Let's get this out of the way at the top: you don't have to work out when you're on the road. Particularly on vacation: If the “work” in workout seems like more than enough reason to abandon the gym as soon as you're off the clock, that's completely reasonable and shouldn't really hurt your gains if you pick it up on the other side.
But there are lots of reasons you might want to work out away from home. For many guys who travel frequently for business, it's the only practical way to stay in good physical and mental state. And the remote-work revolution has more people than ever embracing a semi-nomadic life—a month here, a week there. In other words, we're way beyond hoping the hotel has a decent gym.
“When your routine is on autopilot, it helps you to mimic it in different places,” says mononymic photographer Pierre. Working out in the morning no matter where he finds himself has been grounding when that's just about the only thing he can count on. “Before I give myself or my energy to anybody else," he says, I've allotted this amount of time toward betterment of my mental and physical health.”
Naturally, the routine looks different when you’re away from home, but fitness and wellness advisor and trainer Ariel Foxie says you’ll want to prioritize what he calls the trifecta—the workout itself, recovery, and nutrition—when you’re on the road. (That last part can be even harder than getting the work in.)
For more, we spoke to a couple guys about how they get the work in wherever they find themselves.
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Embrace the change in sceneryYou may be without your favorite squat rack, but a new location can be looked at as an opportunity rather than an obstacle—the routine can shift without completely abandoning it.
Taylor Okata, the creative director of the grooming company Hawthorne, regularly travels from his home in New York to Los Angeles and Honolulu, where he grew up. At home, his second bedroom has been transformed into a gym where he works out with a Tonal home gym four or five days a week. When he’s on the road, it’s an opportunity to move in a way that's not practical in NYC.
“I really try my best to switch up my routine and take advantage of doing other workouts, because it's also good for your body to have a variety,” he says. In Hawaii, this looks like surfing and running outside, and he took up tennis when working on the Jacquemus show kept him there for two months. In L.A., he'll get a hike or hit some balls at the driving range.
Foxie says being away is a time for him to focus on recovery because there are fewer obligations. “When I'm away, I actually get an extra couple hours of sleep,” he says. Hotel room blackout curtains just work better, you know?
Let your luggage leadYou're naturally going to be limited by what you can fit in your suitcase. If your workout at home is road cycling, that's going to be tough to take with you—at least until you upgrade to the PJ.
For some guys, travel is going to mean dedicating some real suitcase real-estate to gear. Jeff Laub, co-founder of the nationwide barbershop chain Blind Barber, does Jiu Jitsu four to five days a week while at home, so putting that on pause while he’s out of town isn’t an option. That means all of his gear comes with. “That includes my finger tape, my gi (which is the kimono), my rashguards, a mouthguard, and a pair of slides.”
Foxie emphasized the importance of appropriate training shoes for whatever activities you’ll be doing even though limiting it to one pair can be tough. “You can get away with working out in running shoes, but you can’t really run in lifting shoes,” he says.
From an equipment standpoint, mini resistance bands take up virtually no space and can be used for both strength training and stretching in any setting–indoors or outdoors. All you need are bands and your body. And a travel-sized massage gun feels as good after a long car or plane ride as it does after a good workout. Foxie says they make collapsible foam rollers, but a lacrosse ball will also do the trick. “I need it for the bottom of my feet, but you could also get into your calves, glutes, hammies and even your quads,” he says.
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Book a better hotel gymSome people chose a hotel for the bar downstairs, but it's increasingly possible to pick based on the fitness amenities (especially in big cities).
Chris Rucker, a strategy consultant and president of the streetwear brand Sp5der, strength trains at his gym with a trainer two days a week and then mixes in light cardio at his apartment building’s gym. When he travels with his wife and kids, it’s simply push-ups and body weight exercises, but when he’s traveling on his own for work, a place to get a workout helps dictate where he stays. For example, he says, “Usually when I’m in L.A., I stay at the Mondrian in Hollywood because their gym has everything I need—a range of dumbbells, good treadmills and bikes, and all the equipment is fairly new.”
These days, the amenities go beyond just the gym. Even Hotels leave basic equipment—yoga mat, resistance bands and a foam roller—in every hotel room, while other properties are partnering with high end wellness brands. Westin Hotels recently introduced a gear lending program where they have Hyperice and Bala strengthening and recovery equipment like massage guns. New York’s ModernHaus SoHo has a HigherDOSE infrared sauna available for guests.
Live like a localIf you've got the time, it's hard to beat going for a run or stopping into a local gym. The fitness tracking app Strava offers run route recommendations and lets you search other users’ routes. “It makes it so much easier when you're in a new area,” Foxie said. You can search routes by landmarks you want to run by or avoid and even by run length. “Someone [on the app] has probably already routed it, and if not, you could route it and then it's there for other people to use after you.”
Pierre tends to look for park gyms nearby his accommodations, while Foxie try to hit local gyms. (In our experience they'll often sell you a day pass, especially if you make it clear you're in from out of town.) “On Google Maps, I look for boutique studios or gyms because the foot traffic is a bit lower,” he says.
Ultimately, the best way to stay in shape in a new place isn't that different than finding a great plate of pasta in Milan or picking a beer in Munich—what do the locals like?
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