When it comes to travelling and training while on the road it's a given you're not going to have access to the same range of dumbbells, racks and isolation machines you would while at home. That's no reason to say you can't maintain or even gain muscle while on the road, the apartment gym workout I've been following the last 5~ years has proven time and time again to have me returning to my own gym without missing a beat.
If you're staying in an AirBNB or apartment I'm not telling you to spend the entirity of your trip slaving away in their little gym.
Simply perform this full body apartment gym workout every other day (should take you around 45~ minutes) and move on with your day. If you're in a cutting phase or just want to work on your cardio conditoning a little bit more feel free to spend some additional time on treadmill/elliptical or spin bike.
Few dedicated gym-goers want to skip training while travelling, be it on holidays or for business BUT quite a few see the 'gym' they have access to and proclaim they can't possibly get in a workout with some lightweight dumbbells, an adjustable bench and a lat pulldown machine.
Guess what? You can.
Through a combination of supersets, high reps and bodyweight exercises you can without a doubt work up an impressive sweat while applying progressive overload.
Typical Apartment Gym Equipment
Now, the routine below is going to assume you have access to the following equipment (as do essentially all of the apartment and hotel gyms I've trained in over the last 9~ years).
- Dumbbell rack (with dumbbells up to around 45lbs)
- Lat pulldown machine
- Leg extension machine
- Adjustable EZ curl barbell (with about 45lbs worth of plates)
- Yoga mat
You may have the luxury of an extra isolation machine or two, however we're going to be basing the routine listed below on the premise that you have the above and no extras, feel free to mix in extra exercises based on the other equipment you have access to.
Perform This Apartment Gym Workout Every Other Day
Dumbbell squats - 4 sets - 15 reps per set
Dumbbell walking lunges - 3 sets - 15 reps per set
EZ curl bar straight leg deadlifts - 3 sets - till failure
Leg extensions - 3 sets - till failure
Push-ups with feet on bench - 4 sets - 25 reps per set
Flat dumbbell bench press superset incline dumbbell fly - 5 sets - 10 reps per set (for each exercise)
EZ curl bar floor press - 3 sets - 10 reps per set
Lying incline bench dumbbell row - 4 sets - 20 reps per set
EZ curl bar bent over underhand grip row - 4 sets - 15 reps per set
One arm dumbbell row - 4 sets - till failure
One arm seated dumbbell arnold press - 4 sets - 15 reps per set (each arm)
Dumbbell side lateral raise superset dumbbell front raise - 4 sets - 20 reps per set (per exercise)
EZ curl bar overhead press - 3 sets - till failure
EZ curl bar biceps curls - 4 sets - 10 reps per set
Reverse grip lat pulldown - 3 sets - 10 reps per set
Incline bench dumbbell hammer curl - 3 sets - 10 reps per set
EZ curl bar skullcrusher - 4 sets - 10 reps per set
Close grip push-ups - 4 sets - till failure
One arm overhead dumbbell extension - 3 sets - till failure.
Want assistance with your form on any of these exercises? Be sure to refer to the Ignore Limits exercise library here.
Mix And Match The Above Apartment Gym Workout As Needed...
The above apartment gym workout is quite comprehensive and has been broken down by muscle group, don't want to train full body and perform it all at once? No worries - simply mix and match the exercises for the muscle groups you want to train.
For example, here's an apartment back and biceps workout...
Back & Bis
Lying incline bench dumbbell row - 4 sets - 20 reps per set
EZ curl bar bent over underhand grip row - 4 sets - 15 reps per set
One arm dumbbell row - 4 sets - till failure
EZ curl bar biceps curls - 4 sets - 10 reps per set
Reverse grip lat pulldown - 3 sets - 10 reps per set
Incline bench dumbbell hammer curl - 3 sets - 10 reps per set
Already hit back and biceps the day before you travelled? No worries - here's a shoulder and triceps workout for you...
Shoulders & Triceps
One arm seated dumbbell arnold press - 4 sets - 15 reps per set (each arm)
Dumbbell side lateral raise superset dumbbell front raise - 4 sets - 20 reps per set (per exercise)
EZ curl bar overhead press - 3 sets - till failure
EZ curl bar skullcrusher - 4 sets - 10 reps per set
Close grip push-ups - 4 sets - till failure
One arm overhead dumbbell extension - 3 sets - till failure.
Mix and match as you see fit and enjoy your travels!
