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I've Traveled the World Full-Time for 7 Years. This Minimalist Gym Routine Is How I Maintain My Muscle Mass

By Anthony J. Yeung, C.S.C.S. Men's Journal

Updated June 27, 2026 4:42 PM

Let’s be honest. When you finally touch down in a new city, crushing a brutal workout is usually the absolute last thing on your radar. If you’re traveling for leisure, you’d much rather hunt down the best local street food, find a rooftop bar, and knock back cold beers until midnight. If you are trapped on a high-stakes business trip, your priority is naturally going to be unwinding with a stiff drink after a grueling twelve-hour day of entertaining clients.

But there are tons of benefits to hitting the gym on the road that make it worthwhile to pack your workout clothes-whether you’re on holiday, a work trip, or skipping borders like Jason Bourne.

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The Perks of Keeping Your Fitness Momentum on the Road

“Working out while away can help offset some of the stressors and challenges of traveling,” says Andrew Getzin, MD, a sports medicine physician at Cayuga Health in Ithaca, New York. He adds that it’s excellent stress relief, which is super important if you have to deal with flight delays or lost luggage (which, indeed, is f*cking stressful).

Next, working out while you’re traveling can also support your health as you transition from country to country or time zone to time zone because it “helps facilitate quality sleep and maintain energy levels,” explains Dr. Getzin. He adds that it can even help with bowel motility, which can reduce the constipation that people commonly experience during travel abroad.

Also, it’s fun to break out of your routine. With different equipment or layouts, you can try exercises and rep ranges you wouldn’t normally do at home. (It’s also cool to channel your inner MacGyver and figure out how to get a great workout with a hodgepodge of weights.)

“Exercising while away provides an opportunity to try something a bit different,” says Getzin.

Last but not least, exercising during a trip helps you stay on your fitness plan, especially when your daily gelato budget is in the double digits. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, a quick workout on your vacation can keep the fat at bay and make sure you don’t have to start from scratch when you get home.

The key to successful travel workouts? According to Getzin, it’s about being flexible and having reasonable expectations. You probably won’t set a new bench press PR in a foreign gym, but you can definitely maintain your strength, leanness, and fitness while enjoying your travels at the same time.

“Any workout is better than no workout,” he adds.

My No-Fail Tactics for Crushing Workouts on the Road

For the past seven years, I’ve been traveling in Europe full-time, and I can confirm that, yep, there can be lots of obstacles to fitting in a lift.

The biggest issue-besides finding a gym-is overcoming a lack of equipment. Sure, you might get lucky, but what happens if the only gym nearby is the size of a shoebox and only has a bench and a few mismatched dumbbells?

“While most hotels have some sort of fitness center, they usually aren’t the level of a high-quality gym many people are used to,” Getzin explains.

To combat the lack of equipment, incorporate more bodyweight exercises so you’re good even if the gym lacks a lot of dumbbells, barbells, squat racks, etc. That way, you can still get a badass workout with the most basic of gym essentials like a pullup bar, a bench, etc.

Second, use single-leg lower-body exercises like lunges instead of two-legged ones like squats. Why? Because you only need a fraction of your usual weights to stimulate your muscles, which is helpful when a gym lacks heavy resistance.

Finally, ditch “bodybuilder splits” and do a “total-body” workout. For example, Getzin suggests an upper-body pushing exercise, an upper-body pulling exercise, and a multi-joint leg exercise so you can target all of your key muscle groups in your training session.

My Full-Body Burner Designed to Maintain Muscle on the Road

With that said, here’s the go-to routine I use for an awesome total-body workout that can fit practically any gym in the world. Do A1, A2, A3, repeat, and finish all your “A” sets before moving to your “B” sets.

A1. How to Do Reverse Lunges

Stand with the dumbbells in your hands and step back with your right foot, to start.
Lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the floor and your rear knee nearly touches the floor.
Keep your torso upright.
Step forward to return to the starting position.
Complete all reps on one leg, then switch legs.
Complete 5 sets of 6 reps on each leg, resting 30 to 45 seconds between sets.

A2) How to Do Feet Elevated Pushups

Place your feet on a bench or other elevated surface and get into pushup position with your hands shoulder-width apart.
Brace your core and lower your body until your chest is just above the floor.
Complete 5 sets of 10 reps, resting 30 to 45 seconds between sets.

A3) How to Do Chinups

Hang from a chinup bar with hands shoulder-width apart and palms facing you.
Pull yourself up until your chin is over the bar.
Complete 5 sets of as many reps as possible, resting 30 to 45 seconds between sets.

B1) How to Do Goblet Lateral Squats

Stand with feet hip-width apart.
Take a large step to the right, driving your hips back and bending your knee until your thigh is parallel to the floor.
Keep your left leg straight and both feet flat.
Push off your right foot to return to the start.
Complete 3 sets of 6 reps each leg, resting 30 to 45 seconds between sets.

B2) How to Do Dumbbell Scaptions

Stand tall, holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides with a neutral grip (palms facing each other).
Keeping a slight bend in your elbows, raise the weights up and out to the sides at a 45-degree angle, forming a “V” shape with your arms.
Stop once the dumbbells reach shoulder height, pause briefly, then slowly lower them back to the starting position.
Complete 3 sets of 10 reps, resting 30 to 45 seconds between sets.

B3) How to Do Wall Slides

Stand with your back, head, and glutes flat against a wall, positioning your feet a few inches out.
Raise your arms so your elbows and the backs of your hands touch the wall at 90-degree angles.
Maintaining total contact with the wall, slowly slide your hands straight up overhead until your arms are fully extended.
Squeeze your shoulder blades, then pull your elbows back down to the starting position.
Complete 3 sets of 10 reps, resting 30 to 45 seconds between sets.

B4) How to Do Salute Planks

Start in a forearm plank with your elbows directly under your shoulders, feet hip-width apart, and core locked in.
Maintaining completely square hips without letting them rock, slowly lift your right hand and bring it to your forehead in a salute.
Hold for a brief second, return your forearm to the floor, and repeat the movement on the left side.
Complete 3 sets of 6 reps each side (3-second hold), resting 30 to 45 seconds between sets.

This story was originally published by Men’s Journal on Jun 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Fitness section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

This story was originally published June 27, 2026 at 2:27 PM.