How to Fit in a Workout when You Work from 9 AM to Midnight?
I have been working full time in banking for a few months now. It's been great so far - a little overwhelming and demanding at times, but great overall. I have been trying to keep up with my workout routines and attend gym at least twice a week. On nights when I leave at 7:30 / 8 pm, I can still make it to an 8:45 pm class. However, for the past 3 weeks, it's been close to midnight every night (even Fridays).
On weekends, its becoming a trade off between social life and gym, so sometimes I only make there once. And I'm not a morning person, so I prefer not to work out in the mornings. But I'm still trying to stay in shape (all these long hours in the front of the company and office dinners are really messing with my body).
So how are you guys staying in shape in these and how do manage to fit in workouts in your schedule?
Any ideas / suggestions would help.
I hear you! I've gained around 5-6 kilos over the last 5 months. I eat well during lunch and also when I get home, which is around 11-12. I tend to skip breakfasts. I'm still OK cause I'm fairly tall and thanks to my good digestive system I don't think this will get much worse. While little buffer is starting to accumulate around my now-gone abs. I was in good shape in early summer.
The only way out I see is a Saturday morning jog to the gym and then back. Also I think it gets me well fired up for the evening. Not sure if one day will be enough though but I guess it's better than nothing. Doing any exercise on Sunday is begging for a heart attack.
Same... Skip the breakfast straight into the office. I wish Wall Street implemented like a mandatory exercise hour in the morning or smth..
^^"AlphaDog"??...haha it's a brave new world
Sil makes a great point about diet. It's really about 60% or more of the equation when it comes to physique. Get into the gym 3 mornings a week with a productive split and eat a quality diet.
I did my analyst stint at a regional MM and the hours were not nearly this bad, so I always hit the gym in the morning. Your schedule sounds very challenging, so you will need to be creative.
Although you say that you are not a morning person, I would definitely recommend to hit the gym before going to the office in the morning. If waking up early is the worst for you, you can always change from a 2-split workout plan into a 3-5 and go for shorter work out sessions, i.e. MI40. Find a gym close to your office. Workout for 60 min (warmup, lifting, shower, etc.)
The best solution I can give to a person who has a hard time waking up early is to get into a routine.
Me? The way I handled it over the summer was that I got a membership to a gym that was about a block away from where I lived. Even if I was tired I'd run over and knock out one or two sets of lifting. It doesn't take much to do a lot, and if your time is limited I'd recommend focusing on heavy lifting. You need to run a lot to burn a lot of calories, but if you exercise a heavy muscle hard enough to make it sore it increases your energy burn for the entire time it's recovering.
I completely agree. I believe that proximity of a gym is the best way to get in workouts when you're in a time crunch. I'd recommend hitting up the gym 2x on week days for 30 minutes each time and on weekends for 1 hour each time.
You can squeeze a 1 hour workout in on Saturday/Sunday in between your "social life".
Not even that. If you alternate you can easily hit legs/biceps or chest/triceps to where you get a burn in both muscle groups within ten minutes. Not ever gonna be great but it will do a lot to keep you feeling better.
I feel like you could've searched for a topic like this and found a few pages' worth of relevant posts. Try tabata, man. Four minutes is all it takes. I sound like I am going to have a heart attack after doing tabata burpees.
Thanks for the tip. Will check out tabata this weekend
Experience tells me optimal time to leave the office for a one hour work out in New York is 11.15 - 11.20am in order not to be missed too much.
Get a wii if you can. Very inexpensive way to do cardio indoors.
Morning the way to go. Even if you're not a morning person now you will get used to it. Key is to make it a routine so you do it no matter what. Personally I will make sure i do every morning apart from if have been drinking the night before - even if it means getting up at 4 I will do it. Big believer in habit and routine- can be tough at first but after a while you think nothing of it.
In your experience, if you work out in the morning around 8 am to about 9 am, then start working at 9:30 am, would you be exhausted by the time midnight rolls ? Or do you feel refreshed all day after you workout? I just don't want workouts affecting productivity during weekdays.
Personally I am normally in the gym around 6, so am up at 5 - I am indeed tired by c.9pm (so equivalent of midnight for you) and am normally asleep by 10, but feel full of energy during the day. If I don't work out one morning for whatever reason I feel more tired during the day. As I say the key is establishing a routine - your body gets used to it and comes to depend on it.
100% agree with everyone about making it happen in the mornings. I do empathize though as I work in a sweatshop where 2-3 AM isn't uncommon and mornings are often unrealistic if you are a normal human being. I usually do a weekend routine where i run from chelsea piers to battery park city without eating anything and power walking back up. That way I get in cardio and a fat burn. Haven't picked up a gym membership yet as I am looking to save a ton before getting into more recurring expenses but this works well for me. Also regardless of when you get home, do 50 pushups.
