Kumail Nanjiani books hotels with good gyms. These are 2 workout machines he looks for — and 1 he hates to see.
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- Comedian Kumail Nanjiani said working out is a key part of his self-care routine on tour.
- He books hotels based on which have the best gym, including machines like a leg press.
- Nanjiani said he steers clear of hotels that don't put much effort into their gyms.
Kumail Nanjiani said making time to hit the gym is a big priority even as he's juggling a busy schedule for his stand-up tour.
"I love it very much. I need it. I can't do without working out now and I do it most days when I'm on the road," Nanjiani told Business Insider in an interview about his partnership with Quest Nutrition.
The comedian and actor said he chooses hotels on tour based on what the hotel gym looks like, so he knows his favorite gym machines will be available and he can plan his workouts ahead of time.
"I'm like this all the time. When Emily and I go out to dinner, I already know what I'm going to get because I've looked at the menu," he said. "When I'm walking into a gym in the hotel, I know exactly what they have, what I'm going to do, and how long it's going to take.
The routine helps him fit an hour-long workout between checking into the hotel and getting to his show, with time to spare for a little relaxation.
Nanjiani's ideal gym has a leg press and shoulder press machine
Nanjiani said the two pieces of fitness equipment he's most excited to see in a hotel gym are a leg press and a shoulder press machine.
"If I can have one or both of those, to me there's nothing better than that," he said.
While Nanjiani's home gym is equipped with some weights, using a leg press is a treat. It offers the advantage of targeting the glutes, hamstrings, and quads from multiple angles.
"I love a leg press machine. I have a gym at my house, a very small gym. It doesn't have a leg press machine, so I'm doing squats," he said.
The actor is also a fan of heavy dumbbells, and said he looks for a rack that goes up to 60 or 70 pounds.
But his go-to for upper body exercise is the shoulder press machine because it helps ensure safety and good form even at higher intensities.
"You can really go heavy weight and not be afraid of dropping the dumbbell on your head," Nanjiani said.
There's one fitness machine that's a dealbreaker, though. Nanjiani isn't a fan of the multipurpose combo of a pull-down, fly, and leg machine all in one, since it makes it hard to do any of those exercises well.
"There's one piece of equipment that a lot of hotels have that they clearly got some deal on," he said. "I think that that machine is absolute trash. If I look at a hotel gym and they have that one specific machine, I know not to go. I know they haven't put any thought into their gym."