Training and Time Management

[hawkeye]

I was talking to Halo about training and life. We all juggle work, training, family and so forth. It's really easy to get sidetracked, and the next thing you know, you haven't lifted in 2 weeks or a month. How do you guys stay on task? How do you guys keep motivated?

 

[Rottenrogue]

It’s has become such a routine I’d never miss it.
now I don’t have littles at home so there’s that. But it’s something that takes priority over a lot of things for me. I only lift three days a week and all the mobility crap can be done at home.

 

[rawdeal]

Never excelled (at any level) in BB or PL during my youth, but my clownish efforts then and since were still enjoyable.

Nowadays, when I spend some of my time with rescue dogs of varying unfortunate pasts, special needs, and bodyweights, I am reaping the benefits of that long ago training while younger dog people wonder "how does that old fart do that?"

Ego trips come in many forms ... so I keep training. Just basic home-gym stuff, weights, bench, rack. No pulleys, and no ego-deflating mirrors .

great thread, hawkeye.

 

[genetic freak]

I NEVER miss training or meals. The rest of life gets planned around them. To give you an example, opening day of deer rifle season. We need to wake up at 3:30 am to get out of the house and to our stands an hour before sunrise. That means I am waking up at 2:30 am to do cardio. I end up harvesting two deer and end up processing them until 10 pm that night. My son says, well that was a long day, time to hit the rack. I tell him nope, it is leg day. I still get in a leg session before hitting the rack and turn around to the same thing the next day, because my son needs to get his deer. I will pack all 6 meals with me to the field as well and eat them cold if I have to. If I have driven 3 days across the US and packed all 18 of my meals in a cooler, did wind sprints for HIIT at rest stops and stop at the YMCA to get in some training. If you want to get it done, you will get it done. If you don't, you won't.

 

[hawkeye]

I agree with making it a routine or part of your daily life. My issue comes with 16 hour days and often consecutive. I think my mindset is when I miss a day, it derails my week. I just need to either power through and gut it out, or maybe adjust more and be ok with lifting 3 days a week. I do get lifts in on Saturday and Sunday since I am off. I just don't like having no lifting during the week.

I suppose it's more about being creative. I think diet takes a hit on those long shifts. I get tired/stressed and I eat like garbage. Usually something sweet. No good. It's also about getting old too. The ol body don't bounce back like it used to.

 

[Halo]

I agree with making it a routine or part of your daily life. My issue comes with 16 hour days and often consecutive. I think my mindset is when I miss a day, it derails my week. I just need to either power through and gut it out, or maybe adjust more and be ok with lifting 3 days a week. I do get lifts in on Saturday and Sunday since I am off. I just don't like having no lifting during the week.

I suppose it's more about being creative. I think diet takes a hit on those long shifts. I get tired/stressed and I eat like garbage. Usually something sweet. No good. It's also about getting old too. The ol body don't bounce back like it used to.

Years of shift work fucked up my eating and way worse my sleeping

 

[genetic freak]

I agree with making it a routine or part of your daily life. My issue comes with 16 hour days and often consecutive. I think my mindset is when I miss a day, it derails my week. I just need to either power through and gut it out, or maybe adjust more and be ok with lifting 3 days a week. I do get lifts in on Saturday and Sunday since I am off. I just don't like having no lifting during the week.

I suppose it's more about being creative. I think diet takes a hit on those long shifts. I get tired/stressed and I eat like garbage. Usually something sweet. No good. It's also about getting old too. The ol body don't bounce back like it used to.

Three days a week is more than enough, but it would be a lot better if it was more spread out than a Saturday and Sunday then someday in the middle of the week. If that was all you could do then I would do a chest/back/shoulders and legs/arms split, so each body part was trained every 3-4 days and each body part received roughly the same amount of recovery over a mesocycle. This would be better than a PPL where Saturday and Sunday would always be the same and would compete against each other in the recovery pool.