I was the same way when I first started. Be careful because it will catch up to you quickly. I have said this a million times on this site but pre-workout works wonders. Keep your shaker next to your bed with some water in a cup. Mix it up and chug it down, you will be so amped to get to the gym. I typically workout for one hour a day and go as fast as I can while still leaving recovery time between sets.
If weight gain is a problem, I recommend C4 ripped (no creatine) stacked with Evlution Lean Mode. C4 will give you the rush in the gym. Immediately following your workout take one serving of Lean Mode (3 pills), which is stimulant free, and will boost your metabolism, reduce appetite and keep your energy levels up.
For diet / recovery, I drink a Lee Labrada Lean Body protein shake (half serving or one scoop) 30 minutes after my workout, which also counts as breakfast and allows you to get your necessary carbs. For lunch, I drink an EAS 100% pure whey protein shake because its lower in carbs, curbs my appetite and supports muscle growth / recovery. 30 minutes before dinner I take another serving of Lean Mode. I will typically eat whatever I want while trying to keep the carbs as low as possible. I have seen great results on this plan and hope this helps.
Once I reach my target weight and I attempt to build some mass, I plan on using the Jym pre, post, and protein stack.
Also, working out in the morning has made me more productive at work.
The best advice I can offer is to shift your mindset. Stop making it optional. You'll miss fewer workouts if you start thinking about it as if you're missing a meeting.
Oh I know this one! Go at 8 Am or 12:15 AM!
Intermittent fasting.
Skip lunch and go run 1-2x week, the only thing that beats mid-work day runs is airport showers (unless you're in First on Etihad). I also don't have clients so I can sit around the rest of the afternoon in workout clothes or go take a quick shower downstairs.
If you want a good shape but have limit time to workout, try to eat healthy. What you eat is more important than how much time you put in gym. Also, High intensity interval training (aka HIIT) may help you to stay in shape. It only takes less than 30 minutes but burns lots of calories.
I gave HIIT a try after college football and that is some crazy shit. I tried it three times a week for my workouts and just couldn't stay motivated (I ended up taking a year off and going full dad bod until 4 months ago). If you go this route OP, start off once a week and add days up to the point where you're still motivated. Also, if you do some crazy complex-movement super sets with a sweatshirt on you'll see abs again in a few weeks.
I am a runner so as soon as I get home I toss my shoes out an get out there for a quick. Try to run 4-5 days a week at least a few miles with one day being a speed interval day ie. 6x200m. Then I also do pushups 4-5 days a week either when I get up, and before or after the run. Utilize weekend morning to get a quick workout. Clean the diet up a bit and you should be good to go. I like running because 1. i ran in college 2. its not as time consuming as the gym
I joined a gym that's a few blocks away from my office. I workout from Monday-Friday, usually either at 11am (beat the lunch rush) or 3pm (after the lunch rush). I'm pretty realistic with myself in the sense that I don't try to fit in too much during a workout. You basically only have ~1 hour to walk to gym, workout, shower, and get back, so you have to be really efficient. Limit your workouts to just 4 exercises per day, but reduce your rest time and increase your intensity. For example, if Monday's are chest days, you could do bench, incline bench, dumb bell bench, and dumb bell incline bench, resting 45-60 sec between sets. Trust me your muscles will be fried afterwards and you'll be done quickly. You'll still be getting a great workout and believe it or not, you'll definitely get stronger over time. It's not the same as the meatheads who spend 2+ hours at the gym everyday, but its better than nothing. If you keep it up over 2-3 months, you'll see noticeable progress. My actual workouts only last about 35-40 minutes or so, but I always feel like I've worked my muscles hard. When I get back to the office, I always feel like I have so much more energy to finish off the day.
One last thing...back when we were in school, it was easy to workout for so much longer. You can't try to mimic that same routine once you're in the working world (or at least it's incredibly difficult to). If you think you'll be able to do these crazy long workouts consistently while working in banking, you'll burn out by the second or third week and stop working out. Be realistic and shorten your workouts to be more manageable, and you'll find that it's way easier to stay committed over the course of several months. Also, nobody likes doing legs but I encourage you to add a leg day at least once a week (squats, deadlifts, lunges). Sitting all day in a chair is awful and I find that working out my lower body really helps with my posture.
I lift every morning for like 45 min to an hour. Just force yourself to do it to get in a rhythm. As someone else said preworkout works wonders.
