When do you get your exercise?

I'll be working as a SA for a BB in New York this summer, and am trying to figure out when I will have time to run a few miles. I am not looking to go crazy, but just enough to stay in shape/healthy. The office has a gym, so location is not a problem.

Any thoughts or recommendations from what you've done are appreciated.

 
Best Response

I would try to get it in before work because by the end of the day you'll be fried...that being said, if you haven't slept in 30+ hours, not the easiest thing to wake up early the next morning to run a few miles :-)

Maybe late at night once all the MDs and VPs have left you can start a cross fit / HIIT group with other analysts, drop down and do pushups, lunges, shrugs with heavy printers, etc...or keep some resistance bands in your desk so you can get in mini workouts any chance you get.

Sounds crazy, but the hours are crazy :-)

 

For me, they're more opportunistic than scheduled. If I'm able to get out of the office at 8-10pm or if I have to pull an all-nighter but got 2 hours or so of waiting around, I down a lot of pre-workout and hit the gym. Honestly, I try to fit it in when I can even if it means I go to bed around 2 am rather than midnight. It keeps me sane.

 

As a SA your best bet is to do it before work and in the weekend. Some people might take it badly if you leave your desk to go the gym when there's work. And if there's no work they will give you a benchmark/comp sheet to update.

Two or three workouts per week should be possible. I'm a gym rat myself - used to go 4/5x a wk in undergrad - but I couldn't find the energy to do any high intensity stuff like boxing when working 100hrs/wk.

Maybe a routine doing pushups/pullups in the morning could work. Saves you the time of changing, going to the gym, dealing with lockers, showers that are full etc. You could save sat/sun for the 'real' workouts.

DYEL
 

Makes it a lot easier if you have a gym in the building. During my first 3-4 months, it was near impossible -- I was focused on trying to build a good reputation and it takes a long time to learn and complete new things. But after that, and especially once the interns / new 1st yrs finally arrive, you'll be able to carve out a solid hour somewhere before dinner to go. Depends on your bank, but my BB was encouraging of it (for everyone, including 1st yrs) because they know it leads to saner juniors.

 

Agreed with the above.

The best way is to wake up at 5am in the gym by 6am - 8am. Be in the office by 9am (Earlier if you're ECM). You generally do need to go to sleep at midnight at the latest to be able to wake up though ... unless you have superhuman will power to wake up that early on 4 hours of sleep or less.

 

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