Hi Monkeys,
Current A1 in Analyst training hitting the desk in September. Throughout my studies I did not weight lifts and bulk.
Assuming that I am average built, do you think it is possible to build some quality muscle mass during the Analyst stint? Did you manage to do it during your Analyst years or anyone who managed to do so?
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You will bulk up no problem, it just won't be muscle.
I wouldn't purposely bulk while in IB. You're going to have poor sleep quality, and days where you can't work out or can only get in a short workout. Given the time-consuming nature of the job, you'll probably be inadvertently bulking. This means you'll just spiral out of control while bulking and end up fat.
What worked for me during my rough schedule was eating lots of protein whenever I could and trying to eat clean. This worked for me and I made good progress during my crazy schedule!
My biggest tip is when ordering seamless at 8pm, don't give into the temptation to order something heavy to cope with a long and depressing day. Always order chicken salads with a cookie/brownie on the side. The chicken salad will be great for your body and keep you fresh while working on things late into the night, while the cookie will be great for your mind and serve as a morale booster!
No, it's actually part of your contract that you are only allowed to do calisthenics and get ripped as opposed to bulking. Gotta read the fine print, bro.
Time for another onebagger rant™
Let me break down the holy trinity of fitness - Diet, Rest, and Exercise - in the context of the IBD grind. I've had varying degrees of success in fitness since starting my finance career, but have gone from 200 lbs to 170 lbs and back to 200 lbs as a 5'10" guy on bulk/cut cycles. Bulking can be very dangerous. It's 100x easier to add 'mass' than it is to remove it. I'd echo other comments and say avoid bulking as an analyst. It will build bad eating habits that are impossible to shake when you're working 80-100hr weeks.
Diet
This has always been where I struggle most. You can have the best workout routine and remain incredibly disciplined and get your 8 hours a night but make 0 progress if your diet isn't dialed in. In IB it is difficult to stay disciplined here. The key will be to build habits. I find Intermittent Fasting (eating only during an 8 hour window every 24 hours) to be hugely helpful here - I skip breakfast and eat between 12-8PM. It'll be tough not to get junk/stress food as an analyst and most of your peers will be going straight for it. You mention you want to bulk - if you have no experience in bulking/cutting cycles this can be dangerous. I would echo what other posters have said: do not attempt to bulk while in IB.
Download MyFitnessPal and track your meals as best you can. Your key research terms are TDEE and Macronutrients. Focus on staying close to your TDEE in terms of caloric intake, and prioritize protein and good fats over carbs. Avoid simple/starchy carbs wherever possible. I had the most success cutting on a 40/40/20 P/F/C split but your mileage may vary. What made me the most successful at maintaining good shape and strength (and later successfully cutting) as an analyst was meal-prepping. Every Sunday I'd make my lunches for the week, and since I was running 8/16 intermittent fasting, I could get away with cheekier dinners without blowing up my caloric/macronutrient balance.
There are loads of meal-plan templates out there and I strongly suggest meal-prepping and tracking combined with IF as an analyst, regardless of whether or not you want to add/lose mass. If you want to hear about my specific meal plan LMK and I can provide a sample of what I ate for lunch (spoiler: it was the same thing every day and involved a lot of vegetables).
Consider ordering a Booster Juice or a Freshii salad or something healthier for your evening meals. Consider keeping quality snack foods (e.g. almonds, in moderation) at your desk during the day.
Rest
This means both sleep (hugely important for changing body comp in any direction) and "rest" from working out - if you're going hard every single day you can overtrain yourself, make no gains and fry your CNS. This is very hard as a banker. There will be days / weeks where you average 4/5/6 hours a night which makes it difficult to progress in mass gaining and makes you more prone to cheating on a cutting meal plan. Unfortunately there is no secret sauce here other than to stay disciplined and prioritize your sleep. Your analyst hours will more than likely make it impossible for you to find the time to overtrain, but keep an eye out for that as well. I know many folks who went HAM on their routines and gave themselves injuries and regressed completely.
Exercise
If you've never worked out before, I'd recommend a program similar to Starting Strength - focus on heavy compounds (squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, rows) for 5x5 and 5x3 rep/set schemes to build base strength and add mass. You can actually run these programs for a long time and have great results if you're untrained. I mentioned above that you will be highly time constrained due to your hours so sticking to a rigid program will be very tough. Just try to hit 3 days a week in the gym if possible. Take it whenever you can - most of my workout sessions were on Friday/Saturday/Sunday.
I believe that every man, woman, and child interested in working out to look/feel better and get stronger should include the following movements in a routine:
Pull-ups; Dips; Squats; Deadlifts; Overhead Press; Rows
If you literally only do these movements you will grow and get stronger. You can and should add ancillary movements like curls or tricep extensions. Break routine down by muscle group. My personal favorite scheme was push/pull - alternating heavy and light days of pushing motions (squat, overhead press, bench press, etc.) and pulling motions (pull-up, deadlift, row, etc.).
Don't ignore cardio. Try to get moving every day, regardless of your routine, even if it's just a 30 minute walk around the block every evening. I had the most success cutting by incorporating HIIT (high intensity interval training) in the form of treadmill sprints in the mornings before work (schedule and sleep permitting).
A few final tips and comments:
Don't confuse motivation with discipline. Sounds like you already have motivation. Work on discipline - creating a plan and sticking to it. There will be multiple day stretches where you're grinding too hard to hit the gym or go for a run/swim/bike/etc. - that is totally fine. Don't beat yourself up over that. Remember to take it whenever you can. Weekend days should always have some level of activity.
Talk to your colleagues and superiors about fitness and get a feel for whether or not it'd be acceptable to take an hour in the evenings to workout. My first job had a gym in the basement and some of us bankers would go down for a 45-60 minute sesh at 5/6/7pm, workload permitting. Was totally acceptable, a good way to bond with colleagues, and great for staying in shape.
It's very easy to let yourself go. I have recently done exactly that and am in the worst shape of my life. It becomes a vicious cycle of being too tired and cranky to exercise, and using food as a stress-relief mechanism. Eating releases dopamine, which can be very dangerous as a strung-out analyst. Stay disciplined. It's very easy to put on a few pounds per quarter and wake-up one morning with a spare tire and tiddies.
It's very hard to stay disciplined and fit, but doing so will keep you better focused mentally and make you better at your job.
If you can find a gym buddy who works on the floor or in a similar role elsewhere it can be invaluable.
If you have space and $, a home gym setup can be invaluable. Mine is right behind my desk and I can see my computer from my pullup bar/bench/etc. 45 minutes here and there is very easy when WFH and you should take advantage of that - as we return to normal it will often be impossible to skip out 45 minutes for a workout during the day.
Good luck.