Adderall!! (Kidding)
Hahah, doesn't sound like a joke.
Morning work outs suck but they don't suck as much with pre-work out. I usually go in the morning around 6-7am. Its the only time I know I have control over.
I don't like the 25-30 wasted minutes of walking to the gym, changing, working out, showering, getting dressed and walking back to the office that consumes the 1 hour during lunch. How do people feel about just doing it before or after work, thus eliminating the transition time, and thus sleeping 1 hour less... but making up that one hour of lost sleep with a one hour power nap during lunch in the office. Is this seen as bad by colleagues, or since it is your hour you can do what you want with it? Also what affects do u think it has on your body with substituting one hour of bed sleep with one hour of office sleep, but ultimately, essentially transforming your 30 minute workouts into 1 hour workouts?
How have you managed to survive working those monstrous hours?!
Good question. It's only been a few months now, so it's alright. You get used to it.
Just not working out during the week kind of sucks.
All IB analysts work these hours
Third year analyst here. As alluded to by a couple others on this thread, the most important thing here is mindset. Thinking of it as something I need to do to create my best work product, helps me justify taking 1-1.5 hours a day when possible. I'm flexible in when I go but goal every week is to run outside before work twice a week, hit the gym on two other days in the evening (~6-7pm), go on a long run on one weekend day. I have one weekday and one weekday built in for recovery.
I work until midnight more often than not but I've found it's really easy to sneak out to the gym in the early evening right after MDs leave and right before dinner. In most shops, realistically, if you're working from 10am-midnight people aren't consistently looking for you or work from you that whole time. If they are, give estimates for when you'll get work to them that incorporate you taking an hour at the gym. Do you have a project that if you worked straight through you could get to your associate at 10pm? That's great, tell him he'll get it at 11:30pm. Sometimes there are situations where it really is time sensitive and you can't do that but I'd be very surprised if that was the case every day.
Saw you asked on another response if working out in the morning makes you tired in the evening. I'm not going to lie, it does slightly but not enough to effect your work performance, especially if you're drinking coffee or another stimulant. We've all had weeks where we've pulled all nighters for work and had to work into the evening the next day - this effects your work performance much more. If you can manage that, you can manage getting up an hour or two earlier on a normal week. Also, I've found that when I work out before work, I hit the ground running (pun not intended) as soon as I get in. On other days I'm more laissez-faire about actually getting started on the important tasks of the day.
Look, burn out is real. There is something about going and running or going and lifting that just releases all that built up anger from the day. It releases your mind from the monotonous view of your computer screen. I know it makes me more pleasant to work with and more effective/efficient. It's worth it to put on the top of your priority list. You have to take care of yourself before you can help others.
There have been some good posts in this thread, but I'm going to give a slightly different answer. If you are working out to keep in shape, but are having difficulty finding the time to do so, consider focusing on your diet instead. 90% of what happens in the gym starts in the kitchen. You can work out every day of the week, but if you eat like crap (like most analysts do), you're wasting your time. So, if you're hitting the gym to do some cardio, but cannot find the time to do so, try cutting back on the calories and eat more wholesome food.
If you're in the gym to make gains, like others have said, it's all about the mindset. I was very fat in high school and college, so I hit the gym hard now to never go back there. I just feel great after 45 minutes of weight lifting and then being able to see my results. You really do have to want it.
Does anyone actually work in a place that allows them to do a 1 hour gym session during the "lunch hour".
I don't feel like my office would ever let me get away with that.
You can do full body workouts for 45 minutes and maintain good strength. You can also run for 30 minutes 3x a week and work on increasing the distance in that time period. Unlike taking classes doing your own workouts provides more flexibility in terms of time.
A big drag about the gym is traveling to the gym, changing, showering, waiting for equipment etc. If you find a gym that is close by and set a system to cut down the time with all the other stuff you can spend a bit more working out. Realistically this other stuff could be another 30-60 minutes depending on the person.
If you can get out of the office try 10-11am or 2-3 pm, google your gym and look at when the popular times are. REPE8 While networking I have had 2 people tell me they leave and go to the gym then come back to work. The companies they worked for were pretty relaxed though, so long as everyone got their stuff done.
I wrote a post for WSO earlier this year that you may find helpful: "How do I stay in shape if I'm sitting in the office all day?"
It covers some ideas on the best exercise methods for bankers / consultants, but as other people have mentioned, diet is also extremely important.
Easiest way is to go in the morning. Get up at 6, haul your ass to the gym and train. Once you've done this a few times it'll become second nature because you'll feel great.
Push ups in the conference room. Seriously, but make sure no one can see you. Put your feet against the door and if someone tries to open it.. Have a pitchbook on the desk and say you dropped your pen.
