Training with a tight schedule
Lennart’s perspective
I think I am the most average human being I have ever met. Average height, weight, build, skillset etc. I have a job, a wife, three kids and a house in the suburbs. We do not have a dog, but that is only because our family is prone to allergy. The set of cards that I got handed makes it hard for me to reach the Olympics, but it has provided me with a solid foundation to understand the average human that wants to better themselves, be in shape, and increase their physical or mental capabilities in general.
In the spirit of transparency and truthfulness, let me tell you this – it is hard work. Your motivation and inspiration will suffer, but this is where we get started. If you sleep for 8 hours, work for 8 hours and commute to work for 2 hours, then you only have 6 hours left for everything else. This time can be time that is occupied by family obligations, time with friends, or time with Netflix. Whatever the case, goal setting and planning is the key.
The two most time-consuming training endeavours I have embarked on is Triathlon and CrossFit. Both sports have a lot of different components to them and there are many things that need weekly attention in order for you to do well. These training goals are, therefore, not sustainable — for me at least. Remember the six hours – if you spend all of them training, a lot of other stuff has to go on the back burner. So, what do you do? My method, for the last couple of years, has been to train as a generalist, and do a combination of endurance, strength, power and skill work — aiming for low hanging fruit. Which means, assess your fitness and focus on the thing that needs the most work. Then when you want to specialise for a specific event, it will take less time, because your general fitness level is way higher than the average couch potato.
The benefit of this approach is that I do not spend a lot of time training when I am not training for a specific event. It is way less time consuming to maintain your fitness than to build it. As the saying goes – it is always easier to maintain momentum than to build momentum. This approach is, in my opinion, also great for beginners. Make an honest assessment of your current physical condition and start improving what needs the most work – a reduction in body fat and an increase in strength is a good starting point for most people, but everybody is different, and everybody has a different starting point. But give yourself a better base level than you have today, and the future you will be grateful – I promise.
This is where the tight schedule shows its ugly face… You know what to do, but how do you find the time?
Here are some of my strategies for getting the most out the day.
Get up early and go to bed early. Training first thing in the morning is a good way to start the day, and a good way of getting work done, but remember you need your 7-8 hours of sleep.
Intermittent fasting and working out in your lunch break. This has been a core strategy for me. You eat less and work more.
Use your commute to work as training – run, cycle or do a combination of both.
Work out directly after work. Hit the gym or go for a run before you get in the car.
Go for a brisk ten-minute walk after every meal. This has great health benefits, is easy to implement, and has an accumulative benefit over time.
There are many other ways you can approach this, but the important takeaway is that you need to evaluate your goals, your strategies, assess your daily schedule, and be very pragmatic in your approach – What can I do?” and most importantly, “What am I willing to do.”
I hope this was helpful and we will dive deeper into the details in a later blog post
Until then, get after it and good luck.
Scott’s perspective
I am a married father of three. The fight for time to train has been a constant issue in my marriage. Even though I work at a gym, there never seems to be enough time. My oldest daughter was homeschooled for the last year, making things even more complicated.
If I had written this article a year ago — the first thing I would have said is, “You have to strike a deal with your spouse about training, and hold to that schedule — protect your time for training.” I have now given up on that idea. What a relief! There are just too many scheduling conflicts that come up between my wife getting some training in, and the various afterschool activities that my kids are involved in. I found myself very stressed out over fighting for my gym time, and everyone else’s commitments often felt like the enemy to the schedule I was trying to keep.
The only thing to do was to let go completely. What would it look like if I just let go of this punishing training schedule? What if I put my family first, and just fit in training where I could? Would I lose everything I had gained over the years?
Yes, I’m going to talk about microworkouts again.
If you are a busy person, with a very busy home life, I really believe microworkouts are the way to go. I went from looking at my day and thinking, “There’s no way in hell I can train today,” to actually getting a lot done--and greatly improving many aspects of my strength and fitness. I’m just going to throw out my basic template. All you need for this is the relatively small investment of a kettlebell and some rings.
4 sets each day, spread out throughout the day (usually right before meals)
Day 1 (Upper body push): 25 kettlebell swings + max ring dips (substitute push-ups)
Day 2 (Upper body pull): 25 kettlebell swings + max pull ups (substitute ring rows)
Day 3 (Lower body): 25 kettlebell swings + 25 goblet squats (squats with kettlebell)
Then repeat.
Following this simple, basic structure during coronavirus lockdown, I found two very different, and seemingly unrelated to my training exercises had gone up — my max front squat and my max hang snatch. I have become a true convert to microworkouts and the kettlebell swing.
Another aspect of the microworkouts is that your kids often witness you training. And guess what happens? They want to train, too. And, it is very likely that training will be a part of their lives in the future. Is there anything as important as that?
I’ve also found that I have even more time to do extra projects (like this blog!). There is also a lot less friction between me and my wife surrounding scheduling. It’s a better life. And — I still get to the gym a couple of times a week to lift heavy things. It just happens when the family schedule allows it.
I hope you find some inspiration in my story.