I did shift work and you can get the meals in. You are absolutely correct, it is all about mindset. When I stopped looking at food for enjoyment and started looking at it as a tool to accomplish my goals my relationship with food completely changed. Come May it will mark 4 years that I have not missed a single meal or eaten off plan. There isn't even any junk food in my house. Pretty much just chicken, venison, fish, rice, vegetables, fruit, rice, oats, non-fat Greek yogurt, cheese, eggs and egg whites. It helps that the wife is on board and my kids are grown and out of the house.

 

[Rottenrogue]

Three days a week is more than enough, but it would be a lot better if it was more spread out than a Saturday and Sunday then someday in the middle of the week. If that was all you could do then I would do a chest/back/shoulders and legs/arms split, so each body part was trained every 3-4 days and each body part received roughly the same amount of recovery over a mesocycle. This would be better than a PPL where Saturday and Sunday would always be the same and would compete against each other in the recovery pool.

I did shift work and you can get the meals in. You are absolutely correct, it is all about mindset. When I stopped looking at food for enjoyment and started looking at it as a tool to accomplish my goals my relationship with food completely changed. Come May it will mark 4 years that I have not missed a single meal or eaten off plan. There isn't even any junk food in my house. Pretty much just chicken, venison, fish, rice, vegetables, fruit, rice, oats, non-fat Greek yogurt, cheese, eggs and egg whites. It helps that the wife is on board and my kids are grown and out of the house.

Exactly this. I understand the eating cold meals. I travel for work more often than I want to. I have it down to a science now with food and training.

 

[CFM]

Some perspective............in the 80's I got up drank 10 eggs ate oatmeal and drove 20 minutes to the gym trained then on my way to work (1.5hr commute). Ate again when I got to work, at break, at lunch and when I was driving to train. Worked 7am to 3:30. Yes, I trained myself to lift on pretty full stomach. Before I commuted home I trained my second split wherever to avoid the commute or I drove home and hit one of the gyms I belonged to. I was attending church, T, Th and Sunday because I was a drummer on the worship team. I maintained the same schedule when I was single. Doing all the shopping, getting laid, meal prep, laundry, etc. Only this time around I was also attending NA and AA meetings 7 days a week.
We all make time for our goals.
Oh and BTW I was a drywall hanger.

 

[JackD]

Exactly what everyone else is saying. It’s all time management and planning your week out with training and food with all the family stuff. If I know I have a weird travel and family day where I know other peoples decisions will screw up that day, I’ll have my meals and make that training day and off day and rotate items around. Essentially, most of my days I have planned down to a “T” for eating and where I’m training at. I’ll eat my meals driving, lunch time go workout, eat while driving to my next meeting. I’m not an early morning workout person, but some days, that’s what it is. Other days it’s later. You know what your week looks like and what’s best for you. Look at your week and plan it out. It’s less stressful and a whole lot easier to accomplish when you have your plan set.

 

[IronSoul]

I was talking to Halo about training and life. We all juggle work, training, family and so forth. It's really easy to get sidetracked, and the next thing you know, you haven't lifted in 2 weeks or a month. How do you guys stay on task? How do you guys keep motivated?

I was going to respond, but we talk just about every day. You know my struggles and my approaches. It definitely is tough. Having good friends like you for the support is always a huge plus for me and helps me with accountability.

 

[Halo]

Some perspective............in the 80's I got up drank 10 eggs ate oatmeal and drove 20 minutes to the gym trained then on my way to work (1.5hr commute). Ate again when I got to work, at break, at lunch and when I was driving to train. Worked 7am to 3:30. Yes, I trained myself to lift on pretty full stomach. Before I commuted home I trained my second split wherever to avoid the commute or I drove home and hit one of the gyms I belonged to. I was attending church, T, Th and Sunday because I was a drummer on the worship team. I maintained the same schedule when I was single. Doing all the shopping, getting laid, meal prep, laundry, etc. Only this time around I was also attending NA and AA meetings 7 days a week.
We all make time for our goals.
Oh and BTW I was a drywall hanger.

The drywall work is brutal!!