Depending on how advanced you are with push-ups maybe worth saying you lost a contact lense
Do cardio in the morning for just half an hour, it can be very helpful to you and you have to be specific about your diet plan.
I'm at my desk 9-4:30 and it feels like an eternity. How you guys do those kind of hours is beyond me.
Not sure how old you are, but I'm over 30 and days fly by. Just give it time.
Agreed, I am not a morning person nor can I be a morning person when I typically get out of the office at 11-12pm. That would mean I would be putting exercise as a higher priority over sleep which would result in a weakened immune system and falling asleep at my desk.
On the rare occasion I get out before 10, I head straight to the gym. I don't eat dinner now because intermittent fasting fits the schedule and I don't want to be bloated during my workout. I eat 2-3 chipotle bowls for lunch and will snack on protein bars until 6pm. Before 12 and after 6pm I just drink a ton of coconut water / unsweetened tea.
I do two a days on the weekends (four workouts) and I sprint/jog to the gym. last weekend I did a ton of cardio because I had to leave the gym twice to make revisions (thanks to the associate).
call me a slacker / unmotivated / lazy, but if you're in the prime of your life (20-50ish) working those hours, you really need to reconsider your priorities.
I've been able to find a decent 5-6 times per week rhythm despite working some pretty brutal hours. I essentially set up my life to allow me to almost always work out. I live 10min from work, have an Equinox practically at work and one in my building at home.
I always work out on the weekends and use those days for longer workouts since I can almost always find a couple hours on the weekends, even when slammed. During the week, I find quieter days and I go between 6-8pm for about an hour and then head right back to the office and pick-up some sweetgreen or something on the way back to the office so it's essentially a dinner break. Rush over there, workout for 30-40min and shower quickly, order sweetgreen from the app and pick it up right next to my building.
Takes planning and dedication but not a morning person and I've made it work thus far. As people have said, diet is really the most important piece of not getting fat though. In terms of that, I've been living on Quest bars basically. One in the morning instead of breakfast with my nespresso on the way to the office, often another one late morning, sometimes in the afternoon if I can't order dinner until later. I never eat desert and have been focusing on quick and healthy places like sweetgreen, Dig Inn, etc for lunch as much as possible. For dinner delivery, almost exclusively for stuff I get ridiculed for, and/or sushi/japanese. It's a hard life but you can get it done.
Definitely was a struggle for me when I first joined banking so I’ll propose a few things I focused on to work out more:
Weekdays: 1) Assuming you are busy all day...at around 8-9pm when things start to get quiet, just go get a workout in. Make your team aware that you will come back and crush whatever that needs to be done afterwards. Over time, people will get used to you leaving around then, and unless you are working on a live deal at a critical junction, they will be fine with you leaving (assuming you have shown to consistently finish your work and with high precision
Time to Workout during SA at BB? (Originally Posted: 02/20/2017)
I was just curious if people who interned at BB within ibanking had time to go to the gym during their internship.Possibly during lunch? Also, do most BB have gyms?
10 weeks dude. Just focus on the work.
6:30-8:30. Logistics permitting.
Doable but not easy. Last summer I interned in IBD and went to the gym at least 5x/week. During the week schedule is: wake up at 6:30am, get to the office at 7, work out/shower and be on the floor by 9, work till midnight, get home around 12:30, rinse and repeat
The logistics of showering at work seem kinda tough no ?
What's Your Lunchtime Workout (Originally Posted: 07/29/2017)
I have 30-45 minutes to workout at lunch, which is a lot less time than I am used to getting a workout in.
I'm a fast-twitch muscle guy so I have never done a HIIT routine, but I imagine that a good HIIT full-body routine would be the best option.
One caveat, due to old football injuries it takes me about 30 minutes to warm-up for any moderate to heavy lower-body work.
45 is plenty of time for some weightlifting. High intensity though, little break time but it can be done.
I recommend body-weight excersies. Prisoners do it and look a how big they are.
30 minutes to warm-up? How does that work? What do you do? I would've said 45 minutes of heavy deadlifts ...
1000 Crunches to maintain my abs followed by coffee and fruit to recover.
Finding Time to Workout 6x Per Week Whilst Traveling for Work (Originally Posted: 06/24/2013)
Has anyone successfully achieved this?
unless u doin it @ hotel, no - 3x/week more achievable
Insanity is the best for this because it doesn't require any equipment and is quick and to the point. You can get a great workout in 30-45 minutes. If you're doing this get a room on the bottom floor so the people below you don't get pissed off and start banging on the ceiling.
