@TrainForPain thanks for commenting and following along!
Great question, as it can be challenging to make sure training is always in place during travel. The very first thing I do when booking travel is Google around for gyms in the area of my hotel, as well as grocery stores, healthy eating options, grocery stores, etc. In the very worst case scenario I’ll get a session in the hotel fitness area, but 95% of the time I can find a great gym within a 10min drive of my hotel. If I’m there for a day or two, I’ll pay for a day pass. If I’m there for a week or two, I’ll call ahead and talk to the manager and say something along the lines of, “I’m in the area just for a couple weeks for travel and your gym looks fantastic, just looking for a place to train while I’m there. Any chance we could work out a week/two week rate?” They almost always say yes.
I’ve also done the “trial membership dance” before where I get a week trial here, a few day trial there, and can train for free during my stay.
As far as what do I train on the road, that will largely depend on how many days I’m traveling, as well as what I’ve been able to train throughout the week so far. If I’m making a usual two week trip to SoCal in the fall, I’ll train every day and keep up on my current bodybuilding split. If my schedule isn’t as consistent and I’m training maybe 3 or 4 days in the week, I’ll modify, typically with supersets to keep the workout moving along so I’m not in there too long, these days my weight session never take more than 45-60min, then I’ll sometimes do 20min cardio afterwards, and always take advantage of the sauna or hot tub post workout if there is one.
When I combine body parts, I’ll do supersets if I can, like chest/back, biceps/triceps, quads/hams, and shoulders and extended cardio. Once in a while I’ll need to skip a muscle group, in which case it’ll usually be shoulders or arms, as they do get some secondary during during chest and back.
I will make every effort to train while on the road, if I have to wake up at 5am to do it prior to the day getting started I will, and I’ve also had many times where I land after a 5 hour flight, head straight to the grocery store, then to the hotel, then right to the gym before my evening commitments. Planning ahead and knowing where these places will be is very helpful, so once you’re there, you can hit the ground running.
That being said, sleep/recovery/mental state is also top priority, so if in order to train the next day it means I’ll only get 4 hours of sleep, I will not train, so I can make sure to get enough sleep and have a productive day the next day. Over the years I’ve learned that it’s really ok to miss a day, or days, if absolutely necessary. If your baseline is to consistently train 5-6 days a week, when life happens and you need to layoff for a while, it’s all good.
Earlier this year I wound up taking almost an 8 week layoff, because I had an infected cyst in my left pec, making it almost impossible to move my left arm, had it removed and stitched up, and by the time that was better a few weeks later, I got shingles. It was the longest layoff I’ve ever had out of the gym and I was worried how my physique would be affected. Keeping nutrition in line, I was pleasantly surprised to see my weight maintained, my physique did too, and after a few weeks back in the gym my strength was right back where it was prior to all these issues.
Hope this helps, and please feel free to post comments/questions any time! Staying fit with an ever changing schedule is a non-stop learning process, always learning new tips/trips/hacks and methods to make it happen.
