Training While Traveling
How to Maintain Muscle, Strength, and Sanity With Limited Equipment
Travel can be a nightmare for dedicated lifters. Gym access is unpredictable, equipment is inconsistent, and your usual structure goes out the window. I would know, the past 2 years, I traveled internationally more than a dozen times internationally to the East and around 30 domestic flights in the USA.
My travel schedule wasn’t as insane as some people who fly every week, but the combination of constant location changes, 2-3 day trips with compressed schedules, and time zone differences all compounded.
I was forced to simplify, embrace constraints, and not overthink workouts.
The Constraints
If you are someone who travels frequently, your limitations are something like this:
Limited equipment: Sometimes you have a few machines, a pulldown and dip station, and dumbbells up to 50 lbs. Other times it will on by 5-25lb dumbbells and a treadmill. Occasionally you may have Smith machine and cables, but no barbell. Or a barbell with no rack.
Or you get lucky and have a full size commercial gym, but its only for 1, maybe 2 workouts, and you’ve never been there before, and the equipment is not your usual brands youre familiar with using.
Variable access: Because of travel and schedule demands, you have time for ONE workout. Or TWO, but no more than 45 minutes max. Or you can train at the end of the day, and the next morning, but thats it.
One constant: Every gym, no matter how bad, always has a treadmill.
Reality > Idealism
You are never going to have perfectly ideal workouts under these conditions. Its simply not happening.
What can you do? There are three core principles to practice
1. Lift heavy weights (or any weights) until your muscles are tired
It sounds braindead simple because it is. Use whatever good stimulating exercise you have at your disposal, and do sets until the target muscle(s) are tried. If you can use heavy weights in the 5-10 rep range, thats great. If not, then do high reps and fatigue yourself in the 15-30 range for however many sets necessary.
If all you have is a pull-up bar, then pull and chin for 20 straight minutes. If the heaviest dumbbells are 50 lbs, do shoulder presses to failure as many times as needed until your deltoids are cooked.
If you are fortunate enough to have a barbell, or access to good machines, double your normal sets and do 1-2 exercises until tried.
Minimalist environments demands maximal intent.
Intensity comes from effort over all else.
2. Compress Rest Periods
Stop caring about long rest periods. Remember the goal, make the muscle tired. Short rest periods increase both fatigue and density. Set a timer for 45 minutes. Pick two movements. Do sets of 8-10 reps back and forth in a superset.
See how much real work you can get done. This alone can turn a weak gym into a productive session.
3. Supersets are Best
Typically you’d see advice to train “total body” and do some kind of bodyweight circuit. Yeah, you can do that. Personally I find that boring as hell. Im not saying that doesnt work. Im simply saying personally, when Im working with limited equipment, I find the typical recommendation of “do a bodyweight circuit!” to be unappealing.
Id rather stimulate one to two muscles HARD than try to do everything, but do nothing well
Instead, I make it even simpler, and will train two muscle groups at a time. This can be done in 20-30 minutes, it guarantees I hit muscular fatigue, and the workout is more stimulating and enjoyable
Typically I’ll do anywhere from 4-10 sets, with moderate reps (6-15 rep range)
Some examples
-Chinups supersetted with pushups
-Walking Lunges for 6 sets, superset with leg curls on a stability ball (even small hotel gyms often have these)
-Do leg press for sets of 20, superset with leg extensions or 45 degree hypers
-Front raises, lateral raises, and rear delt raises, 4 sets of 20 reps for each exercise
-biceps curls and triceps pushups until your biceps and triceps are pumped and tired
You get the idea. Focus on two muscles, two exercises, and do a bunch of volume and reps until you hit fatigue. If you can do compound movements, great. If not, dont worry about, and have fun training with isolation exercises.
When in Doubt: Just WALK
Sometimes you’ll be in a situation where doing any kind of hard workout is challenging. No gym access, gym is nothing but a treadmill, treadmill is broken.
In these situations, I dont overthink.
I set a time for 30-90 minutes, schedule permitting, and I WALK as far as I can in that time frame. This does a few things
Improves mood and reduces stress
Offsets inevitable chaotic eating
Keeps daily activity up
Improves fat oxidation
If you want to run, you could that too. If you want to do an incline walk, do that as well. The point remains the same; get in an extended period of movement. The intensity is secondary to the activity
Final Thoughts
Travel training is a test of discipline. If you stop mourning your lost routine and make peace with the constraints in front of you, you’ll maintain momentum
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