I hate hotel gyms that are packed in the morning and at night, so this is also a great way to avoid them.
do u even lift brah?
I haven't been able to achieve this even when I'm at home with the gym a 20 minute drive away (srs). Something always seems to come up that messes it up and reduces it to 4 times per week
The only way to achieve this is to make working out your highest priority.
Has anyone tried using a gym with a one time fee? Do you find time for this?
I don't think anyone has ever achieved this feat. However, what about 6x per week when you are working in the office, ie no traveling?
The pros do.
The hard part is mustering the will to limit it to 6 times per week.
I couldn't.
I should go to plan E which states I rise 90mins earlier than usual.
Planet fitness?
Gold's Gym?
Planet fitness is a joke. TX has the best gyms. NV and CA also have good gyms.
Curves anyone?
Yes, click here.
I work out around 10 times a week, and spend 2-3 days on the road. When hotel doesn't have gym, I resort to burpees, shadow boxing, mountain climbers, pushups, hill sprints, jogging, body squats, crunches, those public pull-up/dip bars, etc.
Public pullup/dip bars? You mean children's monkey bars?
Haven't seen it in the US that much, but you'll find that a lot of other (warmer) countries have Venice beach style public pull-up bars and shit around.
if you need to workout 6x per week to achieve your guys then you are are either working out inefficiently or training for the olympics.
Fear of Flab---Does anybody have time to work out? (Originally Posted: 04/24/2008)
I-banking is my destiny. But I worry about turning into protoplasm because I won't have time to hit the gym. I'm not trying to be Mr. Olympus, just to hit the treadmill, pullups, pushups, etc (45 minutes is enough in my case).
I wonder if people in M&A BBs with +80 hrs have time to work-out? Is this even possible? Are i-banking and keeping fit mutually exclusive?
Thanks
just to deal with the stress. I make time to do it even I always feel a ton better after.
You state I-banking is you destiny...? Are you following in someones footsteps? I never heard someone say being a banker was their destiny.
Can you just up and go to the gym in the middle of the day? Or do you have to make time in the morning or at night?
I know an MD who MAKES people from his group work out for an hour 3 days a week. It is obviously not required, but I think everyone eats up the opprotunity. They go for about an hour in the evening, and then most associates/analysts go back to work, while others go home. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, and it originally started with the ol' guy simply wanting some company.
you just have to build a routine and sick to it now matter how hellish your week. i wake up at 6am everyday and run/pushups/sit ups/ etc. you hate yourself the first 2-3 weeks but if you stick to the plan it becomes clockwork.
Not really related to the posting, but to the OP, classic fucking name dude.
Daytime won't be a possibility. Night time is only a good bet if you know you won't be busy. As unpredictable as your days are, if you rely on going at night you'll miss days at the gym pretty consistently. The only way to make it happen is going in the mornings.
I've read a few different places about people going to the gym at like 5 or 6 PM, when the "regular workday" ends, before the night work (for analysts/associates) begins. Is this common, or more unique like the example PatrickBateman described?
I try to work out during the week, and usually use the gym in our office (as it's more convenient and way nicer than any commercial gym) around 9pm. Gotta bring the blackberry with you, of course.
It actually works out quite well in that it provides a decent break from work, and because principals / partners generally come up with additional to-do items as soon as they get home, so it's pretty easy to knock out their requests post-workout / pre-heading home.
I agree with GameTheory. The only real way to consistently get to the gym is in the morning, which is very hard to get accustomed to at first.
"I-banking is my destiny"? Come on dude.
You just have to make fitness a priority. At this point, you can't be sure how your body will react to the schedule so it's hard to speculate about what time of day will work best for you. After you start you could spend a couple weeks trying to workout at different times of the day. See which times your schedule allows and then seriously commit to going. Don't let tiredness, a girlfriend, the weekend, etc. be an excuse not to go.
Here are some things that work for my friends: 1. One goes to the gym without fail at 5.30am M-F. Sometimes that means she only sleeps 2-3 hrs. 2. Another friend does push ups and crunches at home before going to work. Then he uses lunch for a fast 3mi run (20min) and a quick shower.
3. And one does a really intense workout at home for just 20min 4x/wk right after work. It's mainly stuff that manipulates his own body weight, so he doesn't need a gym.
It's possible to stay relatively fit while banking, but it is VERY, VERY easy to get extremely out of shape. I did that in my first year and then recovered a lot with steady exercise this year.
Keys to success:
1) Establish a regular pattern for going to the gym... days/times. Either early in the morning or late at night is best. NEVER MAKE AN EXCUSE NOT TO GO, EVER.
