I travel a lot. Conferences, competitions, visiting family — my “perfect” routine goes out the window the second I step into an airport.
And here’s the thing I see most people get wrong: they treat travel as a reason to stop training entirely. No gym? No workout. Busy schedule? Skip it. Can’t fit in the full hour? Don’t bother at all.
That all-or-nothing thinking is the fastest way to lose fitness, lose momentum, and feel like garbage by the time you get home.
When it comes to working out or staying healthy while traveling, the rule is simple: something is always better than nothing.
A 12-minute workout in your hotel room on a chaotic travel day will do more for your body — and your mindset — than waiting until you’re back in your routine to “start again” on Monday.
What I actually did on my last trip
I was at a conference recently and my normal training schedule fell apart. I usually train twice a day: one workout in the morning, one jiu-jitsu session later on (not because I feel like I have to, but because I love it!). That’s what keeps me sharp for competitions and keeps my energy up for everything else I’m trying to do in my life.
At the conference? Zero chance of doing both. Between sessions, meetings, and late-night conversations, I had maybe 20 minutes on a good day.
So I adjusted.
A couple of days I made it to a gym and got in a real strength session. One day, all I had was 12 minutes before heading out the door — so I opened the 12 Minute Athlete app, picked a workout, and got after it. Another day, I set a timer for 15 minutes in my hotel room and did as many rounds as I could of squat jumps, push-ups, side lunges, high knees, superman raises, and V-ups. No equipment. No gym. No excuses.
Did I train the way I wanted to every day? No.
But I trained. I stayed in my body. I kept my momentum going. And when I got home, I didn’t have to “get back into it” — because I never left.
Why this matters more than one perfect workout
Here’s what I’ve learned over 15 years in the fitness industry, and more recently as a jiu-jitsu athlete trying to keep competing while running multiple businesses: consistency matters more than any single session.
Miss one perfect workout? Fine. Skip a full week of “just something”? That compounds — and not in a good way.
The athletes I know who stay in their sport for decades aren’t the ones who train the hardest. They’re the ones who train when it’s inconvenient. The ones who do a 12-minute bodyweight circuit or a few sets of push-ups and bodyweight squats in a hotel room while their friends are ordering room service. The ones who ask the concierge where the nearest park or gym is is at 6am.
Fitness isn’t about the perfect hour. It’s about what you do with the 15 minutes you actually have.
3 travel workouts you can do anywhere
Pick one. Set a timer. Get after it!
1. The hotel room AMRAP (15 minutes, no equipment)
This is the one I did at the conference. Set a timer for 15 minutes and complete as many rounds as possible of:
– 10 squat jumps
– 10 push-ups
– 10 side lunges (each side)
– 30 high knees
– 10 superman raises
– 10 V-ups
Rest only when you have to. Push the pace. Track your rounds — next time you travel, beat it.
2. The 12-minute AMRAP (no equipment, tight on time)
AMRAP means as many rounds as possible. Set a timer for 12 minutes. Do as many rounds as you can before the timer beeps.
– 15 squat jumps
– 10 push-ups
– 20 mountain climbers
– 10 marching glute bridges
– 15 V-ups
12 minutes. Feels brutal in the best way. If the reps feel too easy, go faster or add a few — the goal is to finish each minute with real effort.
3. The hotel gym quickie (20 minutes, one pair of dumbbells)
When you’ve got access to a hotel gym, skip the cardio machines and go minimalist. Grab one pair of dumbbells. 4 rounds for time:
– 10 goblet squats
– 10 dumbbell rows (each side)
– 10 dumbbell push presses
– 10 Bulgarian split squats (each side)
– 30-second plank
Pick a weight that challenges you but lets you move well. Rest as little as possible between exercises and as long as you need between rounds.
Don’t wait for the perfect workout
The next time you’re on the road, don’t ask yourself “do I have time for my perfect workout?” Ask “do I have 12 minutes?”
You almost always do.
Something is always better than nothing. Over time, that mindset is what separates people who stay athletes for life from people who fall off every time life gets in the way.
Don’t wait until Monday. Don’t wait until you’re home. Don’t wait until you have the perfect hour, the perfect gym, or the perfect week.
Just train. Whatever that looks like today.
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