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EricRSRCP
Posts: 57 Member
I have the typical 9-5 in front of a desk. I don't get much time to do "real" exercises at during work hours. I live in a city where commutes are 1 to 2 hours or more. Thankfully, mine is usually 45 min to an hour. Given that, I have my family and that kind of household duties as we all do. I also have other hobbies and things that I want to do in order to change my career and work on my dreams (insert Shia LaBeouf JUST SO IT video here)
I follow the ideas of a lot of fitness people on social media and it seems to me if one is going to get ripped or shredded or swole etc one needs to be in the gym as much as possible. How many days do you work out and what is your routine? Are you shredded yet?
Just wondering how to manage my time. Thanks!
I follow the ideas of a lot of fitness people on social media and it seems to me if one is going to get ripped or shredded or swole etc one needs to be in the gym as much as possible. How many days do you work out and what is your routine? Are you shredded yet?
Just wondering how to manage my time. Thanks!
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Replies
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Being 'shredded'... aka having a low enough body fat percentage comes from a caloric deficit. You create this by consuming less calories than your body needs to maintain it's weight.
Exercise is for fitness. Granted, if you don't have sufficient muscle mass, you won't have that 'shredded' look.
A gym is just a place for convenience. Most people don't want to build their own, or simply can't afford to spend all the money at once. And most gyms have equipment people don't have at home.
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Not a dumb question AT ALL! I feel your pain regarding long-ish commutes. I live outside of Chicago and work in the city, so I am at the mercy of the train schedules (and delays).
I so some sort of workout every day. 99% of the time I work out in the morning before work. This does mean going to bed early and getting up at 4am (except on the weekends). Preparation is KEY for me. I food prep on the weekend and get my workout and work clothes laid out the night before. My weekday workouts are anywhere from 40-60 minutes apiece. FWIW, I don't necessarily think that the more time spent in the gym the better. It's about how you use the time spent in the gym and of course, about your nutrition (getting enough protein, etc.).0 -
I lift weights 4 days a week. It takes me 45-75 minutes, warm up to finish, depending on how much I dawdle. I do Wendler's 5/3/1 BBB with a few tweaks to add in more glute work. Right now I'm doing 2 light cardio sessions a week (20-30 minute walk.)
I'm neither ripped nor swole nor shredded. None of those are my goals. But even if they were, I don't think it would take me that much more time in the gym. It likely take a tighter focus on my diet.0 -
I'm in the gym 3 days a week for about 75 minutes per session. So that amounts to less than 4 hours a week.
I'm doing Ice Cream Fitness (novice strength routine) which is really just StrongLifts plus some isolation work.
Am I shredded yet? Not even close but I'm only a couple months in. Ask me again in 18 months
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I'm in the gym 3 days a week for about 75 minutes per session. So that amounts to less than 4 hours a week.
I'm doing Ice Cream Fitness (novice strength routine) which is really just StrongLifts plus some isolation work.
Am I shredded yet? Not even close but I'm only a couple months in. Ask me again in 18 months
If that pic is of you, then that amount of shred would be fine with me.
. I will have to google Ice Cream Fitness. That's a new one to me.
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I believe in two sorta contradictory ideas when it comes to exercise. 1) Be committed 2) hit the gym 3-4 days/wk max because it gives enough flexibility that when there's an accident and your commute is 2 hours instead of 45 minutes you don't miss out on other things that day, like family time. You have the room to say, "well today is shot, but tomorrow it's on!" That commitment also gives you the "check the box" sense of achievement as well.
I hit the gym, my garage, 3 days per week for 70-90 minutes after kids are in bed. Ripped? Hell no, but I have reached goals that I set for myself. 400lb squat, 300lb bench and 500lb deadlift, but those where my goals. I do try to be more active throughout my day though. Walk the long way to the coffee machine, bathroom, walk/stretch breaks every hour, etc.0 -
Try to stand instead of sitting whenever you can. I'm a big fan of stand up desks. Standing most of the day always have me more energy than sitting all day did. Standing burns calories as you use micro muscle adjustments to stay balanced.
Take the stairs at work not just for arriving and leaving, but also for breaks. Going up one flight every time you use the restroom or get a cup of coffee or making copies can really add up. I had a job on the first floor, so no stairs there, but used the stairs for all my breaks on the second floor and got a good ten flights or more in a day. It's not only free exercise. You're technically getting paid for it, plus you're more alert and energized when you do get back to your desk.
