the player above.
You do not need a gym or any gear at all. In this episode I give you three bodyweight workouts you can run in a hotel room, a parking lot, or on a beach: a burpee and air squat ladder I call jelly legs, a three miles and 300 push-ups effort, and a burpee shuttle between two lines. Every one of them scales up or down, so they challenge anyone from a beginner to a super beast.
Jelly legs is two movements, a burpee and an air squat, run as a descending and ascending ladder. You start with 20 burpees and one air squat, then 19 burpees and two air squats, then 18 and three, all the way down until you finish with one burpee and 20 air squats. It needs no equipment and no shoes, so you can do it in a hotel, a parking lot, or a prison cell.
Stand straight up, then drop down into a push-up position and go all the way down until your chest touches the floor. Get back up the best way you can to a standing position, then jump and clap overhead. That is one rep. Burpees are the cornerstone of my fitness and a great way for anyone to stay in shape.
You start a clock, run a total of three miles, and somewhere before, after, or during that run you complete 300 push-ups. You can knock out 50 push-ups, run a mile, do another 50, or break them into sets of ten however you like. The faster you cover the distance and the reps, the more work you get done in less time and the better shape you are in.
Mark two lines about ten yards apart, a couple of parking spaces, or any open space. At the first line do 10 burpees and sprint to the second line, do nine burpees and sprint back, then eight, seven, and so on down to one. It is a great workout for hotels, beaches, or anywhere with a little open area.
Every workout adjusts to your level. If jelly legs at 20 is too much, cut it in half and start at 10, or cut it again; if it is too easy, start at 30, 40, or 50. For three miles and 300 push-ups, drop to a mile and 100 push-ups or build up to five miles and 500. For the shuttle, start at five reps and walk between lines, or start at 15, 20, or 30 and sprint.
Here are the exact workouts I run when I travel, plus how to set them up.
I walk through every one of these, with the variations, in the episode. Press play in the player above.
The first time I covered staying in shape on the road I shared the deck of cards workout, the one I reach for almost every time I travel. It was popular enough that I wanted to give you more options, because the real enemy is not a missing gym, it is the excuse. Travel throws off your routine, your friends are not around, and the gym you like is a thousand miles away. These three workouts remove every reason to skip a day. I explain why that matters so much in the episode, so press play in the player above.
If I had to keep one movement, it would be the burpee. Stand up, drop to the floor, touch your chest, get back up, and jump with a clap overhead. It hits everything, it needs nothing, and it scales forever. Two of these three workouts are built on it, and the third can be too if you swap push-ups for burpees. I break down how I use burpees to stay ready no matter where I wake up, and you can hear the full reasoning in the player above.
Getting off track on a single travel trip is not the real cost. The problem is that one missed week quietly turns into the next, and suddenly it takes weeks to climb back to where you were. It has happened to me plenty of times, so I started collecting little workouts I can carry anywhere and run without thinking. The night-before setup, the alarm, and the no-excuses roll out of bed are what keep the streak alive. I lay out the whole habit in the episode, so press play in the player above.
These three workouts are short, simple, and brutal when you want them to be. Jelly legs, three miles and 300 push-ups, and the burpee shuttle need nothing but you and a little space, and every one of them scales to meet you where you are.
Write them down, put them on your phone, or just keep this episode with you. Set your clothes out the night before, pick one, set the alarm, and get after it. No excuses.
Jelly legs workout · burpees · air squats · three miles, 300 push-ups · burpee shuttle · deck of cards workout · bodyweight training · travel fitness · How 2 Tuesday · Tom Rowland Podcast
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or habit at a time, from fishing technique and gear to travel and the fitness routines that keep me performing on the water, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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