Staying Swole While Traveling

Ox Goes International With Jake Nomada

Traveling is one of my favorite things to do on this planet. There is so much to see, so much to do, so much this world has to offer beyond what our borders (hard to believe for some of my American readers who think the USA is the ENTIRE world).

Traveling can also be flat out profitable—via taxes and/or lower cost of living.

Personally, the one of the only downsides I ever run into while traveling is staying in shape and getting a nice workout.

Well today, I have my friend Jake Nomada, my friend who travels all around Latin America (self-proclaimed “Avid Shithole Enthusiast—lol) and does so well maintaining a very impressive physique.

While I’ve written about staying in shape while traveling before, my post was geared more specifically about vacations. Jake goes more into depth and knocks it out of the park here and has some travel recommendations for those inclined to adventure around LatAm.

Without further ado…

Jake on Staying Swole While Traveling

I’ve been to over 30+ countries, had the time of my life, dated muchas latinas, and went on insane adventures in Latin America – all since 2014.

I’ve also managed to stay swole for most of that time.

Why?

Because there is almost nothing better in life than this…

Getting a damn good workout in while at some “shithole” beach town that doesn’t even have a gym.

Orgasmic.

Metaphorically speaking, of course.

So when BowTiedOx asked me to throw together something on staying in shape while traveling, I happily obliged.

This is something I love. I live. I breathe.

Let’s dig into how you can do exactly that.

Staying Swole While Traveling

First off…

Let’s dig into the basics:

In 99% of cities and spots in the world, there are gyms.

Ghetto gyms? Maybe

Fancy gyms? Commonplace in any city over 200K people these days.

A quick Google search to wherever you’re going should show you exactly where the gyms are.

Sinple 🥂

So if you have the time while traveling, it’s pretty easy to find a gym that offers a day pass and keep your routine going.

No excuses.

There are gyms with solid equipment almost everywhere on God’s green earth. You can stick to your routine while traveling in most places.

However…

Sometimes you end up in a couple of different situations:

●      The gym is closed when you want to go – often happens to me on Sundays

●      There is no gym – often happens in tiny beach towns

●      You want to workout in nature – examples below

●      You’ve only got 15-30 mins of free-time – often happens when traveling in a group

In these situations, you need a plan to get a good workout in – quickly.

Luckily, after years and years on the road, I have mastered this.

Situation #1: No Equipment, Little Time

I have a “go-to” workout when I’m in a hotel room with no equipment and only 15-20 minutes of time.

It does NOT cover every body part. I doubt it puts on much, if any, muscle.

However, it gets the blood flowing, gives you a minor pump, and can be exhausting when done with speed. Plus, it’s super simple:

- 200 Pushups

- 5 minutes plank

Yep, it’s truly that simple.

Best workout ever? Hell no.

But I find it better than nothing. You get a small tricep and chest pump, maybe a little shoulders. Your abs get a little workout. It’s good for cardio too.

Try to complete this as fast as possible.

15 minutes is ideal.

Don’t take more than 25 minutes to get this done.

I often hit this right off the plane when I get to my hotel, then shower to get the dirty airplane grime off.

Situation #2: Band Workouts

I bought bands during peak-Covid autism in 2020.

If I’m being honest, these bands were probably my best purchase over the past two years. I’ve used my bands dozens of times in a handful of countries.

They take up no space whatsoever in luggage and make it easier to get a pump anywhere.

P.S: Some countries, like Nicaragua, will confiscate your bands if they’re in carry-on luggage – because bands can be used as a weapon to strangle people, apparently. Mexico has not taken my bands when I carry them on.

Couple things with band workouts…

Bands hit shoulders really, really well. If you’re doing a body part split but need to hit something just one day with bands, go with shoulders.

I often do this workout when traveling with bands:

- Band Shoulder Flies

- Band Shoulder Press

- Pushups

- Band Pull-Aparts (focusing on shoulder contraction)

- Planks

4-6 circuits will give you a damn good shoulder pump.

Couple more things with bands…

There’s not much you can do for legs with bands, in my personal opinion.

Outside of doing high-rep deadlifts with the largest band, nothing really adds tension to bodyweight leg stuff.

If I have to get a leg workout in and have no other equipment, I basically do:

- Band deadlifts - high reps

- Walking lunges - high reps

- One-leg calf raises w/ long pauses at bottom and top

- One-leg wall sits

If I’m on a beach with good sand, I’ll add in a ton of different jumps too.

Legs without a gym suck, and to be honest, not ideal.

Lastly…

When using bands in a hotel or Airbnb, you can add way more training options by buying the door attachment.

This allows you to work back way better, allowing you to do pull-downs and different rowing movements.

The door attachment also allows you to do one-armed chest flies, which actually are brutal with the right tension. Oh, and tricep extensions can work with this attachment too:

If you’re curious how to get good workouts with bands in, this dude has a great YouTube channel.

Situation #3: Working Out in Nature

This is my personal favorite…

Sometimes you just want to walk down to the beach, hit some push-ups and planks, do a little band work, and then jump in the ocean for a refreshing swim.

10/10 recommend, sers.

Truly a wonderful experience.

