Weight lifting and working a full time job??

[SJM818]

Im about to start my first full time job working for my uncles plumbing company. The pay is pretty good but its hard work ( about 50 hours a week ). The problem is i think this will effect my weight lifting schedule. By the time i get home I might be too tired to hit the gym and plus im not gonna get my regular nutrition i get at home. Does anybody else have a full time job? Whats it like, do you get too tired to lift weights at the end of the day? Im guessing im going to be working from around 8 am or 9 am until about 6 or 7 pm. This is probably in the wrong section but i just didnt know where else to post it.

[tisok74]

Jason Ferruggia has come out with a workout plan for bulking up and getting ripped with just spending 3timesa day at the gym. and not fr very long. it really works. i've done it for a year now.

www.thesecrettomusclemass.com

[Zensuji]

When you too tired that's when working out is needed. It will pick you up and get you going again. I workout at the end of tough days and as soon as the first 1-2 sets is out of the way i'm fired up and full of beans. Fuel yourself up and get in the gym. Now when I did manual labour that was a lot harder but unless your physically exhausting yourself you'll be fine.

The real pro's are those mums and dads, hard workers and people with full schedules that still make it to the gym and tear it up!.

[stongej]

anybody else ever hear of this?

[DaBurg3r]

yeah I have a full time job, it's office work though. But I have done construction, and still lifted. As long as you get your 8 hours a night of sleep, the only hard part is going to be getting your nutrition during the day. If you can find a solution to that it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but yeah when I did construction some days I would be very tired when I got home.

[dazsmith69]

im in the same boat, try and spread meals throughout the day at the office, then a creatine before i workout, still sometimes feel tired, but once your into your workout it usually wakes you up, some say a cup of coffee before a workout wakes u up too

[jawadams]

Haha I should hope most people here have full a full time job... If you can't manage to eat healthy and workout when you have a full time job then you may as well quit, because eventually you're most likely gonna end up having a full time job (and maybe even a family later on). You need to dedicate yourself to the gym. Most people spend at least an hour a day doing unnecessary things. You might have to give up some of that but it's worth it.

[MrBtotheG]

Welcome to the real world brother.

I get up at 6am, don't get home til 4pm and still feel great to work out 5 days a week. I work outside in the Florida heat occasionally getting into my office to do some "paper work," and I'm never too tired to work out. I look forward to it after a long day of work.

[DVSoul]

I work out of state (commute daily).Im away from 4am to 630pm. Im up at 4am for a jog, shower and an 1hr drive. I manage to eat right, thanks to a cooler bag with some freezer packs. Get a good breakfast, pack tuna, peanut butter, Almonds, bowl of fruit, maybe some Prot.Powder and a water bottle or bars. Try to get a hot meal at lunch break.

Some days i am totally exhausted, but i manage to get in a W/O. Might take you a week or so to adjust, but you will. Welcome to the rest of your life.

It can be done.

[TonySturch]

Im out from 7 to 7, and many times I dont get to start my workout till 8:30 or 9:00, and dont finish till 10:30 or later. Once you get into the swing of things, itll come easier and easier to you. If you take a long break, it can be a little challenging to get the motivation back, but im sure youll be able to do it.

[AaronCF]

Up at 6am, home at 6pm here.

Workout 6:30

In bed by 10.

Commuting 80 miles round trip daily.

No problems.

[hank-williams]

Im about to start my first full time job working for my uncles plumbing company. The pay is pretty good but its hard work ( about 50 hours a week ). The problem is i think this will effect my weight lifting schedule. By the time i get home I might be too tired to hit the gym and plus im not gonna get my regular nutrition i get at home. Does anybody else have a full time job? Whats it like, do you get too tired to lift weights at the end of the day? Im guessing im going to be working from around 8 am or 9 am until about 6 or 7 pm. This is probably in the wrong section but i just didnt know where else to post it.

Go to the gym before you go to work. I work a full-time job, MMA, and weightlifting. I have been known to get up at 4:30 and go get a workout in.

[BostonBoy22]

Wake at 630am work 8-5, get to the gym at 6pm and workout till 730pm. And just hit the sheets by 1030 the latest and your body will adapt. Just make sure you eat all day, and drink alot of water so your body is worked by the end of your shift. I don't work outside, but my day consist of meeting with client or doing work in my office.

[jawadams]

I manage to eat right, thanks to a cooler bag with some freezer packs.

Exactly what I do. I work for a school board which has me traveling from school to school a lot, and this is a great way to keep your food "refrigerated" on the go. You can eat most things cold... I even have a cold hamburger some days (lean beef and whole grain bread of course).

[ucfmagic]

I'm at work from 7:30am until 6pm. The key for me is going straight to the gym after work. If I go home first I tend to stay home. Once I walk into the gym I'm ready to go.

As far as nutrition, what I do is cook all my food for lunch (grilled chicken) on Sundays and pack them in five containers. That way throughout the week all I have to do is grab my lunch and I'm ready to go. I also always have a bottle filled with whey protien that I can snack on during the day while at work.

I'm able to make it to the gym 4 times a week with no problems. I get home by 8:30pm, cook, shower and I'm still in bed by 9:30.....

[C-results]

A bad workout is better than no workout. Even if you're tired, you can still lift/do cardio etc. Think about your end results of where you want to be. Use that as motivation

[32401975]

Jason Ferruggia has come out with a workout plan for bulking up and getting ripped with just spending 3timesa day at the gym. and not fr very long. it really works. i've done it for a year now.

www.thesecrettomusclemass.com

Only 3 times a day at they gym? sounds great for busy schedules!

