AJ I know where you are coming from, I am not a naturally muscular person at all, but over the past year I've been going to the gym to lift weights every day, with only a day or two off every 2-3 months. I went to Brazil for 3 1/2 weeks this past January, and aside from some infrequent push ups and pull ups, I didn't really work out at all. What was the result?.... I ended up losing almost all the muscle that it literally took me months to gain in the gym, except for my chest, which for some reason seems to rip out, gain/retain muscle more then any where else. It sucks to put in so much time and effort to get ripped, only to take a few weeks off and lose so much of what you've gained, but I have no regrets, I had an amazing time in Brazil, way more fun then if I'd just stuck around here, going to the gym everyday, and doing all the other monotonous shit that is my daily routine.
Anyways, as far as staying in shape on the road, the idea about finding gyms that have day passes, is definitely a good idea, but I'd imagine that this largely depends on where you're traveling and the availability/access to gyms. The most basic shit you can do, that won't really add/keep muscle mass, but keep you strong are the basics: push ups, sit ups, pull ups, chin ups, etc. You can get kind of creative if you have to, I would find a sturdy tree with a big branch to do my pull ups, you can do a form of dips to work your triceps with any basic chain/bench, and you can get really creative and find a rock or something to use for arm curls, shoulder exercises, etc. There are these water weights, that are just collapsable plastic that you fill with water, you can buy off the internet, but they only are up to 15 lbs. a piece, and from the reviews I read, are kind of a pain in the ass to fill/use. It's definitely important that you keep up your protein intake, so I always try to eat a decent amount of meat/sea food with high protein, but you can always bring a can of protein powder with you, if it's that important to you.
Anyways, as far as staying in shape on the road, the idea about finding gyms that have day passes, is definitely a good idea, but I'd imagine that this largely depends on where you're traveling and the availability/access to gyms. The most basic shit you can do, that won't really add/keep muscle mass, but keep you strong are the basics: push ups, sit ups, pull ups, chin ups, etc. You can get kind of creative if you have to, I would find a sturdy tree with a big branch to do my pull ups, you can do a form of dips to work your triceps with any basic chain/bench, and you can get really creative and find a rock or something to use for arm curls, shoulder exercises, etc. There are these water weights, that are just collapsable plastic that you fill with water, you can buy off the internet, but they only are up to 15 lbs. a piece, and from the reviews I read, are kind of a pain in the ass to fill/use. It's definitely important that you keep up your protein intake, so I always try to eat a decent amount of meat/sea food with high protein, but you can always bring a can of protein powder with you, if it's that important to you.