Getting in shape with a terrible schedule?

[Daven]

Hey everybody, I've been trying to come up with ways to get back into decent shape while at the same time having pretty much no schedule at all. I'm low man in seniority at my work, which means I pretty much fill in wherever and whenever I am needed. So that means I could work day shift 2 days, a night shift, an afternoon shift, get a day off, 2 night shifts, a day shift, etc. Basically meaning I have pretty much no controllable schedule at all.

I used to be a competitive swimmer from about the age of 8 till 19, where I had to stop because of school. Now, about to turn 25, I haven't worked out in a good 6 years. I've been able to do a decent job with watching what I eat, but I'm still 6' 2" and have been consistently 210-220lbs with a body fat percentage of around 23%. I would REALLY love to get that down to around 200lbs with a body fat percentage of like 15%ish.

I'd love to just sign up with the local YMCA, but with my schedule, it just seems like a waste of money. I'm not a fan of weight lifting, and I've tried running to some pretty bad results. haha. My family has a line of really bad knees and every time I try running I end up not being able to walk for a day or two cause they hurt so bad. But, I do remember back in high school loving stationary bikes. Just as good a workout as running with a lot less stress on the body.

What do you guys think about stationary recumbent bikes for getting into shape? I can't quite rely on outdoor biking because I live in Duluth, MN...which means about 9 out of 12 months are spent with snow/ice/below 0 degree weather. So, would a good solution be getting a stationary recumbent bike and doing a workout for a half an hour to an hour every day or so? I'd prefer recumbent because it doesn't hurt my back as much and with pretty much all bikes nowadays I can easily increase intensity whenever I wanted. But, would that alone be able to tone me down to like 15% bfp? Would I HAVE to include some kind of body weight workout in there as well? situps, pushups, squats, lunges, etc.? I don't want to get "ripped" by any means, just slimmed down and a bit toner. You know, just get rid of that tire! haha. Let me know what you think. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Also, just wondering what kind of effect a bike would have on my thighs? Because of genes and being a swimmer, I already have pretty big thighs. Would using a bike a couple days a week for years end up making my thighs and calves just crazy huge? If anything, I'd love to trim down my thighs as well!

 

[SXIPro]

I'd give an eliptical or an arc trainer a try as far as cardio. They are really easy on the knees and you'll burn more calores more quickly than on a recumbent bike, and IMHO are not as boring. Don't fear or avoid weight training though. If you want tone, you need muscle. Period. And, honestly, body weight workouts will only get you so far. You'll need to start adding resistance at some point for sure. Adding lean muscle mass will help you burn off the 'tire' much more quickly. It will also increase the size of your chest, back and shoulders, thus making your waist look thinner as well.

Oh and as far as a schedule goes, you just need time to fit it in. I have quite a busy schedule so I work out at 5:30 AM.

 

[Daven]

I'd give an eliptical or an arc trainer a try as far as cardio. They are really easy on the knees and you'll burn more calores more quickly than on a recumbent bike, and IMHO are not as boring. Don't fear or avoid weight training though. If you want tone, you need muscle. Period. And, honestly, body weight workouts will only get you so far. You'll need to start adding resistance at some point for sure. Adding lean muscle mass will help you burn off the 'tire' much more quickly. It will also increase the size of your chest, back and shoulders, thus making your waist look thinner as well.

Oh and as far as a schedule goes, you just need time to fit it in. I have quite a busy schedule so I work out at 5:30 AM.

Thanks for the reply SXIPro! Well, I've tried elliptical machines and just didn't enjoy them as much as the recumbent bike. I've never tried an arc trainer though, never even heard of them before. haha I'll have to check them out. Are the workouts on ellipticals and arc trainers that significant of a difference than a bike?

I figured resistance training was kind of unavoidable. I'd just gone through middle school, high school and half of college weight lifting and still just never was able to get into it. What kind of resistance training should I be looking at for just a basic workout? I don't want to have to try to get to a gym in order to weight lift. Would I be able to get a good enough resistance workout with just a simple weight set? I'd like to just slim down a bit, not necessarily get ripped or anything.

