It’s been a successfully hectic year for Muscadine Bloodline. The country music duo of Charlie Muncaster and Gary Stanton just wrapped up their U.S. Coastal Plain tour while also finishing their side gig as the opening act for superstar artist Post Malone.
They also released their new album—The Coastal Plain—which made the band’s crazy cross-country tours even that much more fulfilling. But busy on-the-road schedules present challenges—especially when it comes to maintain any type of fitness consistency. The highs of performing in front of sold-out crowds can be offset by erratic sleep schedules, late-night menus consisting of tour bus pizza and the uncertain quest for finding a decent gym in a small town.
To their credit, the two maintained their muscle-building discipline as much as possible. While Stanton has always been focused on keeping his shredded frame intact, Muncaster has dropped more than 50 pounds—while staying sober for six years—in his continuing weight-loss mission.
Helping in the band’s training efforts has been top trainer Matt Blank—whose worked with artists such as Nick Jonas and One Republic as well as superstar athletes Terrell Owens and Dominick Cruz. Once classmates with Stanton at the University of Southern Miss, the two have kept in contact. Now, years later, the band relies on Blank to keep them concert ready.
“Matt usually has something set up for us when we’re out on the road,” Stanton says. “He has an app, and since our workouts are separate—our goals and aspirations are different—when we’re on the road we open his app and do what he specifically made for us. And it’s working.”
While musicians may differ artistically, Blank says they majority of them share similar fitness ambitions: Most prefer to leave the gym looking more like Brad Pitt look than looking like a Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker.
“They really like that Fight Club look, lean and jacked,” he says. “Artists want more of a six-pack look than being muscle bound.”
Blank, the founder of The 923 Life, has become accustomed to helping a countless number clients achieve that lean, shredded look that Stanton currently possesses. It could be challenging on the road, he says, however, Blank says that training while traveling can be mastered with some good pre-planning along with a solid workout plan that can work in a full gym or with limited equipment.
Here, Blank lays out three workouts that can keep you making gains in any gym environment. He also shares some travel tips to keep staying disciplined on the road like the boys from Muscadine Bloodline.
“These guys are doing all the hard work,” he says, “I lay out the roadmap for them to be successful.”
Top 3 Fitness Tips That Keep Muscadine Bloodline Healthy on the Road
Plan Your Food Choices Ahead Of Time
Before Muscadine Bloodline even wrapped up its 2024 tour, the band has already dropped new dates for the upcoming 2025 tour—including stops in Detroit, Cincinnati, and even Australia. Before they hit the road, Blank makes sure the band hits up their phones to pin the best spots near the hotel to plan their meals accordingly
If you’re planning a vacation, work event, or a U.S. concert tour, chances are you’ve Google mapped some tourist hot spots or a a hip restaurant to check out. Blank says it’s just as easy to spot the local grocery store to stock up some bottles of water and healthy protein pick me ups before trapping yourself with hotel lobby bags of chips, cans of soda, and other junk that can disrupt your diet.
“We usually try to look up a city in advance and locate a Whole Foods that’s about 10 minutes from the hotel,” Blank says. “Here you can grab a grilled chicken breast at the hot bar and be on your way.”
If the band does succumb to post-concert temptations of pizza and Oreos, it’s not the end of the world, Blank says. However, in any situation, if you can’t fight the urge, make an effort to offset the excess calories as much as possible during your earlier meals.
“Try to account for those calories,’ Blanks says. “If you’re planning on a big dinner, be a bit more flexible with breakfast and lunch. If breakfast is four eggs, two slices of toast and a full avocado, cut the toast and avocado consumption in half, and go from there.”
Consistency and Accountability
One of the biggest misconceptions about maintaining a travel training routine is that overhauling your normal workouts and adapting to boring “hotel-style” workouts is inevitable. “Not quite,” Blank says.
In fact, the best advice he gives to his client is that when at all possible, try and stick to your normal routine as much as you can. This will prevent you from veering too far off your fitness course. When situations arise, a small gym or other elements, adjust accordingly.
“One thing I try to set in stone with all of my artists it try to wake up at the same time,” he says. “From there, let’s have the same breakfast. Let’s try to keep this as close as we can, even though it might be a little different. The more we can keep it the same, the less chaos we’re gonna have throughout the day.”
One more suggestion: If you’re traveling with a partner, make him your training partner as well. Blanks says the idea has helped Muncaster on his fitness success. By following the more gym-seasoned Stanton in the gym, Muncaster has picked up some cues that have helped him refine his routine.
“Gary does have that experience, and that’s something Charlie can look up to,” Blank says. “So when they do work out together, they can give each other that push. And Gary’s a natural sports guy, so they kind of has that locker room vibe.”
When Time And Location Are Compromised, Improvise
All the planning in the world cannot overcome a hotel gym with a pair of 20-pound dumbbells on leg day. However, Blank says that instead of skipping out on training entirely, swap out your original move with a similar exercise and adjust the set and rep schemes.
“Let’s just swap the back squat out for a set of rear-foot-elevated split squats for 12,” he says. “We make adjustments, and maybe match that squat pattern, with two sets of 20 on goblet squats to end the workout. The rep schemes have to change, but the movement patterns themselves can kind of stay pretty similar.
Another travel training trick that Blank incorporates with the duo when on the road is utilizing more full-body workouts. When time is short, full-body workouts add efficiency while targeting all the major muscle groups.
“I’ve been in the worst situations where I think I’m walking into a full gym, and they tell me you only have 30 pound dumbbells,” he says. “If that’s the case, I recommend full-body workouts. Let’s hit each muscle group.”
Muscadine Bloodline’s 3 30-minute Rockstar Workouts
Workout 1: 30-minute Full-body conditioning workout
Instructions: Perform each exercise as a circuit. Rest only as needed. Perform for 20 minutes. Begin run after sets are completed.
- Pullup (alternative: lat pulldown): 5 reps
- Bench Press (alternative: pushups): 10 reps
- Squats (alternative: goblet squats): 10 reps
- Cardo finisher: 1 mile run
Workout 2: 30-minute Strength Block Superset
Instructions: Perform 3-4 sets of each. Minimal rest between rounds.
- A. Front squat: 8-10 reps
superset with
B. Chinup: 5-6 reps
- C. Single-arm incline press: 10 reps (each arm)
superset with
D. DB RDL: 10 reps
- E. Abs exercise:
Plank with arm reach: 10 reps
or
Ab wheel rollout: 10 reps
Workout 3: Limited Equipment
Instructions: Grab a set of dumbbells—start with a weight that’s probably lighter than you think.
Perform all the moves back-to-back without setting the weight down. Only once all reps are complete, you set the weight down. Rest 60 seconds. Increase or decrease weight as needed for each set. Complete 5 rounds.
DB complex:
- 2 Dumbbell Renegade Row: 8 reps
- 2 Dumbbell RDL: 8 reps
- 2 Dumbbell Clean and Press: 8 reps
- 2 Dumbbell Squat Jump (Alternative: 2 DB squat, weight on shoulders): 8 reps