Hotel gyms aren’t known for having heavy weights but you can still make gains with these training tactics.

When you picture a hotel gym, you’re probably imagining a small room with light dumbbells and maybe a few cardio machines. And unfortunately, that is often the case.

But there’s some good news. You can build muscle with the right mix of those light weights, a few bodyweight exercises, and the right training methods.

How to build muscle in any hotel gym:

Higher volume (more reps and sets)
Isolate muscle groups
Supersets and shorter rest periods
Partial reps and isometric holds

Let’s take a closer look at how to build muscle in any hotel gym, with only light weights and bodyweight exercises.

I assure you that by using these methods, twenty-pound dumbbells will feel like sixty pounds by the time you’re done.

Higher Volume (More Reps and Sets)

The first thing we need to adjust in our training when we’re in a gym with only light dumbbells is to increase the volume.

The idea with volume is that you have to increase the amount of work you do over time. Our bodies are incredibly adaptive and muscles will stop growing if you constantly do the same thing over and over.

Most (around 95%) of hotel gyms have dumbbells that go up to fifty pounds, so our repetition range is going to move to 15-20 reps per set.

Once you’re working in this rep range, those fifty-pound dumbbells won’t seem so light anymore.

We’re also going to increase the number of sets by at least one. So if you normally do three working sets, increase that to four.

Isolate Muscle Groups

For building muscle, in any situation, it’s important to really isolate the muscle we’re targeting in a workout.

And when we isolate a muscle group to ensure they do the bulk of the work in a movement, the amount of weight we’re able to move tends to drop.

In a hotel gym setting, light dumbbells and bodyweight exercises are going to work great for targeting one muscle group at a time and minimizing the work other muscle groups are doing to help move the weight.

Ryan Humiston, a former competitive bodybuilder and growing YouTube sensation, is great at showing how to target specific muscle groups by isolating them.

Here are a few exercises for each major muscle group that you can do in any hotel gym and will give you a serious pump:

Chest - Wide-grip push-ups on dumbbells
Back - Single-arm dumbbell rows
Biceps - Seated dumbbell drag curls
Triceps - Dumbbell skullcrushers
Shoulders - Seated lateral raises (partial ROM)
Quads - Bulgarian split squats (no lockout at the top)
Hamstrings - Stiff-leg dumbbell deadlifts
Glutes - Frog pumps

Check out these chest workouts with dumbbells and back workouts with dumbbells for a great pump the next time you’re staying in a hotel gym.

Supersets and Shorter Rest Periods

A great way to get a good pump with bodyweight exercises and lighter weights is by increasing work capacity in a shorter time.

This means a combination of super-setting movements and shortening our rest periods.

When I superset, I prefer to do so with exercises that target opposing muscle groups.

For example, I’ll superset a bicep movement and a triceps movement or a shoulder movement and leg movement. This ensures that the working muscle group is fresh.

Partial Reps and Isometric Holds

When it comes to getting a muscle to grow, we need to put it under tension. The more tension the muscle is under, the more stress it experiences. This is where the growth happens.

Two of the best tactics for keeping a muscle under tension are by shortening our range of motion (ROM) and holding a weight in a static position under stress.

Partial reps mean you’re going to shorten your range of motion. Instead of doing a full range of motion on a movement, you’re not going all the way down or all the way up.

For example, if you do not lockout on presses or squats, you’re eliminating the muscle’s opportunity to rest. This keeps it under more tension and gives you more growth.

Isometric holds work in a similar way. Stop halfway through the movement and hold the weight for five to ten seconds. Chances are your body will be screaming for it to stop.

The advantage of partial reps and isometric holds is that you’re going to have to decrease the weight you’re using. If you normally use eighty-pound dumbbells to press overhead, that weight is going to drop by almost half.

The Full Body Hotel Gym Dumbbell Workout

Now that we’ve covered the boring details, let’s go over a full-body hotel gym workout that can be completed in under 30 minutes with only dumbbells.

Complete each superset before moving on to the next:

Superset #1

Bench-Supported Dumbbell Rows - 3 sets of 15-20
Wide Push-ups on Dumbbells - 3 sets until failure

Superset #2

Walking Lunges with Dumbbells at Shoulders - 3 sets of 20 (Each Side)
Side Lateral Raises (3 seconds up, 3 seconds down) - 3 sets of 15-20

Superset #3

Hammer Curls (Partial ROM, Elbows on Stomach) - 3 sets of 15-20
Dumbbell Skullcrushers - 3 sets of 15-20

Superset #4

Dumbbell Crunches - 3 sets until failure
V-Ups - 3 Sets until Failure

Keep rest as short as possible between sets. Rest 1 minute between supersets.

Muscle soreness is a source of controversy but I know that when I’m sore, I’ve sufficiently pushed my muscles to get them to grow.

Bottom Line

Fitness becomes a way of life for many of us. Having no gym can put us in a bad mood quickly, so don’t skip workouts while you’re traveling.

Adjust your training to the environment you’re in. Hotel gym workouts can be a great way to refresh your training and can turn out to be great for growing.

Hotel gyms with only lightweights are only a problem if you lack an understanding of what makes a muscle grow.

By incorporating these tactics, there’s no reason why you can’t get a great pump and some incredible gains in any hotel gym.