Also, another question about scheduling workouts. How important is working out at a set time every day? I'm not going to be able to workout at the same time every day because I have no set work schedule. For example next week I work from 7am till 6pm tuesday, 5am till 5pm wed-friday, sat. I have off, 5pm till 5am sun-wed, then thur-sun I have off. And it basically goes completely randomly like that for pretty much the next couple years. haha. So yea, trying to come up with a set workout schedule is next to impossible. My plan was to just grab and hour or two every once in a while when I found the time. :/ Does that pose much of a problem for things like trying to keep my metabolism going? Would it be ok to do something like 2 workouts at night in a row, have a day off, workout 2 mornings in a row, another nighttime workout, a daytime workout, etc.?

 

[PLB_old]

Thanks for the reply SXIPro! Well, I've tried elliptical machines and just didn't enjoy them as much as the recumbent bike. I've never tried an arc trainer though, never even heard of them before. haha I'll have to check them out. Are the workouts on ellipticals and arc trainers that significant of a difference than a bike?

Since you stated that you have some back issues, you should make sure that you get clearance from your physician before starting any exercise program.

It's usually best to go with what you enjoy the most because you're much more likely to stick with it. And if the recumbent bike feels the best on your back, that's another reason to at least start with that machine. You may find that as you build strength, you may be able to use other cardio machines more comforably in the future. The goal with any 'cardio' machine is to get your body to do a rhythmical, repeated movement using some of the large muscle groups in your body in order to keep your heart rate elevated above resting levels, so that you to burn calories and improve or maintain your cardiovascular endurance. Some machines will utilize different muscle groups than others, but remember that fat is burned from all over your body when doing cardio, not just certain areas.

I figured resistance training was kind of unavoidable. I'd just gone through middle school, high school and half of college weight lifting and still just never was able to get into it. What kind of resistance training should I be looking at for just a basic workout? I don't want to have to try to get to a gym in order to weight lift. Would I be able to get a good enough resistance workout with just a simple weight set? I'd like to just slim down a bit, not necessarily get ripped or anything.

A set of free weights is a great way to start, but it really depends on what you can lift. If you're quite strong you may outgrow the weights quickly. It also depends on your end goals. You can stay reasonably fit and healthy lifting moderate weights, but you will eventually get stuck maintaining if you're not constantly overloading your muscles.

Also, another question about scheduling workouts. How important is working out at a set time every day? I'm not going to be able to workout at the same time every day because I have no set work schedule. For example next week I work from 7am till 6pm tuesday, 5am till 5pm wed-friday, sat. I have off, 5pm till 5am sun-wed, then thur-sun I have off. And it basically goes completely randomly like that for pretty much the next couple years. haha. So yea, trying to come up with a set workout schedule is next to impossible. My plan was to just grab and hour or two every once in a while when I found the time. :/ Does that pose much of a problem for things like trying to keep my metabolism going? Would it be ok to do something like 2 workouts at night in a row, have a day off, workout 2 mornings in a row, another nighttime workout, a daytime workout, etc.?

If you want to work on strength 2 days in a row, then you should probably split your workouts so that you're not training the same muscle groups 2 days in a row. Cardio you can do on both days and you'll find that most people will recommend doing cardio after your workout so that you get as much benefit as possible from your strength training.

 

[Daven]

Since you stated that you have some back issues, you should make sure that you get clearance from your physician before starting any exercise program.

It's usually best to go with what you enjoy the most because you're much more likely to stick with it. And if the recumbent bike feels the best on your back, that's another reason to at least start with that machine. You may find that as you build strength, you may be able to use other cardio machines more comforably in the future. The goal with any 'cardio' machine is to get your body to do a rhythmical, repeated movement using some of the large muscle groups in your body in order to keep your heart rate elevated above resting levels, so that you to burn calories and improve or maintain your cardiovascular endurance. Some machines will utilize different muscle groups than others, but remember that fat is burned from all over your body when doing cardio, not just certain areas.

Well, I don't really have major back problems, it's more that I have terrible posture and when I workout it's usually my back that gets sore first. I just have to work on better, proper, postures through both workouts and just every day life. :/ So, I think I'm ok with any kind of exercise program. I'm only 25 and have only been out of competitive sports for like 5 or so years. Plus my job requires that I have to be able to lift more than 50lbs multiple times in a row and my physician ok'd me for that. Plus, I'm not going to be training for the ironman or anything haha. So, I'm not worried about hurting myself.

