The no-excuse, on-the-road, in-your-hotel-room workout.

Leave behind all the reasons you can't work out. Here's an exercise routine you can take anywhere.

It matters not if you travel all the time or once in awhile: Keeping a commitment to exercise while you're on the road is not always easy. Your hotel may not have fitness facilities or your agenda may be so packed there's little free time.

Here's one solution to this common executive dilemma: The No-Excuse Workout, requiring very little equipment (occasional use of an exercise band) and not too much time, and allowing absolutely no excuses. On the following pages, Mary E. Power, regional director of sales/mid-Atlantic region, Inter-Continental Hotels & Resorts Corporation, and Langley Spurlock, CAE, a recently retired vice president at the Chemical Manufacturers Association, both of Washington D.C., show how to do the exercises with occasional assistance from me.

The No-Excuse Workout is not meant to be a total fitness program in itself. You also need to include stretching and cardiovascular conditioning (walking, for example, is an accessible activity).

Before beginning, walk through the hotel for about 10 minutes to warm up your muscles (stairs are great for this).

For beginning exercisers, perform one set of each exercise for approximately 15 repetitions. For intermediate exercisers, perform two sets of 15 repetitions. For advanced exercisers, you guessed it - three sets of 15 repetitions. (Note: Anyone who decides to participate in an exercise program needs to first consult his or her physician.)

1 Stationary lunge. Holding the back of a chair for balance, lower body to the point where the legs form approximately 90 degree angles, then return to the starting position. Form. Keep your torso upright and supported by pulling in your abdominal muscles. In the down position, don't allow your knee to move beyond your toes and keep your back knee a couple of inches off the ground.

2 Squats. Standing in front of a chair as if to sit, slowly lower your body to the point where you can feel the chair. Before resting your weight, slowly exhale and raise back up. Form. Bend from the hips not the knees so that as you lower, your hips crease back but your knees do not jut forward. Keep your abdominals tight and chest lifted as you lower and raise your hands forward to counterbalance your weight. Make sure that your knees stay in line with your feet and do not bow out or bend in toward each other. (These first two exercises are great for legs stiff from long periods of sitting or standing.)

3 Seated row. Start with your arms straight and pull shoulder blades in toward spine; finish the movement by pulling elbows slightly behind torso. Release to starting position. Form. Sit with a straight spine and be sure to keep your shoulders down as you pull. (This is an excellent exercise for posture and upper back tension.)

4 Pushups. Keeping your lower back supported by abdominal muscles, lower body so that shoulders are even with elbows, then return to starting position. Form. Aim your nose - not the top of your head - toward the floor on the way down; exhale as you raise.

5 Abdominal curls. Exhale and raise to approximately a 20-to-30-degree angle; pause briefly, then lower. Form. As you exhale and start to raise, focus on pulling your naval down toward your spine to maximize the abdominal contraction. Try only to support but not pull on your neck with your hands; prop feet on a bed or chair to relax the lower back.

6 Back extension. Exhale while lifting head, chest, and lower legs. Pause briefly, then return to starting position. Form. Focus more on your lower back muscles working than the amount of height you achieve, which will usually result in pulling from the shoulder blades instead of the lower back muscles. (One common cause of low back pain is weak abdominal and lower back muscles; strengthening them can help you better support your spine.)

7 Bicep curls. Keeping palms up and elbows by side, curl forearms up to slightly below the shoulders; then slowly release to starting position. Form. Keep a slight bend in the knees and your shoulders back and down. Try to move your forearms only without moving your shoulders or elbows. (If your arms get tired carrying that luggage, then keep working at this one.)

8 Tricep dips. Lower torso by flexing at the elbow until shoulders are approximately even with the elbows; slowly return to starting position. Form. Keep torso straight, being careful not to allow the chest to cave in. For a more advanced version, straighten legs out or place them on the bed.

The exercise bands shown are from SPRI Products and can be ordered by calling (800) 2227774. Exercise pamphlets showing additional and alternative exercises are also available to order. Gayle C. Gregory is a fitness director for Sport & Health, Inc., Washington, D.C. She holds a bachelor's degree in health science and is nationally accredited by the American College of Sports Medicine and by the National Strength Conditioning Association.