Vanessa Matthews' Road Warrior Workout: The "No Excuse" Routine

Hitting the road for the holidays and don’t have time to work out? Not so fast! Owner of Fulfitment Personal Training and this month’s guest blogger Vanessa Matthews is sharing her “Road Warrior Workout: The ‘No Excuses’ Routine,” a butt-kicking, 30-minute circuit workout that incorporates resistance bands. Check out what she has to say to help you stay fit during your holiday travels!

Resistance bands are an excellent tool for strength and cardio conditioning, no matter your lifestyle or fitness goals.

My favorite thing about these bands are that they are 100% portable, and weigh less than a pound, so excuses like “I travel too much” and “I don’t have equipment accessible” are no longer valid. The great thing is: you can get an awesome workout with a very limited amount of space. And forget the time excuse. Whether you have 10 minutes or an hour, you can squeeze in a total body routine that will leave you feeling great for the rest of your day.

Balancing Out the Body

It is so important to keep your body balanced when you work out. To keep your joints healthy and functional, they must be supported equally from the opposing muscle groups that surround them.

To have a well-rounded workout routine, you want to include at least one movement from each movement pattern:

• Push (vertical/horizontal)
• Pull (vertical/horizontal)
• Lower body (Quad dominant/Hamstring dominant) 
• Core

This ensures that you are training all of the major muscle groups in your body. It also will prevent injuries and help alleviate other chronic pains. Both of these circuits include one movement from each category plus a bonus cardio move.

In 30 minutes and a limited amount of space, you can get a great fat-burning strength workout. Only have 10 minutes? Run through each circuit once and call it a day. A short, intense workout will still rev up your metabolism for hours to follow.

Chest Press

Movement Pattern: Horizontal Push

Setup: Stand with your back facing the anchor point. Hold the band in your left hand and step back with your left foot into a stable lunge stance. The band should be resting on top of your arm, and your elbow up just below shoulder height.

Execution: Exhale as you press the band forward until your arm is fully extended. Return back to the starting point with control and constant tempo. Keep your torso and shoulder girdle stable throughout the movement. Perform 15 reps and switch sides.

Modification: It is easy to modify or progress an exercise using resistance bands. Simply stand farther from the anchor point to make it more challenging, or closer to the anchor point to modify. Find a position far enough away that 15 reps is very challenging, but you are still able to use good form.

Row With Lunge
Movement Pattern: Horizontal Pull

Setup: Stand facing the anchor point. Hold the band in your left hand and step back with your left leg into a lunge stance.

Execution: Sink down into a lunge as you pull the band straight back. Keep your arm in close to your body, and stabilize your torso and shoulder girdle. Release the row back to the starting position as you rise out of the lunge. Perform 15 reps and switch sides.

Modification: This exercise can be progressed and modified the same way as the chest press. Another way to modify this one is to simply remove the lunge movement and focus on using the upper body only.

Lunge Switch

Movement Pattern: Quad Dominant Lower Body

Setup: Start in a lunge position, with one foot behind the other. Your feet should be shoulder width apart, and your stance should be long enough that if you dropped down to one knee you would have a 90-degree angle in both knees.

Execution: Drop down slightly into a lunge before exploding up into a jump as you switch your feet. The goal is to land both feet at the same time, far enough apart that you still maintain proper lunge form. One rep is equal to one lunge on each side.

Modification: If you cannot land with both feet far enough apart, start with a skip lunge. Bring your back leg up first and switch your feet, placing your new front foot on the ground before the back foot. Another low impact option is to do alternating step back lunges.

Horizontal Chop

Movement Pattern: Core

Setup: Stand with your shoulders parallel to the band. Hold the handle with both hands with your arms extended in front of you. Start with your upper body turned slightly towards the anchor point.

Execution: Rotate your upper body away from the anchor point, keeping your arms straight out in front of you. Return to the starting position, using control. Keep your core engaged throughout the movement.

Modification: Stand farther from the anchor point to make it more challenging, or closer to the anchor point to modify. Find a position far enough away that 15 reps is very challenging, but you are still able to use good form.

Mountain Climber

Movement Pattern: Cardio

Setup: Start in a high plank position, on your toes and with your hands directly beneath your shoulders. Keep your body in a straight line, with your core engaged.

Execution: Alternate tapping your feet forward in a fast motion. Tapping both your right and left foot counts as one rep.

Modification: You can modify this move by slowing it down or raising your upper body up on a bench or chair.

Squat Press

Movement Pattern: Vertical Push

Setup: Stand with both feet in the band and your feet shoulder width apart. Hold the handles by your shoulders, with the tubing behind your shoulders and elbows.

Execution: Squat down first and as you stand up out of the squat, press the band overhead. Return to the starting position with control, dropping back down into the squat position.

Modification: To modify, simply press the band overhead and do not perform the squat. Make it more challenging by standing closer to the handles, creating more resistance.

Bent Over Row

Movement Pattern: Vertical/Horizontal Row (Depends on how much of a forward lean you use. More forward lean results in a more horizontal row)

Setup: Stand on the band with both feet. Criss cross the band in front of you, and hinge over from the hips. Keep your back flat throughout the movement.

Execution: Keep your elbows in close to your body and pull the band straight back. Squeeze the muscles in your back at the top of the contraction; then, release back to the starting position using control.

Modification: To modify, step your feet closer together to create less resistance on the band. To make this harder, choke up on the band by standing closer to the handles.