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XavierNusum wrote: »I believe in two sorta contradictory ideas when it comes to exercise. 1) Be committed 2) hit the gym 3-4 days/wk max because it gives enough flexibility that when there's an accident and your commute is 2 hours instead of 45 minutes you don't miss out on other things that day, like family time. You have the room to say, "well today is shot, but tomorrow it's on!" That commitment also gives you the "check the box" sense of achievement as well.
I hit the gym, my garage, 3 days per week for 70-90 minutes after kids are in bed. Ripped? Hell no, but I have reached goals that I set for myself. 400lb squat, 300lb bench and 500lb deadlift, but those where my goals. I do try to be more active throughout my day though. Walk the long way to the coffee machine, bathroom, walk/stretch breaks every hour, etc.
Do you do more or less cardio?
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Goodness no, i'm not shredded. Doubt i'll ever be shredded. But I am down 64+ lbs, and much fitter than I was.
I do ICF (Ice cream fitness) 3-4 times a week on alternate days, and do cardio in between those days. Usually one rest day a week.
I work full time, desk job as well, and have 3 kids. You just make the workouts fit. I either go to the gym over my lunch break, or go at night after the kids go to bed. Walk during lunch on cardio days if the weather is nice, or go for bike rides with my kids.
ETA: I also have a weight bench/plates in my garage for days I can't make it to the gym, or am not able to complete a full workout at the gym. And a treadmill for those rainy/snowy days.0 -
Try to stand instead of sitting whenever you can. I'm a big fan of stand up desks. Standing most of the day always have me more energy than sitting all day did. Standing burns calories as you use micro muscle adjustments to stay balanced.
Take the stairs at work not just for arriving and leaving, but also for breaks. Going up one flight every time you use the restroom or get a cup of coffee or making copies can really add up. I had a job on the first floor, so no stairs there, but used the stairs for all my breaks on the second floor and got a good ten flights or more in a day. It's not only free exercise. You're technically getting paid for it, plus you're more alert and energized when you do get back to your desk.
I definitely don't stand as much as I could. I try to take the long ways. I work in an awkward part so it's a longer walk. I will try the stairs thing for the restroom. I guess every little bit helps
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Less, but again that's based on my goals right now. For the last 6mos I've been concentrating on getting stronger and building muscle mass. I have been able to squeeze in a jump rope session here and there after lunch at work, but nothing consistent.
Now, in August my goals change and I'll be concentrating on trying to shed some blubber, so the focus of my 3 workouts per week will change from a heavy power-lifting program to more of a cardio centric program with low weight high volume resistance stuff to maintain muscle I have. I'm also going to continue the the jump rope cardio and most importantly start eating at a calorie deficit.
Day 1 - Hill sprints + body weight circuit
Day 2 - Low weight high rep resistance training
Day 3 - More stinking hill sprints
+ body weight circuit 0 -
whatatime2befit wrote: »Goodness no, i'm not shredded. Doubt i'll ever be shredded. But I am down 64+ lbs, and much fitter than I was.
I do ICF (Ice cream fitness) 3-4 times a week on alternate days, and do cardio in between those days. Usually one rest day a week.
I work full time, desk job as well, and have 3 kids. You just make the workouts fit. I either go to the gym over my lunch break, or go at night after the kids go to bed. Walk during lunch on cardio days if the weather is nice, or go for bike rides with my kids.
ETA: I also have a weight bench/plates in my garage for days I can't make it to the gym, or am not able to complete a full workout at the gym. And a treadmill for those rainy/snowy days.
That's awesome! Keep it up. I will try to be as great as some of you.
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Yeah, it's a picture from a few weeks ago. I'm tiny though, no arms/chest/lats. I'd like to add at least 2 inches to my arms. The only thing that makes me look alright is relatively low body fat.I'm in the gym 3 days a week for about 75 minutes per session. So that amounts to less than 4 hours a week.
I'm doing Ice Cream Fitness (novice strength routine) which is really just StrongLifts plus some isolation work.
Am I shredded yet? Not even close but I'm only a couple months in. Ask me again in 18 months
If that pic is of you, then that amount of shred would be fine with me.
. I will have to google Ice Cream Fitness. That's a new one to me.0 -
Remember that, for a lot of people on social media, fitness is part of their income. Some people are being paid to workout and be fit and promote brands. Those people may not be the ones to model yourself after.
There are also people with better commutes than you. Fewer responsibilities than you.
