The Ultimate Guide To Eating Like a Bodybuilder When Traveling & On The Road

As many readers of the site will know, or anyone who follows my youtube channel, i got into weight lifting, and then bodybuilding, because of pro wrestling. These guys are real life comic heroes. To say i was inspired by wrestling would be a huge understatement.

When I got into lifting myself, and learned about the importance of diet and using the right supplements, i always questioned how wrestlers eat. If im going away for a weekend, food prep gets real complicated real quick. Never mind being on the road for 4-5 days a week, every week.

Fortunately for me, Gabe Tuft, who you may know better from WWE Fame as Tyler Reks has compiled this ultimate guide to eating like a bodybuilder while travelling. So if you’ve ever wondered how wrestlers eat on the road, then this guide is for you.

Take it away Gabe!

Eat like a bodybuilder when you’re traveling and stay in the best shape possible

Take it from me, finding the right foods on the road that meet your fitness lifestyle’s nutritional needs is not an easy task. For almost four years I had to make sure my physique was “TV ready” 7 days a week, 365 days a year. If I let myself slip, I could have lost my job. As a professional wrestler on the Raw and Smackdown rosters, my contract actually had a clause that said (in so many words), if I let my physique go, I could be terminated.

So how do you eat like a bodybuilder when you’re on the road or traveling?

Protein powder

Pack lots of it. I would pack a one gallon Zip-Loc bag full of my protein supplements and do my best to suck all the air out of it. Then, I would double bag it. Most of us guys learned from experience that if you are getting on a plane and you only single bag your protein powder, you’re going to end up with all of your clothes dusted in protein powder.

• Don’t forget the scooper
• Don’t forget a shaker cup
• Measure out enough protein with the scooper to last your entire trip plus one more day. I learned that the ride home from the airport can be longer than expected and airport food is hit and miss
• Make sure as soon as you are done with your shake that you rinse it out thoroughly. Fermented, old protein powder is some of the foulest smelling stuff that the human race has ever encountered. If you’re at the airport or a restaurant, pop into the bathroom and rinse it out in the sink. If you’re in the car, stop as soon as you can and rinse it out with a water bottle or whatever water source you can find. Make sure you dry it out thoroughly or it will come back to bite you later.

You Can View All Of Our Cheap Supplements Discount Codes Here

Restaurants

Lots of the guys on the rosters would, out of convenience, stop at a fast food joint and grab food to go. With the exception of Hawkins’ (my tag team partner) In N Out binge in Vegas where he ate 12 Double Doubles in a 48 hour period, we never stopped to get fast food. I mean, never. The simple reason is that the food at those places is loaded with estrogen based hormones, cooked in hydrogenated oils full of trans fats, and generally doesn’t qualify as “food” in my book. The hormones that are estrogen based will ultimately cause you to retain body fat, water, and prevent your from meeting your maximum potential when trying to gain and maintain lean muscle mass.

Best Restaurants For Bodybuilders When Travelling

Here’s a list of approved restaurants that we would stop and eat at.

IHOP

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner approved. For a lean, fitness style diet, I would order one of their many omelets with 10 egg whites or simply 10 egg whites scrambled. I’d also ask them to cook it without butter and with as little oil as possible. That’s 36 grams of protein with the eggs. The rest of the meal would depend on your macros. If you are doing a low fat diet, I’d suggest getting whole grain pancakes with sugar free syrup. If you are doing higher fats in your macros, then a few slices of bacon or peanut butter are the way to go. This will increase both your fat and protein intake.

View their nutritional information here: http://www.ihop.com/-/media/ihop/PDFs/nutritionalinformation.ashx

Subway

Subway Sandwiches are hard to beat. If you get the whole grain bread, you’re ingesting complex carbohydrates instead of simple carbs with white breads or their other breads. Again, depending on what diet you are on and what your macros require, make a choice on whether or not to add cheese. That would be your fat source. I always paid for double meat so that I could maximize my protein intake. Add your favorite veggies and go light on the mustard and mayo.