Even if I've only slept 2 hours, I go. If I've been up all night, I go.
Yes, exercise is less effective when you have barely any sleep, but it's about making sure you're consistent and persistent with your exercise.
2) Diet - resist the temptation to go to restaurants all the time. Spend your money on groceries at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or other similar stores.
Eat 5-6 meals throughout the day rather than big ones at night... those kill you.
Just avoid all junk food, avoid sugar, etc.
If you can, I would strongly recommend setting up a time to go at night and clearing it with others in your office... a lot easier to go at night vs. in the morning/past midnight.
Here's a question...What time does the gym open in the morning at a big bank with "in-house" gym? Also, do only the BB banks have the "in house" gyms?
Would it be appropriate to come to work with "work-out" clothes on and do the gym routine real early and then shower and get dressed up? Or, come to work dressed up, undress, work out, shower, redress?
Does anyone have any real experience seeing this happen or do it themselves, not just speculation?
Thanks
Good question. On the same note, if I work out in-house in the evening: AFTER work out and shower, do I have to suit up again if it's say 10 pm and all superiors are gone? Or can I just wear adidas casual for the rest of the night at my cubicle? I mean, nobody's there to care right?
thanks
bump
Another question/idea: do people ever keep a dumbbell at their desk to do curls/extensions/light presses during down time? Or do pushups and calisthenics next to their desk á la Ari Gold?
"I don't know if you heard me counting, but I did over a hundred. I can barely move my right arm..."
haha, nice.
Just watch out for the guns—they'll get you.
NYC: Exercise/ sports geared for busy schedule? (Originally Posted: 11/11/2010)
I am going to be starting up an I-Banking job in 2011. This summer, as an intern, I had a really hard time exercising as much as I should have. I unfortunately have trouble committing myself to go work out on a consistent basis, especially with the 80-100 hour work week. I was wondering if in New York there are any sports leagues that cater to the banker-type schedule (obviously banking is not the only industry that works long hours, but you know what I mean)? I'm thinking especially of soccer; I used to play a lot of soccer and I think having a firm commitment to a team that plays before working hours would really keep me in check as far as exercising.
Squash. It's essentially one hour of HIIT but with lunges, etc. Very effective.
P90X as a Summer Analyst (Originally Posted: 05/10/2010)
Serious post.
This summer, I'll be interning in investment banking...again... I was in reasonable shape in high school, ran track and hit the gym on occasion, but after doing two summer analyst stints (and doing a third this summer), my body went to shit.
The first summer, I went from 145 to 180 lbs. I managed to lose a little, but I regained it and more the second summer. A few months later, I hit 201 lbs. As a disclaimer, I am on the short side at 5'8'', which means I looked fucking fat and was clinically obese.
After I crossed 200 lbs and became unable to button my jeans both before and after a meal, I decided to go on a diet. So far, it has gone alright. In less than 3 months, I have dropped more than 30 lbs to 168 lbs through diet and exercise. I have been looking for something to push it the next level, and decided on the P90X program.
However, I start in less than a month. Getting in good shape is important to me, but has anyone here tried doing P90X while working as an analyst or doing a summer analyst stint? Is it doable? Or am I committing suicide here?
Reminds me of myself (ex-wrestler / top athlete in high school --> eventually gained like 30 pounds).
Depends on your hours dude. I do P90X when I have time. But generally, I'd rather sleep than try to demolish my body even more. What I do, however, is pick 2-3 exercise days from the program that I like (Plyo, YogaX, and another random one) and try to do those per week. Its not the full program but it works pretty well.
And for some encouragement, I did lose most of the weight I gained. Doubt I'll ever be back at previous fitness level though.
I don't work the hours you will be this summer, but I would recommend P90x.
I was an athlete all my life, but have basically lost it the last few year rotting in a cube. I don't absolutely love P90x and I don't follow the schedule too strictly, but I do like the fact that I can get a pretty good workout in an hour without leaving my place.
I've lost 5-10 pounds the last 3 weeks doing some version of P90x and I haven't really changed my diet. Just for reference, I did all 6 days the first week and probably 3-4 days the last few weeks.
http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/The_Starting_Strength_Novice/Beg…
See Starting Strength Novice Program. 3x/week barbell workouts (more manly, only about 45 mins a workout). Throw in some core work if you want.
Eat a paleo-ish diet (google it, you'll recognize Mark Sisson from the P90x videos), and you should be money -- lean and stronger than you'd be on P90x.
