How do you find time for the gym? To sell or not to sell my home gym?

[jdboyd78]

Man I know I can do it. Its just having the will to do so. During the months I was working out, I had a buddy come over around 5am, wed kill an hour workout and then id jump in the shower. I think im going to start back up today, go grocery shopping get some good foods, get a good little chest workout in to get back into it and start setting my alarm at 445-5am. 15 minutes of warming up and getting up, be done by 615 and enough time to leave by 640.

I get up @ 0410, take my caffeine, surf internet/email until 0425, first warmup set @ 0430. Get workout, ready for work, and @ work 0700. Home @ 1530 with the kids. I have a very short commute which helps, about 5 minutes to the hospital, which helps a lot. I tend to take off every Sat and lift 5 days a week, so there is a workday I sleep in some, usually just do light cardio for 30 min. I try to get to sleep @ 2100 every night, sometimes do and sometimes don't, but as long as a I get a min of 6 hours I'm good, I usually catch up a day or two during the week somehow. As I've gotten older, feel like I need more sleep to stay good.

One big tip is to "setup" your gym for your workout beforehand (bench setup, safeties, etc). Like tomorrow is back, so I have my trap bar setup for deadlift warmups right now, and my olympic bar is set with plates to warmup rows, so I can just go. I'm not a morning person.

You better hit it, I guarantee you Grubman and myself will be, so get up and do it!!!!!!!!!!!

[ffrink]

I get up @ 0410, take my caffeine, surf internet/email until 0425, first warmup set @ 0430. Get workout, ready for work, and @ work 0700. Home @ 1530 with the kids. I have a very short commute which helps, about 5 minutes to the hospital, which helps a lot. I tend to take off every Sat and lift 5 days a week, so there is a workday I sleep in some, usually just do light cardio for 30 min. I try to get to sleep @ 2100 every night, sometimes do and sometimes don't, but as long as a I get a min of 6 hours I'm good, I usually catch up a day or two during the week somehow. As I've gotten older, feel like I need more sleep to stay good.

One big tip is to "setup" your gym for your workout beforehand (bench setup, safeties, etc). Like tomorrow is back, so I have my trap bar setup for deadlift warmups right now, and my olympic bar is set with plates to warmup rows, so I can just go. I'm not a morning person.

You better hit it, I guarantee you Grubman and myself will be, so get up and do it!!!!!!!!!!!

I apologize for not reading the whole thread but I would sell off some stuff and pay down bills Less stress already, then work out three days a week early in the morning and bulk up. As a former runner, it as easy waking up at 5, getting dressed (half asleep) and getting in quick 5 miler usually in the dark.

Good luck!!!

[soflo352]

Personally with regards to your equipment and I don’t mean this negatively but for I think you would sell it for used may not make to much of a dent in your debt so if it was me I’d actually keep,it. Even if you dismantle the rack and stick it in the corner or roof space out the way. You may get the bug again when your schedule settles down. Normally tight schedules are when home gyms are the perfect answer. My nearest commercial budget gym is about 13-15 mins away. In the travel time alone to get to it I have done half my workout.

And you make perfect sense. Im not in a tight bind, I get by... I afford to pay bills and do extra to my jeep and things like that. I guess when you get super busy and you know you're weak from not lifting for some time, my mind just says man sell your crap and just move on.... but then again, when i get free time in a few months, I'll miss my home gym again. I tell you what, I hustled to put my home gym together, I got the craziest deals that I know Id never find again.....

And my local gym is about 10-12 minutes away. By the time I leave at 5am, and get to the gym it would be 520ish. I have to leave my house by 630am to get to work on time.

[Domicron]

The toughest part of having the weights in your house is having people to encourage you to go.

if you enjoy it, keep the weights and work on your self discipline.

if there is a good gym or friends you can lift with outside of your house, ditch the weights and lift with your buds.

[Bignick31985]

I do not have kids yet, but a busy work schedule on top of my regular 40hr week.

I used to work out in the afternoon but at the beginning of the year I started getting up at 4am and knocking it out. Done by 5:15am or so and it's done for the day.

I imagine that kids will surely mix that up but I'll figure something out.

