temporary break, how do I cut my losses?

dmg4867

I just started my last quarter of college 2 weeks ago, and am working full time concurrently. This has me getting up at 6 to go to work, and not getting home from work & class until 6:30 pm, after which time I have an online masters course and all the homework / reading for the rest of my classes. (not including cooking & eating, sleeping, seeing my girlfriend, friends, family every once in a while, etc.)

I've been trying to keep up with my 5x5 program I've been doing for a while now, but I've missed 3 sessions in a row now. Budgeting 2 hours to get to the gym just doesn't seem feasible with all this crap I have to do all of a sudden.

My question is this: Am I going to undo the past 4/5 months of work by not strength training for 3 or 4 months? How can I avoid gaining fat and losing muscle through all this?

If I eat too little, I'm afraid i'll loose muscle quicker, but If I eat too much, I'm sure I'll just gain back all that fat I worked my butt off to lose.

I have been trying to do body-weight exercises whenever I get the chance to throw them in my day, but there's something about dead-lifts and squats that makes doing push-ups and planks seem like a waste of time.

Anyone have any good tips?

Pedal_Pusher

I hear you but you just gotta fit it in somewhere. The temporary break you are planning will no doubt turn in to a much longer break than you originally anticipated. I wouldn't get out of the habit of burning calories. Kill it.

dmg4867

Bah. I guess I could invest in some dumbells and do some lifting at home, although there's no way I can get afford the weights I'd need for deadlifts etc.

If I lift light for a couple months will that slow my losses? Or is lifting light at home the same as not lifting at all?

I suppose I could just do the "D For Done" routine and just work out at night and not do homework ever :laugh: already have a job, so my GPA isn't really concerning to me. I was just hoping to get have my cake and eat it to, of course

astrampe

You can still get a great workout in with a few dumbells....And just add some bodyweight stuff like push-ups and lunges(with heavy dumbells) and whatever other bodyweight/resistance training stuff you can find on the internet...You might not build much, but you can sustain it....

"Or is lifting light at home the same as not lifting at all? " And that's just elitist junk - ANY exercise is better than nothing at all...And if you are worried about burning calories/gaining weight, just keep an eye on your diet and keep on doing resistance training - it does not start and stop in the gym..... I dropped a pant size (whille adding 5lbs on the scale) by doing weights at home - started with maximum 25lbs dumbells....

And doing squats with dumbells can be more challenging than doing it with a barbell - lots to do with balancing two seperate weights... And if you tell me deadlifts with two 50lbs dumbells are worth less than deadlifts with a 100lbs barbell, I definitely disagree...:bigsmile:

Plates559

you spend 2 hours at the gym? did I read that right? That is way too long.

Check out Wendler's 5/3/1 Big But Boring, you can be in and out in like half an hour tops.

astrampe

She said two hours to GET to the gym.....

flechero

Try this dumb bell routine... http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/dumbbell-only-home-or-gym-fullbody-workout.html

I was gaining on this routine- not as fast as the 5x5 but if you can gain a little or worst case just maintain then you are good to go. You can get a 110lb barbell set for under $70 and the dumb bell bars for $15, at most academy or ****s sporting goods stores. (it;s cheaper to buy the weights as a barbell set and buy the dumb bell handles separately) Unless you are already pretty big, you won't need more than this- 50 lbs each.

dmg4867

You can get a 110lb barbell set for under $70 and the dumb bell bars for $15, at most academy or ****s sporting goods stores. (it;s cheaper to buy the weights as a barbell set and buy the dumb bell handles separately) Unless you are already pretty big, you won't need more than this- 50 lbs each.

Thanks - I might try this, that's a really good idea. Usually its like, $1 / lb for weights, that would save me a ton of money, especially if I can find a barbell set that fits the dumbbell handles I already have. I mean, I definitely can't replace a power rack etc., but I'd feel a lot better running through a quick home dumbell/barbell routine every other day than just doing pushups. (Not that there's anything wrong with pushups!)

Also,

She said two hours to GET to the gym.....

He, and Yes - 2 hours counted driving there, locker room, warmup, stretching, lifting, stretching, driving home.

Thanks everyone for the input - guess I just have to find time / routines to do stuff at home for a bit :yawn:

I wonder if anyone at work would suspect anything if I installed a power rack next to our server racks? :laugh:

bokodasu

It's too bad it's September; in about February/March you can find all kinds of weights for super cheap on Craigslist.

Also, I like "Never Gymless" by Ross Enamait. He put it together before his baby was born because he knew he wouldn't have as much time in the gym afterwards and didn't want to lose all that work he'd put in. And I do mean work, he's a big bodybuilder guy; these workouts are simple but not at all easy.