For me, I made a career change to shorten my commute. I picked up a high-cardio hobby (dance). I learned how to lift weights efficiently (Stronglifts 5X5 only takes about a half hour 3X/week... so 90 minutes in a week).
I also do little things, like take the stairs when I can, get up and walk to get water from the dispenser every hour, sometimes just topping off my bottle. I park close to the exit of a parking lot, not close to the store. I have a pull up bar set up on the ground floor of our house so that every time I go by it, I do assisted pull ups. I watch my food intake, which is really the key to looking shredded.0 -
Yeah, it's a picture from a few weeks ago. I'm tiny though, no arms/chest/lats. I'd like to add at least 2 inches to my arms. The only thing that makes me look alright is relatively low body fat.I'm in the gym 3 days a week for about 75 minutes per session. So that amounts to less than 4 hours a week.
I'm doing Ice Cream Fitness (novice strength routine) which is really just StrongLifts plus some isolation work.
Am I shredded yet? Not even close but I'm only a couple months in. Ask me again in 18 months
If that pic is of you, then that amount of shred would be fine with me.
. I will have to google Ice Cream Fitness. That's a new one to me.
Yeah, gaining muscle can be hard as hell. For me, I have a lot of things I am working on and have to pick and choose what to focus on. :S0 -
Remember that, for a lot of people on social media, fitness is part of their income. Some people are being paid to workout and be fit and promote brands. Those people may not be the ones to model yourself after.
There are also people with better commutes than you. Fewer responsibilities than you.
For me, I made a career change to shorten my commute. I picked up a high-cardio hobby (dance). I learned how to lift weights efficiently (Stronglifts 5X5 only takes about a half hour 3X/week... so 90 minutes in a week).
I also do little things, like take the stairs when I can, get up and walk to get water from the dispenser every hour, sometimes just topping off my bottle. I park close to the exit of a parking lot, not close to the store. I have a pull up bar set up on the ground floor of our house so that every time I go by it, I do assisted pull ups. I watch my food intake, which is really the key to looking shredded.
You hit the nail on the head! I shouldn't model myself after those people. And yes, they make their living off of it I know. I think "your job is working out." if my job were working out, then it would be easier too.
We live in the same area! Hi DC metro area!
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The "shredded" look comes from having little enough fat that the muscle shows through. I doubt I will ever look that way because I don't plan on losing that much weight. My purpose right now is simply to lose a few more pounds while lifting to maintain muscle. I've just finished a few months of eating just above maintenance to build some and am working my way back down again, albeit slowly.
I have the luxury of having a gym on my work campus so I use the weights there after work 2 or 3 days each week for about an hour. Then I drive my half hour commute home. I usually have a partner so we switch off which creates rest time between sets but on days when I'm alone I walk one lap around the inside of the gym (1/16th of a mile) between sets.
I run on the days between lifting and take one rest day each week where I do nothing more than walk. In the summer when it's almost always 100°+ I run in my neighborhood mornings before work. In the winter I commute home and then run after work. Running sessions are 40-60 minutes on average.
The point of my providing so much information is that with all of this, I'm spending about an hour every day either before or after work doing something to better myself. It's simply become part of the routine. I work 9 hour days, have a half hour commute each way to work and I'm going to school online for 6 credit hours per term year round (10 months to go!). I manage to make the time to work out because it's important to me. My house doesn't get the attention it needs and I don't get to watch nearly as much TV as I'd like but those are my choices to make because time is a limited commodity.
If creating a better body is something you really want to do, you'll find time to squeeze it in. If spending your time with your family or doing something else is more important then recognize that you're making a conscious decision to choose one over the other and move on without guilt.0 -
<--4 days a week, lifting for 1.5 hours each. No cardio.
You can get it done in three days though. 5x5 would be good.0 -
arditarose wrote: »<--4 days a week, lifting for 1.5 hours each. No cardio.
You can get it done in three days though. 5x5 would be good.
I haven't tried a 5X5 in a long while. Do you do the sets with little rest to keep HR up? I will see about getting it done. There are few Powerracks in my current gym. Pisses me off. lol
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arditarose wrote: »<--4 days a week, lifting for 1.5 hours each. No cardio.
You can get it done in three days though. 5x5 would be good.
I haven't tried a 5X5 in a long while. Do you do the sets with little rest to keep HR up? I will see about getting it done. There are few Powerracks in my current gym. Pisses me off. lol
I think the rest time is moderate. The weight should be decently heavy so you're rests may not be as short as they would be with a hypertrophy program. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong here. It's not a routine you do to keep your HR up.0
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