Two Weeks in Japan, 300,000 Steps, and Zero Excuses: A Honeymoon Training Experiment on how to maintain strength while travelling

I went to Japan for two weeks on my honeymoon. Romantic, cultural, unforgettable—and, if you care about training, mildly inconvenient.

No gym. No barbell.

And it was perfect.

It reminded me why I started training in the first place.

Back then, it wasn’t about numbers. I didn’t know what was “good,” what was optimal, or what some bloke on the internet said I should be lifting. I trained because it was fun. Because I enjoyed it. Because it felt like something worth doing.

The Problem: No Gym, No Routine, No Excuses

Let’s be honest, being out of your usual training environment is where discipline either holds or quietly packs its bags. Somewhere between shrines, side streets, and figuring out train systems that make you feel intellectually inadequate, something clicked.

You’ve got two options:

1. Accept defeat and tell yourself you’ll “get back to it next week”

2. Get creative and train anyway

   
   

I chose option two, partly out of principle, partly out of stubbornness.

Also, the simple act of doing something, getting a bit better, and actually enjoying it.

The Walking (Yes, It Counts—But Not Like That)

Let’s address it.

We walked a lot.

300,000 steps is objectively ridiculous. I'm pretty sure 100,000 of those steps a directly related to finding Ali sweet treats of because she had the map the wrong way round.

It’s great for:

• General health & Fitness

• Recovery

• Offsetting whatever you ate five minutes ago, five hours ago or even five days ago

But it’s not strength training.

And pretending it is doesn’t suddenly make your legs stronger.

The Solution: Isometrics, a Towel, and Mild Determination essential for maintain strength while travelling

No weights? Fine.

I built sessions around isometric training using a towel.

Simple. Portable. Slightly ridiculous looking. Surprisingly effective.

The Exercises:

• Isometric “deadlifts” (towel under feet, pull like your dignity depends on it)

• Isometric squats

• Hammer curls (towel again—multifunctional bit of kit)

• Pull-aparts

Then paired with:

• Max-effort push-ups (single set)

• Bodyweight sumo squats for mobility

Minimal equipment. Maximum intent.

The Structure: Short, Brutal, Effective

I kept it simple and repeatable.

Every other day:

• 20 seconds effort

• 10 seconds rest

• 3 rounds per movement

Then:

• 1 set push-ups at ~8 RPE

• Sumo squats for mobility work

That’s it.

No fluff. No pretending this is optimal. Just effective enough to hold the line.

Why Isometrics Actually Work (When You Do Them Properly)

Isometrics aren’t sexy.

There’s no movement. No ego lifting. No one’s impressed. But they are very effective for maintain strength while travelling.

But done properly, they:

• Keep your nervous system switched on

• Maintain strength in specific positions

• Require minimal recovery (useful when you’re accidentally hiking a country)

The catch?

They only work if you actually try.

This isn’t gently pulling on a towel while thinking about dinner.

This is max intent like you’re trying to move something that refuses to be moved

The Push-Up Reality

One set.Max effort.~8 RPE.

Nothing fancy, but it ticks a few important boxes:

• Upper body pushing stimulus

• Some hypertrophy maintenance

• A reminder that gravity is still undefeated

Mobility: The Quiet Hero

The bodyweight sumo squats...............well I went to a sumo training session to observe and they did a lot of them so it just felt right to include them.

• My hips needed it

• Walking that much tightens things up quickly

• It kept movement quality from falling apart

Mobility isn’t sexy, but neither is moving like a stiff plank on your honeymoon.

The Bigger Lesson: Consistency > Perfection

This wasn’t a perfect program.

It wasn’t progressive overload in the traditional sense.

It wasn’t going to add 20kg to anything.

But it did something far more important:

It kept the habit alive.

And that’s the bit most people lose when routine disappears.

What I Actually Learned

1. You don’t need much to maintain strength—just intent

2. Most people quit because their setup isn’t perfect

3. Walking 300,000 will help you stay in shape and keep you lean.

4. A towel is more versatile than it has any right to be

5. Consistency travels well—if you let it

Final Thought: No Gym, No Problem

If you rely on:

• Perfect programming

• Ideal conditions

• A fully equipped gym

Then what happens when those disappear?

Because they will.

What’s left is what actually matters:

Effort. Intent. Consistency.

Oh and, apparently, a towel.

Training isn’t about what you have.

It’s about what you’re willing to do with what you’ve got.

And sometimes, stripping it all back is exactly what you need to enjoy it again.