What's your workout schedule?

[KillerCharlie]

What time of days do you guys typically work out? I'm having a lot of trouble with this.

I currently work out after work (start about 5pm-6pm, end 1 hour later) at my apartment complex (they have a set of free weights, a multi-station machine, and plenty of cardio machines). The problem I'm having is it's hard to stay motivated after work and it cuts into dinner time (I like to cook a lot). I think I'd be more awake in the morning too if I got up early and worked out.

The problem with working out early is that the apartment gym isn't open. I could get a membership at work for cheap, but that's actually a 10 minute drive to and from where I actually work. I don't really want to do that because of the loss of time. I'm also not sure when I'd eat breakfast. I like to eat after I workout if I work out in the morning, but that'd be impractical.

There's a Gold's Gym nearby for a reasonable monthly cost, but I bet that their initiation fee is extremely high and I'm not sure how long I'm going to live here. That'd be the best way to go - I can get there in 3 minutes, come home and eat/shower, then go to work.

How do you schedule your workouts with work and meals?

 

[HN]

on workdays, i get to the gym anywhere between 5:30pm and 7:30pm. most of the time i can be back within an hour or so of leaving the house. my gym is close enough to jog and far enough to consider it a decent warmup / cooldown. still plenty of time to cook and enjoy my meal afterwards.

on weekends, i usually go before lunch if i can wake up or around 4pm.

 

[skace]

I work out at the same time as you. Usually starting at 4 or 5PM and finishing an hour later. However, I actually get done work at 3PM. I think the schedule works extremely well because I find that I can push myself more after I've been working my desk job all day, like my body actually just wants to do anything at that point. Where as in the morning you are really pushing yourself.

 

[Kaido]

Since I'm out of shape, I just do my PT Program (15 minutes) and then 10 minutes on the exercise bike in the morning. Prior to starting my new diet and sleeping plan, I didn't have any energy in the evenings after school and work; if you're tired and don't feel good, motivation is incredibly difficult to muster up. So I just wake up earlier and do my PT then. Right now I can't commit to more than what I'm doing because my body doesn't have the stamina for it, but starting small is working out well because it's not overwhelming, which means that I'll actually do it. It helps if you set a specific time each day and set specific goals, i.e. at 6:30am use the exercise bike for 10 minutes. For meals, check out my reply to Nerve in my thread over here: (the big reply, not the small one)

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...erthread=y&STARTPAGE=3

I eat 6 meals a day now. You can eat the food cold or room-temperature if you don't have a microwave, it won't kill you. In fact most of the food is pretty good even not reheated! The meals only take a few minutes to eat, especially since I prepare all the food in the morning (thanks to easy appliances!). Now that I have changed around my eating/sleeping/workout schedule for a week or so, I find that I do have the energy to workout in the evening. But you need to get rolling on a good sleep/diet plan in order to have the energy to do that. Next month I'm adding another 10 minute session after work/school so that I'm breaking it up a bit. My eventual goal is to do 30 minutes of cardio in the morning and another 30 minutes in the evening to help stay lean and not get stiff.

Pretty much it all boils down to how much you want to do it. If you only kinda-want to, you'll see all of the obstacles. If you decide you're really determined, you'll figure out solutions like I have - make all the meals in the morning, commit to small amounts of exercise at specific times each day, etc. I'm a full-time student, I work part-time, I'm married, and I have a number of side projects and other commitments, but my new health system is still very doable (daily exercise, 6 meals a day, early bedtime). If you're serious about it, you can do it!

 

[Red Dawn]

I'm in the gym @ the latest 10 AM 5 to 7 days a week, if only for a 1/2 hour on the Elliptical.

 

[MegaVovaN]

M-W-F I begin between 5 and 7 pm
about 70 min there

cardio I do outside gym at random time of the day

 

[jiggahertz]

6am on workdays, 9am on off fridays and early afternoon on the weekends

 

[zebano]

I lift at 6AM MWF.
I swim at noon MW (gym is 1 block from work).
Basketball at noon TTh
Racquetball at noon F.
I jog (home) TTh whenever

I really like the gym morning and lunchtime.
a. I still have energy at that point
b. There are no high school/college fools sitting on the equipment and yapping on their cell phones.
c. There are no other commitments at that time of day.


