Build a plan with a minimum and a stretch. The minimum is what you do on your worst week: two short sessions. The stretch is what you do when life is calm: three or four. Choose the time slots first, protect them like meetings, and have a travel version ready for when you are out of town.
Training is a habit, and habits survive busy weeks when they are small and specific.
Step 1: Pick your anchor times
Open your calendar and find the training slots that are easiest to defend. For most people, this is one of three:
- Early morning. Fewer interruptions. Works best if you protect your sleep.
- Lunch. A short session between meetings. Needs a place to change and wash up.
- Evening. A clean line between work and home, but meetings can run long.
Pick two anchor slots a week to start. Put them in the calendar with a title like "Training," not "Maybe gym." Add a third slot you can use if one gets bumped.
Step 2: Set a minimum and a stretch
Write two versions of your week.
- Minimum week: two 30-minute full-body sessions. See a 30-minute workout for busy professionals.
- Stretch week: three or four sessions, one longer, plus some walking.
On a rough week, doing the minimum counts as a win. It keeps the streak alive, and the streak is what matters. We talk about this in chop wood, carry water.
Step 3: Remove friction
Most missed workouts are not because of time. They are because of the small steps before the workout.
- Keep your training clothes in one place.
- Keep the gear where you can see it.
- Make the first move tiny: put on your shoes.
- Cut the commute. Training at home removes the drive, the parking and the wait, which is why in-home training suits busy people.
- Book appointments. A session with a person waiting for you is harder to skip than a plan you made alone.
Step 4: Plan the travel week
Travel breaks routines. The fix is not heroics. It is a plan.
Before you go
- Check whether your hotel has a gym, and what is in it. Do not count on it.
- Pack a resistance band, a pair of running shoes or walkable shoes, and a lightweight outfit. A band weighs almost nothing.
- Pick your workout times in advance. Early is usually safest, before the day takes over.
A hotel-room workout (about 20 minutes)
Do 3 rounds of the following, resting briefly between rounds:
- 1Bodyweight squats: 15 reps
- 2Push-ups (hands on the bed or desk if needed): 10 reps
- 3Band rows (anchor the band on a door): 12 reps
- 4Hip bridges: 15 reps
- 5Plank: 30 seconds
Add a 10-minute walk outside if you can. Walking after a flight or a long day of meetings does more for your body and your head than you would think.
While you are away
- Walk when you can: from the airport, between meetings, around the block after dinner.
- Eat protein at your meals where you can. See how much protein and water you need.
- Drink water on flights and in hotel rooms; the air is dry.
- Sleep as much as you can. Recovery is part of training.
Step 5: Have a restart rule
You will miss weeks. Everybody does. What you do next matters more than the miss.
- Missed a few days? Pick up where you left off.
- Missed a week or two? Lower the weights a little and do a gentler first session. Build back over a couple of workouts.
- Missed a month or more? Treat it like a restart, and see the beginner strength training guide.
- Never punish yourself with a brutal catch-up session. That is how people get hurt or quit.
If you are returning after a layoff, illness or injury, talk to your doctor first.
Step 6: Use a calendar that bends
If you travel or your schedule changes every week, a rigid Monday-Wednesday-Friday plan breaks fast. Try a flexible target instead: "three sessions between Monday and Sunday." That lets you slide a session when a meeting runs over.
This is the idea behind Ruca Fit's flexible scheduling. Garrett already trains busy professionals and knows your time is invaluable, so he works around your schedule. The 5-session and 10-session packages are valid for 6 months, so a travel week does not waste anything. Cancel with 24 hours notice and the session is rescheduled.
Sample weeks
The calm week
- Monday: full-body strength, 45 minutes
- Wednesday: full-body strength, 30 minutes
- Friday: full-body strength, 45 minutes
- Weekend: a long walk or a bike ride, if you like
The chaos week
- Tuesday: 30-minute full-body
- Thursday: 30-minute full-body
- Every day: 10-minute walk
The travel week
- Day 1: land and walk
- Day 2: 20-minute hotel workout
- Day 4: 20-minute hotel workout
- Home: first session back, a bit lighter
When to bring in a coach
A trainer is useful when you travel a lot because the plan adapts. Garrett builds custom programming around your life, including a version for when you are away. Sessions happen at your home in Venice, Marina del Rey, and Santa Monica. Pick a time on the booking page.
Train with Garrett
Book an in-home session
One hour, one-on-one, at your home in Venice, Marina del Rey, or Santa Monica. Your first session is an assessment. Single sessions are $175, with packages from $825.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting or changing an exercise or nutrition plan, especially if you have an injury or a health condition.