Bodybuilder IB Analyst
Hi All,
Having a bit of a crisis here. I’m a current junior with a BB/EB internship secured for summer ’23. I come from a lower middle-class family, and became extremely interested in IB because of the opportunity to make a lot of money, and find finance more interesting that most other careers.
The problem lies in the WLB of a “top” IB job. I have an extremely fit body (think bodybuilder-esque, accused of being on steroids, have fucked girls based purely on my physical attraction, derive a lot of self worth from my body). I understand the sacrifices of this job that we make for money (not always being able to see friends/family, not getting a lot of sleep, etc.), but I am worried that I will immensely regret my decision if I see my body decay an extreme amount.
Is there any easy answer to this problem? To absolutely never socialize and only go to the gym at night etc? My workouts aren’t really the 45 minute-type that I can squeeze in with a dinner break. I think the bare minimum to maintain my physique (with adequate sleep) would be 4 75-minute sessions a week, if I stop hitting legs almost entirely.
Can anyone who placed a lot of value on their physicality before IB chime in? I’m not trying to start the debate of IB vs SWE again, but this sole factor is making me consider grinding my ass off for the next year to self-learn coding and get a better WLB if I could pull a FAANG job.
I know this may come off as extremely self-centered, but my body/health is truly a huge part of my life. While I do go out and party, I’m known to my friends as the “gym bro” and place a lot of emphasis on my physical appearance, possibly because I’m not really rich, smart, funny, or extremely charismatic.
I would welcome all responses, but not looking to be told to simply stop caring about my looks and develop a personality.
Thank you
Going to have to sacrifice time from something, and let me tell you, it's not going to be work or sleep.
Weird flex (pun intended) you sound like a douche.
The BETTER question is what will these women do without him??
Do what you can. Find a shorter program (check out 5/3/1 BBB?), keep your cals/macros in-line, EC stack, don't booze too hard. Will be really tough to grow but sounds like you have a great foundation to maintain. We're all gonna make it, brah.
I worked this past summer at a BB and managed to lift six days a week and run 15-20 miles a week while averaging 70-85hrs in the office. While I anticipate the hours increasing as a full-time, depending on your group's culture, you should be able to make far better use of WFH privileges and focus less on facetime, which should help you squeeze it in.
A couple of things that may help:
I took care of all the week's friction on Sunday night: Ironing five dress shirts, setting up the week's gym clothes, and preparing five healthy lunches. The preparation allowed me to be out the door within five minutes of waking up. I also benefited from living close to the office (15 min walk) and a clean gym with nice showers and lockers (10 min walk).
6:45 - Wake up (quick cold breakfast protein shake / bagel)
6:55 - Out the door
7:15 - Start workout
8:10 - End workout
8:30 - Shower & shave, get dressed, and get out the door.
8:45 - In the office
12:00 - Meal prepped lunch (would often walk for lunch with the full-time/interns to benefit from the social component)
6:30 - Order dinner salad + chicken
12:00 / 1 AM - Log off
I did all my cardio as time was available on the weekends to avoid running at night. I also went to the same gym in the morning as one of the associates on the team, and this is something you can build a strong relationship through, given the shared interest. A typical day for a full-time might extend a little later, but they also tend to roll in later in my office and benefit from working from home after around 4 pm and one or two days completely. I sacrificed sleep and social life significantly, but if something is important to you, you can make time for it.
On the other hand, I've heard things such as "If you're in X good of shape, you're not working hard enough," mainly in the VP+ crowd, so you have to know your audience a bit. The thought would never have crossed my mind to leave the office to work out, and I never mentioned to the full times how frequently or when I worked out.
The VP+ crowd at your firm that makes comments like that is toxic and insecure
Do what you want and get fired
Yeah bro I spend majority of my time in the gym. When my MD gives me grief about going to the gym instead of working I look him dead in the eye and say “how much do you bench?” and then laugh and walk out of the office. Bonus points if you kick the elevator button instead of pushing it with your hand
This is a tried and true method. Have put my boys on this plan since i discovered it. You must follow the steps in order and to perfection so take notes:
1) Hail from a middle class / upper middle class background but have a chip on your shoulder anyway
2) Go find yourself a girl that you really care about and visualize a future with her
3) Treat her with respect, take care of all her needs and be emotionally supportive.
4) Now, when she does eventually leave, ease the pain with some alcohol, shit food, porn, etc for two weeks
5) Two weeks go by and you’re officially at rock bottom. You tell yourself f*** this and use these emotions to put you in a grind mindset that you can’t get out of for 2 years.
6) two years go by and you’re jacked and doing well in your job, although your sleep schedule will never be the same and you can’t remember the last time you felt the touch of a human woman
7) download hinge
8) rinse, repeat