Yesterday I didn't get up early enough and managed to condense my lifting, swimming and shower into a 70 minute block (work doesn't mind if I flex my time a little).

Edit: Breakfast... I always have a banana & usually some oatmeal before I leave home in the morning. If I'm working out that morning (MWF) then I will take either a couple packets of instant oatmeal with some fruit or all the ingredients for a breakfast burrito (wrap, cheese, green pepper in zip lock bag, 2 eggs mixed with milk in a tuppaware bowl - mix eggs w/ veggies & cheese, microwave for a minute and drop onto the wrap = instant breakfast).

 

[EvilYoda]

I'm sure you can talk Gold's down to a reasonable initial fee...they bluster a lot but just sit tight and be prepared to pick up and leave if they don't come down to your demands. Remind them that you have a friend that can get a referral membership to Bally's for $50 down or something

My schedule is all sorts of fvcked up - my work consists of traveling for 1-2 weeks at a time, so on the road it could be in the morning or late evening...right now I'm home and I just got back from the gym (8:00AM-9:15AM), but I usually go around 3PM. If I'm working the late shift on the road, I might even be in the gym at 10PM if that's what it takes. Luckily my body doesn't seem to mind it too much, but I know that I cut back a little today since I didn't feel like I had all of my normal energy.

 

[jiggahertz]

Yeah golds will usually knock $100 off the startup fee right away and you can negotiate it down from there. Also, if you move chances are good you'll live near another golds.

 

[Patt]

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 5:30 a.m. - 7:00 to get the workout in. I just can't motivate myself after work unless I'm chasing a ball --> squash, basketball, soccer etc.

 

[Riverhound777]

I get off work at 11:30am so it isn't very hard for me. I usually go home and make some lunch and head to the gym around 1pm. Life is good

 

[brikis98]

I go to the gym on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On the weekdays, I go after work, usually from 7pm - 8:30pm. On the weekend, I go whenever, although usually around 2 or 3pm. To avoid getting hungry while at the gym on weekdays, I usually have a small meal at work around 4pm. Something like yogurt + fruit + granola is plenty and lets me not get hungry until my very late (~9pm) dinners. Still, the weekday workouts are pretty hard - after a long day at work, lifting late at night is never easy. That's why off loading one workout day to the weekend is a must.

 

[TecHNooB]

Usually workout on Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat. Here's a typical day for me.

Breakfast
- Protein Shake
- Milk & Cereal
- 4x Eggs

Lunch - Roast Beef Sandwich (It's so good!)

Pre-workout (Between 6pm and 7pm)
- 2x Chicken Breast
- Milk & Cereal or Oatmeal
- Protein Shake (Sometimes)

Post-workout (75 Minutes later)
- Protein Shake
- 1-2 Grapefruit
- Lots of meat and speghetti or chili

Whenever I get hungry again
- More meat, oatmeal, cereal, eggs, whatever.

I love eating

 

[purbeast0]

Monday - 6:15 - abs for about 25mins, shoulders/traps for about 40mins, cardio
Tuesday - 6:15 - back for about 30mins, biceps for about 30mins, cardio
Thursday - 6:15 - chest for about 45mins, triceps for about 20mins, cardio.
Friday - 6:15 - legs for about 45mins.

that's pretty much my current schedule and aside from the cardio, has been that way for the past year or so.

EDIT:

all times are PM.

 

[SWScorch]

I run every day after work, around 5-6 pm. It does cut into dinner time and sometimes feel like all I do is work, run, eat and sleep. Sometimes I'll wake up early and do an extra run in the morning before work (only 4 miles) as well as the afternoon run. Weights, abs and pushups are always done after my afternoon run and further push dinner back towards bedtime.

 

[schizoid77]

Monday - Thursday from either 11am - 12pm, or 12pm - 1pm, depending on how much I drank the night before.

I've lost 50lbs in 4 months. I eat and drink whatever I want on the weekends, but try to keep it reasonable during the week.