One question that I often get asked by my online followers is:
“Lee, How Do I Stick To My Workout & Nutrition Routine When I’m Traveling?”
And the simple answer is… YOU DON’T !
WTF???
“Lee, are you saying that I should quit working out and eat whatever want when I’m traveling?”
NO, I’m not saying you should quit, but I am saying that most likely you won’t be able to stick to your “Current Routine” of diet and exercise. You have to learn how to be flexible in your approach when you are outside your normal environment.
Working Out When Traveling…
When you are away from home you won’t be able to workout at your regular gym, so chances are your workouts are going to vary some what. For example, you may not have the same equipment to train with, so you probably won’t be able to follow your exact routine or program as you do when you are home.
And if you are working out at a hotel gym you are going to be very limited in what you can do as most hotel gyms suck, but they are better than not working out at all.
What I do in these cases is simply do circuit routines. One day I’ll do an upper body circuit routine using what ever equipment is available. For example, I may do a chest exercise, back exercise, shoulder exercise, bicep exercise, and tricep exercise… Then repeat the circuit 3-4 times.
The next day I may do a lower body circuit routine, usually some form of squats, lunges, along with what ever leg machines they have available at the gym I’m working out at. And again I’ll do 3-4 sets of each exercise in a circuit fashion.
When I’m on the road I don’t really care if I’m using free weights, machines, cables, or even bodyweight exercises. All that matters is that I’m working the muscles.
I tend to move fast between exercises and get a good pump and sweat worked up. At the very least it will be enough to maintain your current level of fitness, and you may in fact stimulate some new growth by doing this because it will be totally new training stimulus compared to what you are used to doing.
Eating When Traveling…
When it comes to eating while traveling, you are definitely going to be outside your home base. You’re going to be eating in restaurants for a lot of your meals. However, with a little common sense you can still stick to a sound nutrition plan.
Practically every single restaurant these days serves fresh garden salads. Simply by starting each meal with a large salad will go a long way towards helping you eat right. You could even order a grilled chicken breast and have it chopped up into your salad for some extra lean protein.
Then when it comes to the main course, opt for your food to be baked, broiled, or grilled instead of fried. Have a baked potato instead of the home fries. Skip the deserts, or if you are craving something sweet, opt for some fresh fruit.
Little things like this all add up and can keep you on the right track to building a lean ripped physique, even when you are away from home. So keep these tips in mind the next time you are away from home.
Also be sure to watch your e-mail inbox for tomorrow, because I’m going to be sharing some advanced strategies to help you get that lean ripped look that we all want… So stay tuned for that!
P.S.
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9 Comments
CJ Cowie
Hey Lee,
I travel every other week and these are my tips. Find a hotel next to your home gym chain, if you goto Gold’s like I do they are everywhere. Some hotels will offer you free gym pass at a local gym as well. Plus some gyms will give free trials. Most hotels have refrigerators and microwaves so order some extra chicken and heat it up later. I try to book a hotel close to restaurants I know that will serve healthy fare. All of them have PDFs of nutritional content so you will know if they are good or not. I always take my supplements/protein with me in ziplock bags, I label them so I know what is what. Failure to plan is planning to fail.
John Eidsmoe
Lee, I’ve made great progress with the heavy-grips I purchased from you. Do you have any suggested exercises for strengthening one’s lower back muscles? I’m 65 and in pretty good shape for my age, but I do suffer occasional bouts of lower back pain. I’d like to strengthen those muscles to stop those from happening.
Thanks, ]
John Eidsmoe
craig
John Eidsmoe,
deadlift and/or rack pull .. gogogogo!
Kevin
Great post… I’m a road warrior, living/working out of my truck or camp trailers set up on oil rigs. I carry a yoga mat, adjustable dumbbells (5-55lbs), and an exercise bike in the back of my truck. I’ve seen an advertisement on TV recently for a 30 lb multi-position floor rack, kind of like the door-jamb pull-up bar, but heavier duty.
leehayward
That’s awesome, it sounds like you have the whole keeping fit on the road deal down pat. Keep it up!
leehayward
The best thing I can recommend is high volume hyper extensions. This hands down is my favorite exercise for building up the lower back. Just use your bodyweight and perform high reps. I’ll often work up to doing 100 total reps (4 sets of 25 reps). But just start at your own pace, maybe 3 sets of 10 reps will be challenging at first. But each workout just try to get an extra rep, do an extra set, etc. and build up the total reps over time.
leehayward
That’s great if you can carry the equipment. You can even pick up a set of Body Lastic Bands at http://www.BodyLasticBands.com these are great for home gym workouts (or hotel workouts).
Per
John Eidsmoe,
John, it may also be that you need to train your abs more to help support your lower back. Preferably stability exercises over crunches, planks on unstable surfaces, stability ball roll outs on the ball that you use for your hyper extensions etc.
bob g
Lee – Another great post. I agree with staying at hotels that have membership in a local gym. I am pleasantly surprised how many ‘bargin’ motel chains have this feature. Also for eating – you shuld see the strange looks I get when i order a whopper w/o the bun and no mayo.