EDIT -- The key to a barbell style program like SS is linear progression -- increasing the weight every workout; and also, doing the actual barbell exercises, not the crappy smith machine/exercise equipment approximations
p90x is legit. but the goal of the program is to drastically change your body in 90 days, and you dont need to follow the program lock-step to see results. so if you have time before your internship, hit the program hard and follow the diet. then do whatever you have time for when your internship starts.
getting in healthy shape isnt exactly hard, but looking like a 'men's health' cover model takes a real dedication.
any tips for people trying to get bigger or maintain size? I've heard that p90x coupled with a bulk diet is pretty effective. Or should I just try and hit the gym 3x a week while hitting all the major body areas?
All you guys need to do is hit the gym. Take some time during dinner/weekends and don't worry about how it looks. As long as you are working hard there is no reason why you can't have 45-60mins of personal time to stay in shape and be a more productive worker
For losing weight while keeping muscle, I think the starting strength program above is decent but I would add cardio 3-4x a week. Get quality salads with chicken, tuna or salmon or an order of sashimi for those order in meals. Also, try to bring in a bunch of food, like hardboiled eggs, fruit, non-fat yogurt. Keep yourself half satiated with healthy foods at all times and you won't feel a need to binge on a big unhealthy meal.
P-90x would also be good from what I hear, just remember that diet is at least half of the equation. I think it's a bit fadish but I've heard good things. Just plan what days you need to get into the gym and stick to it when there's down time. Plan to work out on the weekends, it's only 45-60 minutes of your time.
Man, all this talk about the pounds people are packing on during SA is kind of depressing me. I was planning/hoping to try and get up at around 6-6:30 am every morning this summer and crank out a workout before work but I don't know if my body can handle that if I am going to bed at 3 am every morning.
Risky Biz, I'd argue that 1-2 bouts of HIT/week is more effective time wise than cardio...I definitely agree with your dietary points -- though I'd add that healthy fats are not bad, as they satiate (i.e., full fat yogurt, steak is good, same goes for nuts, avocado, etc.)
I assume you mean HIIT (high intensity interval training), not HIT. HIIT is a form of cardio and it would be fine in what I described. HIIT or LISS (low intesity steady state) depending on preference, but yes, HIIT seems to be more effective and certainly more efficient time wise.
HIIT is taxing on the CNS, though, and if you want to do HIIT, which I totally support, I'd recommend only doing it 2-3x a week if you're also lifting. Something like:
sun: lift and LISS mon: HIIT tues: LISS wed: lift thur: HIIT, LISS or day off fri: lift sat: HIIT
Bodybuillding.com is a good site if you can navigate between what is and what is not bro-science. Stay away from their supplement section, that's just a bullshit marketing tool. I'd say the main benefit to HIIT is that it is fast to do. I'm not so sure if it is as superior as some would have you believe, though. The foundation of a cutting routine and diet should be calories out > calories in, and an hour of LISS will burn plenty of calories.
BOTTOM LINE: Don't bother starting P90X during a summer analyst stint - its completely unreasonable. It's an incredibly demanding workout program. Before/After a long days of work you will NOT want to listen to Tony Horton's punk ass for 60/70 minutes as your doing squats. Also, for the first 30 days of the program, you will be heavily fatigued as it is the "fat shredding" portion of the routine, which will only compound the problem.
My advice to you? Be realistic. Eat really clean. Drink lots of water. Run 3-4 miles before work 4X a week. Maybe bust out pushup/situps/pull ups at night. The weight will come off. P90X is great, but not at this point in your life.
whatever and Risky, I am of the opinion that 2-3 meals can work as well (intermittent fasting, see leangains.com). I agree that sugar has gotta go, but will reaffirm that I think full fat is essential for long-term satiety and to reduce propensity to cheat.
Risky, I see your point on HIIT. I think your program is a bit heavy on volume, especially for an analyst. I personally tend to feel lots of delayed onset fatigue when I do too much cardio.
Personally I am trying to bulk up a bit currently (super uncomfortable in a banking environment, being so full all the time), so this stuff is rusty for me (though I've certainly had times where I was cutting too).
And yes, GymJones is dope. This guy has some workouts akin to GymJones: http://theorytopractice.wordpress.com/
If you're starting your SA in a month then start P90X now. The first phase (4 weeks) of it are the hardest since your body hasn't adapted to that level of physical stress. You will be most fatigued (and sore) during this period. After 3-4 weeks, however, your body starts to get used to it and your energy level will start to pick up again. Mentally it'll be easier too since doing a P90X routine on a daily basis will be a habit by that time. Starting the program immediately before or during your SA stint would be awfully difficult.
