Finding and sticking to a consistent workout routine can be difficult for anyone, but especially for locum tenens physicians. The long hours and frequent location changes that travel physicians experience can make it challenging to find time to work out. Luckily, it is not necessary to go to the gym to get in a good workout. You can exercise at your house, during your break at work, in a hotel, or even at the airport without any equipment at all. From travel nurses and therapy professionals, to locum physicians and nurse practitioners, anyone who regularly travels for work can benefit from these bodyweight workouts.
Warm Up
It is vital to warm up by elevating your heart rate so that you can increase your performance and reduce the risk of injury. It’s no question that locum physician work means lots of time on your feet but depending or your athletic ability and the intensity of your workout, your warm up should range from 5-20 minutes.
Some satisfying warm-ups include:
- Marching or running in place
- High knees
- Jumping jacks
- Squats
- Cat-camel stretches
- Arm cross swings
- Toe touches
Upper Body/Core Workout (Repeat 2-3x or add to another workout)
- For an upper body workout, you can do these exercises in any order. Rest for a maximum of 30 seconds between sets.
- - Traditional pushups with knees up or down: 10-20 reps
- - Plank with arms straight or in dolphin plank (with forearms flat on the floor): 30 seconds to 1 minute
- - Shoulder taps : 20-30 reps
- - Arm circles: start with 20 small circles in one direction then do 20 in the opposite direction. Repeat in both directions with larger arm circles.
- - Side plank: work your way up to 30 seconds or more on each side
- - Diamond pushups with knees up or down: 10-20 reps
- - Walking pushups: 10-20 reps
- - Arm pumps: 20 reps
- Cardio/HIIT Workout
- (Repeat 2-3x and try to add some exercises from the upper body/core or lower body workout for higher impact.) This workout will be for when you’re trying to really sweat and get your heart rate up. Try and do each exercise for 30 seconds to 1 minute in any order. Rest for 10-20 seconds between sets.
- -Burpees
- -Mountain climbers
- -Mountain climber twists
- -Jumping squats
- -Plank jacks
- -Jumping lunges
- -Star jumps
- Lower Body Workout
- (Repeat 2x and do 1 round of the cardio workout or Repeat 3x.) Be sure to rest for 20-30 seconds between sets.
-
- - Squats: 15-20
- -Wall sits: 30 seconds to 1 minute
- -Reverse lunges: 10-15 each side
- -Calf raises (toes straight, toes in, toes out) : 15-20 reps per type
- -Bridge raises: 10-15
- -Bridge pulses: 15-20
- -Bridge: hold 30 to 45 seconds
- -1 legged bridge raises: 5-10 each side
Along with your warm up, it’s important to end your workout with a cool down period and a round of stretching. Whether you are a traveling physician or just traveling for fun, there is always time for you to stay or get in shape! If you’d like to discover more bodyweight workouts while you’re on the go, check out our Pinterest board for travel healthcare professionals!