Glute Press

Movement Pattern: Hamstring Dominant Lower Body

Setup: Place the handle of the band over the arch of your left foot. Kneel on all fours with the band under your right knee, and hold onto the band with your right hand for safety.

Execution: Keeping your left knee bent, press your heel straight up to the ceiling. Focus on using the glutes and keep all the movement in the hips. Lower down to the starting position with control. Complete all of your reps on the left leg, then set up and repeat on the right.

Modification: Modify this exercise by kneeling closer to the handle you are holding with your hand. Make it harder by choking up on the band, kneeling further away from the handle in your hand.

Resisted Bicycle

Movement Pattern: Core

Setup: Sit on the floor with the center of the band behind your hips. Hook the handles of the band over the tops of your feet, securing them over the arch. Lean back, and hold on to the band with your thumbs behind your hips.

Execution: Alternate pressing the band forward with each foot, in a bicycle movement pattern. Lean back and keep your abs engaged. Use control throughout the entire movement. Press the band with the right and left foot to equal one rep.

Modification: To modify, keep one foot on the floor, and do all your reps on one side before switching. To make this harder, try to slow down the movement even more.

Band Hop

Movement Pattern: Cardio

Setup: Set the band on the ground in a straight line.

Execution: Hop from one side of the band to the other, moving down the length of the band. Turn around and come back down the other side. Try to land with both feet at the same time, absorbing the impact with slightly bent knees. One rep counts as a hop over and back again. For 20 reps, you will perform 40 total hops.

Modification: To modify, land with one foot at a time to reduce the amount of impact on your joints.

Planning on doing the The “No Excuses” Routine over the holidays? Tell us about your experience in a comment!

Rock Your Core Strength Workout

Who said you need weights to strength train? These Rock Your Core: Circuit Workout moves from POPSUGAR Fitness use your balance and your body weight to strengthen and tone your core. This no excuse, simple workout will engage all of your core from your abs to your glutes and even your shoulders and hamstrings to build muscle mass. The full circuit we've put together should take you about 20 minutes.

The more lean muscle tissue your body builds, the higher your basal metabolic rate, which is one of the best ways to burn more fat throughout the day. And, not to mention, you'll feel so much stronger!

The Bird Dog

Source: POPSUGAR Studios

This move works your abs and back simultaneously, and even a little bit of inner thigh and arm strength!

1. Start out on all fours with your hands right under your shoulders and your knees right beneath your hips. Pull your abs up toward your spine as your bring your left knee and right elbow together to meet beneath your torso.
2. Keeping your torso stable, straighten your right arm and left leg. Reaching through your left heel toward the back of the room to engage the muscles on the back of the leg and your butt.
3. This completes one rep. After completing 10 to 15 reps, switch sides.

Alternating Side Lunge

Source: POPSUGAR Studios

The lateral movement of this exercise is an awesome way to engage the glutes and inner thighs.

• Start with your feet right under your hips. Step your right foot wide to the side coming into a lunge and reach your left fingers to your right foot. Important: your right knee should not extend out past your right toes. Make sure your chest stays lifted and your weight pulls back into your heels.
• Press your weight down into your right foot to return to standing, then lunge sideways to the left to complete one rep.

Elbow Plank and Rotate

Source: POPSUGAR Studios

Planks are one of the best moves to work your whole body, and twisting just adds an extra fire to the obliques, the abdominal muscles that crisscross your core and wrap up around your waist.

• Begin in a regular elbow plank with your feet just slightly wider than hip distance.
• Twist your entire torso to the left reaching your left arm up toward the ceiling. Your pelvis will rotate, too, but try to keep it in line with your body. No sinking or lifting. 
• Return to back down to the elbow plank, and repeat the twisting motion to the right for one full rep. 

Single-Leg Bridge

Source: POPSUGAR Studios

Strengthen your glutes, lower back, and hamstrings with this powerful and simple move.

• Lie on your back, and pull your left knee into your chest, clasping your hands just below the knee. Lift your right toes up off the floor, and press your right heel down into the floor to press your pelvis and torso up toward the ceiling.  
• Gently lower your torso back to the ground and you've finished one rep. After completing 10 to 15, repeat on the other side.

Weightless Deadlift

Source: POPSUGAR Studios

This simple exercise is a weight-free version of a deadlift, working your glutes and back, kind of like a reverse crunch.

• Start with your feet hip-width apart, and place your hands lightly at the back of your head with elbows opened wide. 
• Pull your abs up and in toward your spine and keep your back flat while pressing your butt backward to bend forward, careful to stop moving when your back is almost parallel to the floor. Allow a slight bend in your knees as you hinge forward.
• Return to standing and squeeze your glutes as soon as you are upright for one rep.

Dead Bug

Source: POPSUGAR Studios

This is one of our absolute favorite moves. The name may be silly, but it engages the entirety of your core.

• Lie on your back with a your hips lifted and knees at right angles with your palms pressed into your thighs just the knees. 
• Pull your abs down toward the floor, keeping your ribs and pelvis contracted as you lengthen your right arm and leg out until they are almost parallel to the floor. 
• Return to the start, and repeat on the left side to complete one rep.

Reverse Lunge With Reach

Source: POPSUGAR Studios

This move works your body's biggest muscle groups and tests your balance by adding in the side reach.

• Stand tall with your hands at your waist and step back with your left leg into a deep lunge. Lift your left arm overhead and reach toward the right. 
• Return to standing position, and repeat this move on the other side to complete one rep. 

What are your favorite core moves? Tell us in a comment!