Workout Routine - Travel

I’m in the same boat, but I continue my PPL split at any Planet Fitness I’m at. The only major differences to me are some PFs don’t have Smith machines.

Depending on how hard I’ve been training, I sometimes take a de-load week and focus on cardio like I am this week as I’ll be doing a functional assessment, V02 max, and RMR testing when I return home.

Edit: I realize I didn’t reply to your actual question. To mix it up, as my PPL has started to get a little stale, my “fitness coach” suggested shifting to full body workouts 3x/wk with cardio/rucking days in between until I feel like shifting back to PPL. I think I realistically intend on keeping my PPL split then 1x every few weeks shifting to the full body circuit M/W/F.

Planet Fitness is great to me. Lots of equipment that is high quality in good condition with duplicates of most machines. Getting a great workout with selectorized machines, cables, a smith, leg press etc is easy and at least as good as free weights and maybe better for things like hypertrophy. Don’t discount the machines. The chest supported row, shoulder press, chest press and dip machines are particularly good imo. Then lat pulldowns, biceps, triceps on the cables. Legs can do leg press, smith machine squat, extensions, curls, bulgarians, etc.

Often when traveling I’ll switch to doing a full body session since I may only get 1 or 2 workouts in that week, focusing on heavy sets but less of them for each muscle group to maintain strength and muscle.

4-5 days a week

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4-5 days a week

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That is admittedly a tough travel schedule.

I am normally on the road 2 - 4 days / week (fly out Monday morning, return Wednesday or Thursday evening or sometimes mix it up and fly Monday evening and come back Wednesday evening, etc.).

I generally follow a modified version of a 5 / 3 / 1, but while I am on the road, I try to knock out my mobility, yoga, cardio, etc. that doesn't require lifting heavy shite and putting it back down on the ground again (and I'll usually take my rest day on the road as well). I get after it as far as lifting on the 3 - 4 days / week I am home.

Not necessarily ideal for recovery, but it's what you have to do.

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planet fitness for the convenience

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When I traveled domestically, I used 24 Hour Fitness. There were always real bars and benches, not just Smith machine stuff. In places like NYC or downtown Chicago, etc., I'd just find a way to make do with the hotel gym for a few weeks. Boston had a YMCA that I think had the original weights from the 1930s in it. lol

In some places that didn't have a 24 Hour, I'd look up Yelp reviews to final local non-chain gyms, and just get a month to month for the 2-3 months I might be at that client. I did find some old school, cool places to train in NJ, Cleveland, etc., that way. In case you don't rotate back to the same place for a few weeks, most independent gyms will gladly sell you a day pass or similar.