UrbanUpdate

In the friendly confines of your own home, you are a bona fide fitness superstar. You would never dream of missing an invigorating morning at the gym, and at this point, your workout regimen of choice is as engrained in your day-to-day routine as waking up, going to sleep, and washing your face with charcoal. (Wait, you do wash your face with charcoal, right? Come on, man.)

When traveling, though, this can be a little tougher. Things like odd hours, brutal jet lag, forgotten sneakers, and shoddy hotel gyms that look (and smell) like they haven't been cleaned in ages—if they exist at all—are remarkably adept at bumping exercise off your calendar entirely. Never fear, though. I asked Nigel Barker, a fashion photographer and former America's Next Top Model judge who spends, by his estimation, seven months a year on the road for advice on how to ensure that your next business trip won't stop you from breaking a sweat. And washing your face appropriately afterwards, of course.

Get on the floor. But make sure it's clean. (Listen, you don't know when that carpet was last cleaned.) Nigel travels with a yoga mat, but if you're not up for that just yet, try taking the top sheet off your unused double bed and laying that on the floor. (No, you don't know when that was last cleaned, either. But... hopefully recently?)

Stretch it out. This isn't just a travel recommendation, but especially after a long day wedged behind the wheel of a rental car or crammed into a too-small airplane seat, your body is going to need a little extra attention. Use spare towels like exercise bands to bring stiff, achy lower limbs to life, and loosen up your arms and chest by pulling on a towel anchored around the leg of the bed. Hey, you're already paying for them. Might as well use them.

Embrace your space. If your hotel has a fancy gym, great. Use that, obviously. But if it doesn't, your room and the things in it will do just fine in a pinch. Nigel suggests propping your feet up on the desk chair to change the angle of a regular old push-up, and using it as a base to crank out triceps dips. You can also try finding a spare section of the wall to assist with handstands or, if you're feeling particularly ambitious, handstand push-ups.

Get creative with what's available. Does your room not come with its own set of free weights? No? You are wrong, friend, because you're thinking only with dumbbells in mind. Holding a chair out at arm's length is a fine shoulder exercise, and depending on how heavy you packed, your suitcase makes a great overhead press companion. Nigel's photography gear, all told, can approach 100 pounds, which sound like a gigantic a pain in the airport, but definitely comes in handy when it's time to sweat.

Don't forget cardio. Two words: fire escape! Running stairs is great for you, and unless something very bad happens in the middle of your workout, you'll probably be all alone in there. Plus, unlike most areas of the hotel, the fire escape usually isn't air conditioned, which makes it easy to work up a lather quickly.

Keep moving. With limited available gear and a busy schedule, this is the time to do some circuit training, if you don't already. Plan out your exercises in advance and skip taking breaks in between sets. Speed is your friend. Besides, it's happy hour at the hotel bar. Hurry up.

Watch Now:Try This TABATA Core Workout, TooJay Willis is a staff writer at GQ covering news, law, and politics. Previously, he was an associate at law firms in Washington, D.C. and Seattle, where his practice focused on consumer financial services and environmental cleanup litigation. He studied social welfare at Berkeley and graduated from Harvard Law School... Read more