Life on the Road: Building Muscle on the Move
Life on the road, travelling across Australia, is an adventure of a lifetime. But while the scenery constantly changes, your commitment to a strong, resilient body shouldn’t. To think that you need a gym filled with round bits of metal to maintain muscle or even build functional strength is a fallacy.
For us, the true gym is wherever you park, and your equipment is already with you: your body and a set of resistance bands.
Whilst building muscle is nice, it isn’t all about looking good; it’s about being capable. It’s about having the strength to haul firewood, lift kids, set up camp effortlessly, and tackle any unexpected physical demands that come with the freedom of the open road. If you have some basic fitness knowledge or are looking to transition from traditional gym workouts to a more minimalist approach, you’ve found your next adventure.
Building Muscle on the Move: It’s About Capability, Not Convenience
When you’re constantly moving, space, time and equipment are at a premium; the last thing you want to be doing is finding the right spot to ‘do a workout’, spending ages setting up your equipment or taking up valuable space to store your gym. This utilisation of effective bodyweight and resistance band training leverages this premium to make it an affordable incorporation into your daily life:
- Ultimate Portability: Your gym fits in a small bag.
- Joint-Friendly: Bands provide accommodating resistance, meaning the tension increases as the muscle contracts, which can be kinder on your joints compared to fixed weights.
- Functional Strength: Many bodyweight and band exercises mimic real-life movements, building strength that directly translates to your daily caravan activities.
- Always Available: No matter how remote your campsite, your workout is ready when you are.
The Core Principle: Intensity Over Inventory
This is crucial. You don’t need heavy barbells to stimulate muscle growth and maintain mass. What you do need is intensity. The secret to building and maintaining muscle while on the move and with minimal equipment lies in taking your sets close to muscular failure.
Forget chasing high rep counts for the sake of it. Whether you’re aiming for 5 or 30 repetitions, the goal is for those last few reps to be a genuine struggle. You should feel like you couldn’t possibly complete another clean repetition. This “nearing failure” state signals to your muscles that they need to adapt and grow stronger.
Frequency, Intensity & Progression
Depending on your recovery and schedule, you should be aiming to workout between 3-5 times per week. Allow at least one day of rest between sessions, or spread them out over the week as best suits your travel plans.
For each exercise, aim for 3-4 sets, taking each set to that point of nearing muscular failure (where the last 1-2 reps are extremely challenging, and perfect form becomes difficult to maintain).
How to Progress Each Week (or Session):
- Increase Reps: If you hit failure easily within your target rep range (e.g., 10-12 reps), aim for more reps next time.
- Increase Sets: Add an extra set to an exercise.
- Improve Form/Control: Slow down the movement, focus on the eccentric (lowering) phase, or add a pause at the peak contraction.
- Decrease Rest Time: Shorten the time between sets to increase intensity.
- Increase Resistance (Bands): Move to a thicker band, combine bands, or increase the stretch on the band.
- Increase Difficulty (Bodyweight): Progress to a harder variation of an exercise (e.g., knee push-ups to full push-ups, or full push-ups to decline push-ups).
- Unilateral Work: Perform exercises one limb at a time (e.g., single-leg squats, single-arm rows).
The Full-Body Strength Workout
Here’s a basic template while you’re travelling. Choose one exercise from each category for your daily workout.
High-Intensity Movement (Warm-Up)
- Goal: Get the heart rate up, warm the muscles, activate the core.
- Examples:
- High Knees in Place: Drive knees towards chest, pump arms.
- Mountain Climbers: In a plank position, drive knees to chest alternately.
- Star Jumps (Jumping Jacks): Classic full-body cardio.
- Shadow Boxing: Light, dynamic movements.
- Sets/Time: 2-3 sets of 30-60 seconds, or 15-20 reps per side.
Chest
- Goal: Target pectorals, anterior deltoids, triceps.
- Examples:
- Push-Ups: Start with knee push-ups, progress to full, then decline (feet elevated on a step/log).
- Resistance Band Push-Ups: Loop a band across your back and hold the ends in your hands for added resistance.
- Band Chest Press (Standing): Anchor a band behind you (tree, bullbar) or loop it around your back, pressing forward.
Back
- Goal: Target lats, rhomboids, traps, biceps.
- Examples:
- Resistance Band Rows (Seated or Standing): Sit or stand with band around feet/anchor, pull elbows back, squeezing shoulder blades.
- Inverted Rows (if possible): Use a sturdy picnic table edge or low bar. Feet on the ground, pull chest towards the edge.
- Band Pull-Aparts: Hold a light band with arms extended forward, pull ends apart by squeezing shoulder blades.
Legs – Squat Variation
- Goal: Target quads, glutes, hamstrings. Fundamental for lower body strength.
- Examples:
- Bodyweight Squats: Maintain chest up, weight in heels, squat as deep as comfortable.
- Resistance Band Squats: Hold a long band under feet with ends over shoulders, maintain chest up, weight in heels, squat as deep as comfortable.
- Goblet Squat (with object): If you have a water bottle or small backpack, hold it at chest level for light resistance.
Legs – Posterior Chain (Glutes & Hamstrings)
- Goal: Target glutes, hamstrings and lower back
- Examples:
- Glute Bridges: Lie on back, knees bent, feet flat. Lift hips off ground, squeezing glutes. Progress to single-leg.
- Resistance Band Hip Thrusts: Loop a band over your hips, anchor ends under feet, perform glute bridge.
- Good Mornings (with band): Stand on a band, hold ends behind neck/shoulders, hinge at hips keeping back straight.
- Lunges: Forward or reverse lunges, adding a band around the front thigh for extra resistance.
Shoulders
- Goal: Target deltoids (front, side, rear) for overall shoulder health and pushing/lifting.
- Examples:
- Pike Push-Ups: Start in an inverted V-shape, lower head towards ground, pushing up with shoulders.
- Resistance Band Overhead Press: Stand on band, press ends overhead.
- Resistance Band Lateral Raises: Stand on band or hold loop band, raise arms out to the side.
- Band Face Pulls: Anchor a band high, pull towards face, squeezing rear delts and upper back.
Arms – Triceps
- Goal: Target the back of the arms, crucial for pushing movements.
- Examples:
- Close-Grip Push-Ups: Hands closer together for more tricep emphasis.
- Tricep Dips (on step/log/caravan step): Use an elevated surface, lowering body with arms.
- Resistance Band Tricep Extensions (Overhead or Kickbacks): Anchor band overhead and extend arms, or loop under foot and extend arm backwards.
Arms – Biceps
- Goal: Target the front of the arms, crucial for pulling and lifting.
- Examples:
- Resistance Band Bicep Curls: Stand on band, curl ends up towards shoulders.
- Inverted Rows (closer grip): If you have an anchor, using a closer grip emphasizes biceps more.
After four weeks, you’ll feel stronger, more capable, and more confident in your ability to maintain your fitness anywhere. The challenge that you once began simply becomes your sustainable lifestyle.
Continue to apply the principles of progressive overload:
- Listen to Your Body: Some days you’ll have more energy than others. Adjust accordingly.
- Prioritise Recovery: Quality sleep and adequate nutrition are just as important as your workouts.
- Embrace the Outdoors: Integrate your workouts with nature – use logs, rocks, inclines, or the caravan itself as part of your training. Have fun with it.
- Stay Consistent: Even short, intense sessions are better than nothing.
Maintaining and building muscle isn’t confined to a gym. It’s about adapting, innovating, and consistently pushing yourself to that point of challenge. Your strong body is your most valuable asset on the open road – make sure it’s always ready for the next adventure.