View Subway nutritional information here: http://www.subway.com/en-gb/menunutrition/nutrition

Denny’s

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Same exact style as IHOP. I found their food was always a little greasier but we survived.

View their nutritional information here: http://www.dennys.com/files/nutrition_facts.pdf

Waffle House

Believe it or not, you can get a bodybuilder’s breakfast here. Make the same requests you would with eating at IHOP or Denny’s. If you need carbs, you can go with plain hash browns and just add a little salt. I wouldn’t suggest the waffles and their syrup unless you are a fat and calorie incinerating machine (like I am).

Waffle House Nutrition: http://www.wafflehouse.com/contact-us/faqs/3-does-waffle-house-publish-nutritional-information

Outback Steakhouse

If you want to look like a fitness model or a bodybuilder, you need a good steak now and then. Is it cheap? No sir. Do you get your lean grams of protein from quality meat? Yup. Any of the steaks on the menu will do the trick.

Stay away from the appetizers and choose a salad with oil and vinegar for dressing or go easy on the dressing. For the main course pick a steak and a side of mixed vegetables, steamed. If you are allowing yourself carbs then knock yourself out with mashed potatoes, just avoid butter and any added fats.

View Outback Nutrition Facts here http://www.outback.com/nutrition

Quiznos

Just like Subway but more expensive. If you need a change on your taste buds, this will do the trick. Any of the items on the menu are acceptable but be sure you get whole grain bread.

View quiznos nutrition here http://www.quiznos.com/Libraries/PDFs/NutritionalInfo.sflb.ashx

Gas stations

Gas stations are expensive but if you are in a hurry and don’t have time for a sit-down meal, stop at an AM/PM, or any other gas station that has a convenience store attached to it. Grab a protein bar that ISN’T loaded in sugar. I would usually grab the MetRX Big 100 bars and munch on those. They are a full meal for me. You can of course make your own homemade protein bars (luck charms not required). Along with packing your protein powder, you could also pack protein bars such as protein chox or high protein snacks from muscle food.

Other staples in gas stations are beef jerky, zero carb Monster Energy Drinks, Rock Star Recovery Drinks, and trail mix without the M&Ms (or other candy type food in them).

Wa-Wa

Yet another awesome assortment of sandwiches, protein bars, and beef jerky. Not much more to say here. Use the tips from the other sandwich locations we discussed earlier and apply them here.

View Wa-Wa Nutrition here http://www.wawa.com/wawaweb/Nutrition.aspx

Wal-Mart

Stock up on the essentials. Most Wal-Marts, on the East Coast at least, have fantastic pre-made food sections. I’ve grabbed chef salads, sandwiches, chicken breast, items from their deli, and much more. There’s plenty of healthy choices here.

We’d also stock up on waters here. We would usually buy a flat of waters and stick them in the trunk. It’s essential to keep yourself hydrated while traveling. Having enough water bottles on tap will ensure this is taken care of.

Over To You

Stick to the guidelines here on your road trips and you should be able to maintain your chiseled physique. Be sure to find a local gym in the city you are visiting and ask for a day pass. Some gyms charge for a days pass, however you can follow our cheap ass guide to working out for free, where we give tips for getting free day passes for gyms.

The extent to which you prep your food and plan your diet will be determined by your dedication, motivation and goals. If you’re lifestyle, or living, revolves around being in shape then this is a must. If you’re just a recreational lifter, who is happy plodding away, then you won’t have to go to these extreme.

If you are looking for a guaranteed way to shred body fat and maintain muscle mass while at home or on the road, I highly suggest reading my book, Body Spartan: Genesis. I wrote the book to ensure that even the novice fitness enthusiast would be able to be successful. I have used this program with my clients and for myself for over 10 years and have seen incredible, life changing results. If you’re ready to get serious about training, change your physique, and your life, you need to read this book.

About the author:

Gabe “Tyler Reks” Tuft is a retired professional wrestler who has appeared on Monday Night Raw, Friday Night Smackdown, and was in WWE for almost four years. He is the author of Body Spartan: Genesis and the founder of www.bodyspartan.com.