Physical day job AND training?
Discussion
I'm 33 and have been a carpenter since leaving school. Over the years i've always kept fit, surfing, mountain biking and generally staying active. Over the past two years what with having kids and renovating a house I'm losing my fitness levels and any kind of enthusiasm to get it back. After a hard days work I'm frankly shattered.
Does anyone else do any training or fitness work as well as a physical job at my age? or is this just how life is for a mid 30's tradesman. It bothers me because i see all my friends who work in offices finish work and head to the gym or play squash whilst im flaking out on the couch.
What are good forms of exercise for shattered middle aged men?
Does anyone else do any training or fitness work as well as a physical job at my age? or is this just how life is for a mid 30's tradesman. It bothers me because i see all my friends who work in offices finish work and head to the gym or play squash whilst im flaking out on the couch.
What are good forms of exercise for shattered middle aged men?
I'm 35, work a moderately physical job and have just started (in the last six-months) getting back into my fitness. I am following Mark Lauren's You Are Your Own Gym program, and managing to run 5-10km at least once a week.
There is no easy answer, as I'm sure you know. You just have to force yourself to get up and do it. It is too easy to make excuses, especially as the days are shorter, colder and darker. MTFU and get out on your bike!
There is no easy answer, as I'm sure you know. You just have to force yourself to get up and do it. It is too easy to make excuses, especially as the days are shorter, colder and darker. MTFU and get out on your bike!
Running is ideal because you don't need much time to get a good workout - 30 minutes is plenty at a decent pace. Cycling needs LOADS more time IMO - any hour at the absolute minimum.
I did demolition labouring for a while - shifted 9-10 tonnes of concrete plus did loads of actual demolition and still gymed it four times a week - my appetite was absolutely ridiculous - and I really couldn't afford so much food on such a cr4p wage! TBH though, I really enjoyed it.
I did demolition labouring for a while - shifted 9-10 tonnes of concrete plus did loads of actual demolition and still gymed it four times a week - my appetite was absolutely ridiculous - and I really couldn't afford so much food on such a cr4p wage! TBH though, I really enjoyed it.
What? MTFU!
How do you think your ancestors managed to cope? They had to deal with 20km hunts, avoiding predators, fighting rival men to the death before they had to come back to the kids, not to play with them, but teach them everything they knew.
Honestly. Today's version of a hard-working human are truly pathetic.
How do you think your ancestors managed to cope? They had to deal with 20km hunts, avoiding predators, fighting rival men to the death before they had to come back to the kids, not to play with them, but teach them everything they knew.
Honestly. Today's version of a hard-working human are truly pathetic.
Run my own business which entails huge amounts of physical stress, all day every day. I too get home absolutely shattered on most days, but I maintain a clean diet with plenty of sleep. I find a power nap, even if it's only for 10 or 15 minutes when I get home, really does give me the power boost that I need. I train every day, more or less, running, cycling or gym.
I'm 36 and work shifts on a large site. With a wife and two kids on top of erratic sleep patterns it is hardly ideal for training
If it is just fitness levels rather than weight loss then why not set a simple goal first? You could improve your 1mile run time and just run once per week. This would get you fitter as your time improves on the same route.
As for muscle maintenance, a kettlebell or set of dumbbell's at home will give you plenty to do.
"The more energy you burn, the more energy you have to burn."
At first glance of that statement appears to imply the human body breaks the laws of thermodynamics, but it's true. The fitter you get, the better your body gets at utilising calories, so the fitter you get the more energy you appear to have.
When I was in I.T. I was always tired, although I did manage to go to the gym 3 times a week religiously but without a clue, and occasionally play football. I'd walk maybe 5km a week.
Now a PT, I do 3 - 5 gym workouts, cover 75km on bike, 25km on foot per week and I also demo loads of exercises during sessions and/or workout with clients and/or lug 50Kg of dumbbells and benches in and out of my car, sometimes I even bike 20km with 20Kg of dumbbells in a rucksack. Am I tired? No. I have boundless amounts of energy compare to the years when I was much younger.
The bottom line is, you need to force yourself to get with it, but when you do, you'll feel awake all the time.
The sedentary job is a killer, feeling tired all the time is just the first symptom...
At first glance of that statement appears to imply the human body breaks the laws of thermodynamics, but it's true. The fitter you get, the better your body gets at utilising calories, so the fitter you get the more energy you appear to have.
When I was in I.T. I was always tired, although I did manage to go to the gym 3 times a week religiously but without a clue, and occasionally play football. I'd walk maybe 5km a week.
Now a PT, I do 3 - 5 gym workouts, cover 75km on bike, 25km on foot per week and I also demo loads of exercises during sessions and/or workout with clients and/or lug 50Kg of dumbbells and benches in and out of my car, sometimes I even bike 20km with 20Kg of dumbbells in a rucksack. Am I tired? No. I have boundless amounts of energy compare to the years when I was much younger.
The bottom line is, you need to force yourself to get with it, but when you do, you'll feel awake all the time.
The sedentary job is a killer, feeling tired all the time is just the first symptom...
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