Does it work as well as a gym long-term? Hell no.

Can you get a solid pump, make a lil’ gains, and for sure maintain? Hell yeah.

But here’s where things get fun…

In certain cities, there’s wonderful outdoor gyms in scenic locations. In these spots, you’ll have access to a pull-up bar, dip station, and more.

Bring your bands and you can pretty much hit everything you’d ever need to – minus legs – in a beautiful setting.

Here’s a few example:

“Flintstones” Gym – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 🇧🇷

Truly one of the coolest spots on earth to workout.

There’s a gorgeous beach nearby popular with surfers. They’ve got weights here, pull-up bars, dip stations – pretty much everything you’d need.

Plus, you can get a thicc pump in here and then walk the malecon – and see many a fine Braziliana wearing the smallest swimsuits you’ve ever seen.

Located here.

Gimnasio Publico – Mazatlan, Mexico 🇲🇽

I’ve worked out here dozens of times.

This spot features an insane ocean-view, pull-up bars, dip stations, and more. There’s always some cut-up local bros working out on the bars too.

Highly recommended.

Located here.

Parque Espana – Mexico City 🇲🇽

There’s nice outdoor gyms in both of the big parks in Condesa – Parque Espana and Parque Mexico.

You’ll find pull-up bars, dip stations, and more.

Incredibly pleasant place to get a workout in while in Mexico City.

Located here.

Tings’ I Travel With

Personally, I travel with a good amount of “gym” gear when on the road. No travel light, sers.

Here’s a photo of my current setup:

- Bands

- Booty Bands

- Foam Roller

- Knee Pad

- Slant Board

I seem to have misplaced my door attachment for the bands. Think it’s in a different backpack.

Now, do you need all these things? No, ser

But bands and the door attachment are well worth it. Highly recommend.

Foam roller would be next, as my body feels like shit after getting off the plane and a 15-minute foam rolling really helps move the blood around after a long flight.

P.S: Slant board is specifically for “Knees Over Toes” knee rehab work.

Traveling With Gear

Last, but certainly not least for BowTiedOx readers…

Traveling with TRT, HCG, HGH, and more

I have brought “gear” in my luggage to over a dozen countries, including the USA.

I’m on a “list” when entering the USA nowadays, so maybe that was a bad idea.

However, I’ve never had any issues cruising around LatAm with TRT, HCG, and HGH – without a prescription. I have needles, alcohol prep pads, and more with me at all times.

Most countries have laws where they cannot legally ask you about a medication in your luggage – as long as you do NOT have insane amounts with you.

I tend to travel with less than a three-month supply.

Do I recommend this?

Legally, I cannot. However, I have done it for years without issue.

Couple of things here…

I tend to put everything that doesn’t need to be cold in my attaché. Airport security rarely goes through an attaché, as they assume you have soaps, shampoos, and deodorant in there – not TRT.

If I’m traveling with items that need to be kept cold, like HGH, I have a small freezer bag I put inside my attaché.

Like this.

Bonus: Pharma-Grade in Mexico

Lastly…

I’ve spoke with Ox in the dm’s on Twitter about a specific topic:

Buying pharma-grade “cosas” in Mexico.

See, you’ll see pharmacies selling steroids EVERYWHERE in touristy areas in Mexico.

You can find anything and everything you’d ever need in these spots. However, I’ve never purchased from them – as I’m skeptical of the quality.

That being said…

If you’re in Mexico (also works in Colombia), you can get world-class TRT, HCG, and HGH from the biggest pharmacies in the country.

Without a prescription.

Over-the-counter.

Here’s my top recommendations:

●      Bayer Primoteston Depot – Testosterone Enanthate: Farmacias Guadalajara, locations all over Mexico

●      Choriomon – HCG: Farmacias Guadalajara, locations all over Mexico

●      Norditropin – HGH pen: Farmacias Especilizadas, locations all over Mexico

They may only sell you 2-3 HGH pens at a time, just FYI. Those are hard to come by, but they usually have at least 1-3 pens on hand.

I generally am able to get 8 vials or more of Bayer Primoteston Depot at one pharmacy.

El Fin

That about does it.

Everything a bro would need to know about staying swollen while traveling around.

From gyms to workouts in the hotel or beach – and of course, traveling with gear.

Hope you found this useful!

And if you’re about to start traveling around, especially in Latin America, you’ll absolutely dig my newsletter too:

Nomada Newsletter

The world’s best damn intel about traveling around Latin America.

Cheers,

Jake Nomada

Ox’s Closing Thoughts

I want to thank Jake for coming on and dropping his extensive knowledge here, this was insightful even to me who has been doing this for a hot minute.

For those of you doing the 90 Day Challenge (if you’re not, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? You still have over 60 days to make it happen—late entries ARE allowed) this will help if you plan on traveling over the next couple months.

You can have your cake and eat it too—you can run around the world and still maintain and build a great physique!

#WAGMI

Your friend,

- BowTiedOx

DISCLAIMER

This is not Legal, Medical, or Financial advice. Please consult a medical professional before starting any workout program, diet plan, or supplement protocol. These are opinions from a Cartoon Ox.