[Domicron]

I do not have kids yet, but a busy work schedule on top of my regular 40hr week.

I used to work out in the afternoon but at the beginning of the year I started getting up at 4am and knocking it out. Done by 5:15am or so and it's done for the day.

I imagine that kids will surely mix that up but I'll figure something out.

When i was in my mid-late twenties, i would come home from working 12 hour days, bang out 45-60 minutes at the weights, then stay up til like 3 AM playing video games.

trust me on this one: kids hit like a freight truck. I wouldn't sacrifice them for anything, but they will **** your schedule up.

waking up early is probably smart; it will be 100% more difficult when you're on 2 hours of sleep.

[dparty82]

4 am crew here. Always wake up and get my workout in before I leave for work around 6:30. I've done it since I can remember and love having the rest of the day to my hobbies and kids. I have 2 kids and no way could/would I work out after work when time is more valuable to be with my kids than with my weights. Bedtime with kids is up to them, I have a 5 month old and sometimes he gets up at 2am for feeding. Once he is done I may get another hour and a half to sleep in until 4am. If he gets up at 3:30, then I just stay up and work out at 4:30 and get to work early. Some nights I may be up twice and only have 4-5 hours of sleep in me and if that happens, I just do cardio before work so I don't feel like a pos.

Remember, with kids, sleep is never a guarantee.

[Domicron]

...only have 4-5 hours of sleep in me and if that happens, I just do cardio before work so I don't feel like a pos.

Remember, with kids, sleep is never a guarantee.

this is the smart thing. when i was at my best, i would go to the gym no matter what, just to keep my routine. once i went to the gym so sick i couldn't do more than walk a lap before i decided to go home. i still called it a win.

[BulkMore]

Everyone here seems to underestimate the power of sleep. You think missing a few workouts are bad...not getting enough sleep is a killer.

[sera310]

To the OP: You are overthinking this. Workout when you can, miss some but try to maintain when you are busy at work or with kids (if & when they come). Hit it hard again when things slow back down. Don't sell your home gym stuff now, you'd be sorry later--it's much handier when you have little kids to get in a workout at home, you don't have to leave the premises and it takes far less time than going to a gym.

[ampire]

To the OP: You are overthinking this. Workout when you can, miss some but try to maintain when you are busy at work or with kids (if & when they come). Hit it hard again when things slow back down. Don't sell your home gym stuff now, you'd be sorry later--it's much handier when you have little kids to get in a workout at home, you don't have to leave the premises and it takes far less time than going to a gym.

It also sets a good example and instills a fitness culture in the household.

[BIgOrange865]

OP. I contemplated selling everything I had Legend rack, York roundheads, vintage plates, concept rower, etc. I took 3 months off from lifting because I couldn't keep my routine with small children who are now into extracurricular activities (soccer, dance practice). I stopped beating myself up and I lift 2-3 days a week at 4:30 in the morning. I stopped obsessing about making gains and am happy at the moment for maintaining my active physique. One day you will have more time and can get back to a more strict routine. Good luck, I hope you've had the chance to get a workout or two since you started the thread.

[supramax]

soflo352,

Basically, what sera310 said. Do not sell your equipment. Streamline your workout and do mega big bang for energy buck exercises like the squat clean and push press.

[C123C]

OP. I contemplated selling everything I had Legend rack, York roundheads, vintage plates, concept rower, etc. I took 3 months off from lifting because I couldn't keep my routine with small children who are now into extracurricular activities (soccer, dance practice). I stopped beating myself up and I lift 2-3 days a week at 4:30 in the morning. I stopped obsessing about making gains and am happy at the moment for maintaining my active physique. One day you will have more time and can get back to a more strict routine. Good luck, I hope you've had the chance to get a workout or two since you started the thread.

Such a good point. Sometimes the best you can do for some periods in life is just get in and do something. Optimality can be tweaked after consistency is established and sometimes life makes that hard to impossible. Just get in and do something when you can. We've all been there.

[SugarFree1]

If its important to you, youll make the time. That you do have a home gym makes it even more convenient, not less. I get up at 3am to go workout in my basement before getting ready to leave for work.