Hey guys,
I have a problem that I'm hoping some of you have in common.
My day consists of getting up at 6:00, going to work at 7:00, spending the rest of my day glued to a computer screen, going home at 5:00, and by the time I've had supper I really don't have any energy to hit the weights like I should.
I know I'm probably just a wuss, but I would appreciate any suggestions.
RktMan
You could try bringing a pre work out meal to work, eating it, and then lifting before you go home for dinner. Typically a good amount of simple carbs gets me energetic in a hurry... try maybe some gatorade power, or surge? you could even take a caffine pill. I think prolab makes a pretty good one.
To be honest, I had a job once where on some days, I had NO physical labour. I hated it. I would come home twice as exausted as I did from a physical job.
There's a number of options. One would be getting up earlier, and hitting the weights before you work. Possibly go to the gym on your lunch. Sorry if these aren't possible, I don't know your situation. When I worked at my former job, I worked from 8 am until 8 pm. I used to start thinking about the gym about an hour or 2 before I got off work. I would envision a great workout, lifting heavier, No delays,etc. It really helped me prepare for a workout. I also had a great training partner,that's a big help.
In no way would I call you a wuss, I know from experience, A slow job is one of the biggest workout inhibitors.
bro, you have described a HELL of a lot of peoples typical days.
there is NO excuse that you can't workout after your time in the office.
if you really want it, you'll find the time and energy.
i will say that if you want it badly enough and make a commitment to go, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner.
jaystyles
PS. A body in motion, stays in motion.
get your ass up at 4:30 am to go to the gym. it's the only way i can make sure i get my workouts in. (i do allow myself to sleep in to the leisurely hour of 4:50 or 5:10 depending on the day's workout.) i put my alarm across the room so i must get up to shut it off, then while i'm up i throw together a protein shake, change, brush the teeth, and head out for the gym's 5:30 opening. get back home around 6:40 or so, hit the shower and get to work for 8:30. of course sleep does seem more appealing, but it's the conscious choice i make to make me and my body a priority.
the first couple of weeks are a bit brutal with this routine, but soon enough it becomes very easy. i'm usually up before the alarm in fact. and if i'm not up, i get up for the alarm, go through the motions and usually i'm at the gym before i'm fully awake and/or could justify an excuse to not go. i work late often and have a 40-60 minute commute, so it would be more than easy for me to miss nighttime w/os. this is a routine that has served me very well for 3+ years (with a recent 6 month reprieve that we won't talk about now that it is firmly in the past.)
there are other factors like your diet (which i'm sure you know about since know about t-mag) which will effect how you feel throughout the day.
oh- and i do get to bed around 8:30 or 9:00 at the latest!
I think many of us feel that way at the end of the day. Often I drag myself into the gym with the idea that my workout will be awful, because I'm way too tired to do anything. But, once I step foot in the gym, get warmed up a bit, and get my hands on iron...all my doubts and fatique just go away. I actually feel less tired leaving the gym after an hour or hour and a half than I did when I arrived.
Is a home gym a possibility at all? Sometimes getting to the gym is the hardest part, but like Rebecca said, once your in there and warmed up, there's no stopping you. A decent free weight based set up and another dedicated workout partner who shows up every day would be awesome, if at all possible. Or you could ask around at work if any of your peers would be interested in going to the gym with you. Sometimes having someone to be there for, gives you reason to not make excuses for not going to the gym.
I think its a matter of will. I read/heard somewhere that if you can do something new for 4 weeks you will have pretty much trained yourself to do that new task which would essentially be a change in your normal everyday procedure. Factor in a pre-workout drink (hot water and honey for example) about 30 minutes before you leave work and you probably won't have much problem getting to the gym.
I also get up at 6AM and go to work at 7AM, but I don't get off work until 7PM. I still manage to get 4 workouts in a week, sometimes more. Many times I just don't feel like working out after 12 hours of work, but when I get into it I feel better. I can have my pre-workout meal before I leave work so I am ready to go when I get home or to the gym after work. I also make sure to get in workouts on my days off. This way I can take advantage of the extra time and rest I have on those days.
Don't go home first. That makes it very hard to get back up to head out to train. Go from work straight to the gym and plan your meals accordingly.
Believe in yourself. After 12 hour days in front of a computer I never feel like working out. But when I get to the gym at 8 or whenever, it is like a switch has been thrown. I have just done it enough times that I know it'll happen. You just gotta believe.
Get yourself a workout partner - makes it so much easier to go.
I also found that focusing on a goal makes it a lot easier to workout, so invent some kind of target to reach at the gym and remind youself just how much of a wuss you are if you don't try to reach it.
I'm in kinda the same boat.
With my new job I work 9-6. Training after work isn't an option until about 9pm. I only get so much time with my kids and I won't spend an hour and a half away from them when I can do it another time. So I train either before work or at 9pm.
Honestly I think I like the late workout better. I'm not rushed in the morning and I can sleep a full 8 hours. A nice change.
My wife and I get up at 4:00am, leave the house by 5:00, get to the gym and work out before going to work. If your gym opens early enough, it's the best thing you can do.
If necessary (so as not to miss a day), we WILL go after work, but the crowds (except Fridays) are awful.
Either way, I wouldn't want to face it without Power Drive and caffeine (my preferred intake is 2 Excedrin migraine with the PD). I try to take them 20-30 minutes before we leave work (gym is a mile away from work).
Get Power Drive; totally worth it!
Of course you don't feel like it at the end of the day. I don't either, so I get up at 5:00 and go to the gym before work.
First things first.
Define your why first and the how will work itself out. Why are you going to the gym? What do you want to look like? Picture the physique you want to attain. Visualize it. Embrace that image. How bad do you want it? Once you have a clear enough picture of what you want you won't have to struggle with getting to the gym. You'll be looking forward to it.
I'm in the same boat. My gym is close to work, so I hit it reight after work. This way I don't go home and sit around getting more tired befor my workout. Plus, I get the benefit of letting traffic die down while I train. No way I could wake up an hour earlier to train, but that's just me. Sometimes I grab a quick workout on my lunch if I know I won't be able to make it in the evening.
Diet and meal timing is equally as important as the will/desire part. I have a more demanding schedule but have adapted. Maybe some of the following tips will help:
Avoid hi-GI carbs execpt PWO to eliminate the crash. Eat every 2 hrs if possible (i eat @ 5, 7, 9, 12, 2, 5, 8, & 10) for maximum energy. Don't turn on the TV till your workout is done. Plan you cheat meals as a post-workout reward. Keep a diligent workout log (serves as a schedule reminder as well as positive reinforcement from tracking gains).
Good Luck!
I was in the same boat a while back. Here are some suggestions that actually worked for me.
1) Change your lunch. Yep, that's right. If you're eating high glycemic foods at lunch the insulin spike will drop your blood sugar in the afternoon and early evening when you leave, and you won't want to do anything because you're lethargic. Don't eat pastas, rice, sugars for lunch. This change had the most effect on me.
2) "Work out" at work. Yes, you can do it, just probably not weight lifting. Take 20+ minutes, probably before lunch, and briskly walk around the building a couple times. Is the weather bad? Then go up and down the stairs for 20+ minutes. This isn't a hardcore workout, but it keeps your metabolism up just enough so you're not lethargic.
3) Pack your gym clothes and go straight to the gym after work. Don't even stop at home. Sure, the gym is more crowded right after work, but you can deal with that. Or leave work late and go there after the crowd is gone.
4) If your diet is in order, you need to make your meals/snacks in advance and take them to work. I find I can make a 3 pound meat loaf on Sunday and it provides afternoon meals for about a whole week.