Getting in Shape for Your Next Travels

Dating back to my first trip to Mexico at the age of 18, weighing about 120 lbs. at 6 feet tall, I was always insecure with taking my shirt off at the beach.

Being a skinny person my whole life, I’ve never had a problem with losing weight. However, as I just said, being a skinny person my whole life, I’ve always had a difficult time packing up some muscles.

I’ve made a commitment to one day step out on the beach without being embarrassed to take my shirt off. Every trip I went after my first vacation to Mexico, my body shape has been improving slowly but it’s still not where I like it to be.

I’ve only gotten serious about fitness a couple years back. Yes I did exercise longer than that but during that time, there was no research done on my part therefore I was basically doing everything wrong.

Old workout routine

I’ve been using my old routine for quite a bit of time now. The reason being is that I like the structure of it and I did see some good results but although have plateau.

5 to 6 day split routine

• Legs (Sun)
• Rest (Mon)
• Chest (Tues)
• Shoulders (Weds)
• Back (Thurs)
• Legs (Fri)
• Arms (Sat)**

Like I said, I was training well before this routine but doing it all wrong. If you’re a beginner, then the new workout routine below would be much better for you.

For some weeks, I did skip some arm days (Sat). This was because at the end of the week, my body was completely exhausted. This routine didn’t allow me to have any good rest days.

I had two legs days per week as I was lacking in this area. Plus if you have a skinny frame like me, focusing on your legs is beneficial. Research’s shows that when working out your legs (Squats & Deadlifts), it releases more growth hormone & testosterone. 

I started every work out session with a compound movements (after warming up & doing stretches) and then went into isolation exercises. Compound movements are basically any exercises that involves more than one muscle group to be work out using one movement. This includes squats, bench, military press, rows, and deadlifts.

New travel workout routine

Push/Pull/Legs

• Push (Day 1)
• Pull (Day 2)
• Legs (Day 3)
• Rest (Day 4)
• REPEAT

Similar to my old routine, I started each session with a compound movement.

This routine is different because it allows me to hit each muscle group (chest, back, legs, and shoulders) twice a week instead of one. I notice that hitting them twice has been very effective for me.

This also allows me to have more rest days in between my routine. With the 5 to 6 days split, I often got exhausted by the end of the week and this will demotivate you go to the gym.

Be ready for your next trip to the beach!

I’ll be getting into details about my new routine as I experiment with it and will explain what I like and don’t like about it.

I’m not where I want to be in terms of having the ideal body but by learning every single day and having the drive and passion to one day step out on the beach without having that insecurity, I know that one day I’ll get there.

I hope that by sharing my fitness travel journey, you’ll pick up some ideas that will help you get into shape for your next travels!