@whatever: I like that schedule. I'd say that was pretty similar to my standard template prior to my current strength gaining approach (all dynamic lifts a la starting strength and less ancillary exercises, lots of recovery). Not sure why I got on this kick, perhaps its b/c I saw my little brother's strength surpass my own. I agree with tapering, but I am more of a feast or famine rest-er, so I will try to knock off 10-12 solid weeks then just take one off.
@Risky: I bet it is partially because you avoid high-fat foods. Fat induces satiety, thus less need to eat so often (see: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-… for an argument that fat is not 'fat'). But ultimately, it's whatever works right? Also, revisiting LISS, I think you're right in the context of cutting. Finally, good to see someone else emphasizing full squats, not bogus above parallel half-squats.
Word, I'm def no strict beginner, however I am not squatting 2x BW -- which is what I would define as the point where a program like SS is not useful
Nostrum maxime minus amet. Illum voluptatem ex dolores minus. Ut sunt facilis sint architecto id officiis.
Aut velit illum ea. Beatae quia ab sunt rerum vitae. Sit consectetur omnis quo tenetur ipsum in ab. Aliquam nam ut quis. Soluta omnis rerum vero provident occaecati quos dolorem quis.
Alias hic in quam quasi autem commodi praesentium. Eum sed id aspernatur sit. Consequatur voluptas quo et fugiat sequi quia. Odit sint explicabo labore voluptate in distinctio. Velit nisi eaque et nisi expedita laudantium.
Sed ad hic est dolores id quasi. Aut doloribus adipisci vel iusto deleniti nostrum. Laboriosam voluptas eaque temporibus quia facere. Omnis qui eligendi pariatur consectetur itaque est blanditiis. Adipisci optio nihil corrupti tenetur qui fugit ea. Commodi quae sunt voluptas aliquid fugiat et. Ad asperiores repudiandae excepturi mollitia nam voluptatibus.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Incidunt facere aliquam ipsum omnis. Perspiciatis aut omnis pariatur voluptas nostrum velit quae. Placeat vitae quasi vitae omnis quia. Ipsum fugit esse expedita corrupti dolorum ea.
Impedit nihil ut dicta magni aut. Iste et iste cumque consequuntur.
Odio doloribus voluptates atque velit. Amet fugiat sint qui vel qui. Tempora fugit et consequatur corporis soluta architecto. Nostrum minima ea esse est sed nesciunt autem.
Quae voluptatibus aut quo ut et. Aperiam hic earum est aliquam dolores. Esse et consequuntur ut saepe dolorum. Debitis sint ab doloribus deserunt pariatur numquam quasi.
Perferendis sint nam omnis ea voluptates consequatur dolor. Tempore quas iste quasi aliquid voluptates aut sapiente. Sint fuga provident qui a atque numquam. Aut voluptas non illo hic. Perspiciatis molestiae sunt perspiciatis. Dolor sed et repellat nesciunt facilis id voluptate.
Nostrum facere repellendus quisquam cumque eos occaecati animi omnis. Asperiores excepturi ea et perferendis tempore et. Molestias quae quos placeat laudantium assumenda. Et at consequatur blanditiis nihil.
Qui aut et veritatis suscipit. Repellendus nostrum necessitatibus reprehenderit ex. Aut sed quia fugiat atque ea quam minima. Nulla sit commodi quasi blanditiis.
Deleniti voluptate possimus nesciunt et est fugiat doloribus. Non et aspernatur quo non.
Est qui in quod voluptas itaque. Incidunt molestiae illum culpa. Aut enim quas ut porro enim et. Et molestias quis ullam. Quisquam fugit corporis qui suscipit non ad cumque.
Aut est magnam enim quae. Sequi quo rem qui cumque sed. Autem blanditiis non nobis eos eligendi. Recusandae quia pariatur aliquam voluptas ut laudantium.
Fuga laborum a iste. Et molestiae qui doloremque error iure. Soluta aperiam odio eaque aut voluptas maxime. Sit est illo id et magni. Sapiente aliquam ipsa sint aut eligendi. A ut facere delectus et nisi modi.
Expedita vitae amet sit voluptas. Voluptatem ut vel odio sint quos unde. Sed nihil deleniti quia cumque.
Totam ea quia nostrum qui suscipit qui. In vitae ea et enim molestias. Iure impedit omnis minima.
Voluptas quae ipsum consequuntur est iure ad reiciendis. Debitis voluptate quia illum facere pariatur. Nemo et praesentium aut explicabo veniam. Ullam quae voluptatem asperiores est eveniet cumque. Aspernatur consectetur quisquam sed reiciendis. Maxime at deleniti veniam quia pariatur dolorem magnam. Sit qui inventore omnis aut voluptatem deserunt autem et.