Whats the secret? or will you only tell me after ive spent the $$

[PhreEkGarden]

Does anybody else have a full time job? .

Lol, nope... everyone just works out all day. Im sure youll adjust. I get up at 5am and dont train until 5:30... I just take like 100mg of caffeine to wake me up on the drive there.

[stongej]

Only 3 times a day at they gym? sounds great for busy schedules!

Whats the secret? or will you only tell me after ive spent the $$

lol my point exactly

[OmahaBoy2003]

I've been working full time since I was 18 and it never got in the way of my gym schedule. You just have to learn to make it a priority after work. Also learn to carry your meals with you when your on the go.

[Flex_Kavana]

Its tough! I got 2 kids and work full time... getting to the gym is tough but i manage to get there 4 times a week... right now im taking my week off break from working out to heal and recover...

[porcupinetree]

Some great responses here.

I look at it this way:

Excuses are easy to find but they do not build muscle. So you have decide what you want.

If you get your meals and get your workouts, you will get the results. If you don't, you get no results.
That is reality. So now, you do what you can to get your meals and your workouts. You find a way. There are a lot of good suggestions here, but you have to figure it out for yourself.

Or you go about your life telling yourself "It's ok that you look like crap, you would train if you could, but blah blah blah"

[ooREXoo]

Pretty much what everyone else said...gotta stay motiviated and welcome to the real world.

I'm up at 7 and don't get home anywhere from 5:30 - 6:30. Don't get to the gym till about 7. I like it that way though...the whole "afterwork" crowd is gone by then or heading out the door. A few things I have found that help me is:

-I go to the gym later as stated above 7pm. If your gym opens early or is 24-hr during the week like mine you could go earlier. I am just not a morning person so I opt out of this.

-I bring a HUGE food bag with me to work and its holds 4 out of 6 meals of my day. I eat breakfast at home, and I eat my late snack at home, all else eaten on the jobsite, truck, or the office. (I am also in construction, on the project mgmt side, I did the same when I was in the field though for the most part)

-I only lift three days per week, I do a PL'ing style routine with some assistance.

-I do cardio on off days, low impact on the treadmill. I have one at home and watch tv while I'm on it. I find it is better for my schedule and I don't feel like I am at the gym all the time that way, which helps me stay motivated.

-Invest in an ipod, I get better lifts in with the thing. Talk less, time flies with it on...

-Try changing your split days so you are shaded towards the weekend
Sat- lift
Sun-lift
Mon-off
Tues-lift
Wed-lift
thurs & friday-off, repeat.

Just do everything in your power to stay motivated...that is the key as you get older and more and more sh!t gets piled onto your life (job, wife, kids, more bills, etc.) Its a lifestyle man.

[SJM818]

thanks, i never said i was thinking of quitting. Just needed some advice. My gym closes at 10 so hopefully i can make it there by atleast 8 30. On the bright side, ill have a lot of extra money so i can get some new supplements.

[Mr. Chainsaw]

I do basically what everyone else has posted already. Up at 6:30, work until 4-4:30, go to the gym right after. Going home after work is the kiss of death, you'll just want to stay there and not go anywhere if you do. I pack my gym bag the night before with my gym clothes, water bottle, and protein powder in a shaker bottle so that I can just fill it at the water fountain. Fortunately, my commute to work is only like 5 minutes, and to the gym from there is about a 10 minute drive. Anyway, every Sunday I cook up a whole bunch of chicken (sometimes beef), rice, and some sort of vegetable and distribute it in five gladware containers. I stick them in the freezer, and before work I take one out and put it in my insulated lunch bag. I bring everything that I'm going to eat while I'm at work (desk job). It's usually a bagel w/natural peanut butter and coffee from my insulated mug, a banana, hard boiled eggs, another fruit of some sort (orange or a fruit cup), lunch as previously described, turkey sandwich, and sometimes a protein bar. I've been doing this for the past 2-3 years. A couple times I've actually started driving to the gym before realizing it was an off day.

[jdmalm123]

Mark Rippetoe says:

"If you can't train and work in a warehouse at the same time, you probably have ovarian cancer. Consult your gynecologist."

[johnnygun207]

that's how it is bro. i work 8 hours a day throwing 55 lb bags. i've actually noticed a ****load more energy at work and at home since i've started weightlifting and doing cardio daily.

*one note though, since you are gonna be going from site to site (i assume you will be as a plumber), you may wanna bring some ready to eat type stuff with you, whatever you can do to put in a cooler or a couple of protein shakes. make sure you get the proper nutrition and try to keep your meals spaced apart a few hours a piece... try anyway, i know it's hard at work. good luck.

[heidt410]

Mark Rippetoe says:

"If you can't train and work in a warehouse at the same time, you probably have ovarian cancer. Consult your gynecologist."

haha

You can get to the gym and workout at 6am 4x per week. Thats what I would do. As for nutrition... Eat breakfast at home, bring PWO shake to gym, pack food in a mini cooler, eat dinner at home. I would even buy a 2nd container of whey to keep at work.

Welcome to the Rat Race

[jdmalm123]

Milk in a thermos...PB can store at room temperature...you're all set

[Steeltoe]

Go to the gym before you go to work. I work a full-time job, MMA, and weightlifting. I have been known to get up at 4:30 and go get a workout in.

x2
working out before work is awesome, just yesterday i did a set of squats before going to work, the whole day i was really hyper and awake. and its not like me to be energetic at work. =)