I see what you mean about finding something you enjoy enough to where you can get into a rhythmical, repeated motion in order to get that heart rate up. And as long as I'm doing enough cardio it shouldn't matter too much whether I'm on an elliptical, arc trainer, stationary bike, etc.? I'll check out this arc trainer machine, but I think I'd enjoy using a stationary bike a lot more. It may require a bit more work on my part in order to get as effective of a workout, but I think I'd be able to stick to a bike more than an elliptical.

A set of free weights is a great way to start, but it really depends on what you can lift. If you're quite strong you may outgrow the weights quickly. It also depends on your end goals. You can stay reasonably fit and healthy lifting moderate weights, but you will eventually get stuck maintaining if you're not constantly overloading your muscles.

What do you think it would take to get around like 12%-15% body fat percentage? Everybody's body is different, but do you think I could get down in that range with just a good cardio workout and quick basic weight set workout? I don't really even know what a good weight lifting workout is. haha. I've been a distance swimmer almost my whole life, so whenever I lifted weights it was ALWAYS very low weights with LOTS of repetition.

In order to get that low of a body fat percentage, would I need to start looking at much more intense of a workout? Or are those crazy intense workouts I'm thinking about (like that p90x workout) just for people that want to get down to like the 10% and under body fat percentage? 15% would be great for me, so I don't want to go too crazy. haha

If you want to work on strength 2 days in a row, then you should probably split your workouts so that you're not training the same muscle groups 2 days in a row. Cardio you can do on both days and you'll find that most people will recommend doing cardio after your workout so that you get as much benefit as possible from your strength training.

I know that you need to split up strength training days in order to give your muscles time to rest, but would the "nighttime workout" followed by a "daytime workout" followed by another "nighttime workout" and so on, mess up my body cycle and metabolism much? I don't know if it effects your body that much, but throughout my training days, I just always worked out at the exact same time every day and stuck to a set schedule the entire year. But I guess that could also be just because of classes and had nothing to do with training? :/

 

[PLB_old]

Well, I don't really have major back problems, it's more that I have terrible posture and when I workout it's usually my back that gets sore first. I just have to work on better, proper, postures through both workouts and just every day life. :/ So, I think I'm ok with any kind of exercise program. I'm only 25 and have only been out of competitive sports for like 5 or so years. Plus my job requires that I have to be able to lift more than 50lbs multiple times in a row and my physician ok'd me for that. Plus, I'm not going to be training for the ironman or anything haha. So, I'm not worried about hurting myself.

I think 99% of my clients have 'posture problems'! Focusing on proper posture in your everyday life, not just in your workouts, is so important! I've heard of a lot of people who set timers on their comps for every 10 mins or so as a reminder to sit up straight, or they use a signal such as every time the phone rings, they need to check their posture The more you practice, the easier it gets! Exercises like planks are great for targeting those deeper abdominal and spinal muscles that help to improve your core strength and posture... Just make sure you have someone that knows what they are doing to teach you how to do them properly and watch your form!

I see what you mean about finding something you enjoy enough to where you can get into a rhythmical, repeated motion in order to get that heart rate up. And as long as I'm doing enough cardio it shouldn't matter too much whether I'm on an elliptical, arc trainer, stationary bike, etc.? I'll check out this arc trainer machine, but I think I'd enjoy using a stationary bike a lot more. It may require a bit more work on my part in order to get as effective of a workout, but I think I'd be able to stick to a bike more than an elliptical.

Yes, it takes a bit more work to increase the intensity of your workout on a bike compared to something like an elliptical or arc trainer (checked it out online, but haven't tried one yet) because your arms aren't involved. Having both your arms and legs working at the same time utilizes more muscle groups and makes it easier to increase the intensity of your workout. Just watch your posture!

What do you think it would take to get around like 12%-15% body fat percentage? Everybody's body is different, but do you think I could get down in that range with just a good cardio workout and quick basic weight set workout? I don't really even know what a good weight lifting workout is. haha. I've been a distance swimmer almost my whole life, so whenever I lifted weights it was ALWAYS very low weights with LOTS of repetition.

In order to get that low of a body fat percentage, would I need to start looking at much more intense of a workout? Or are those crazy intense workouts I'm thinking about (like that p90x workout) just for people that want to get down to like the 10% and under body fat percentage? 15% would be great for me, so I don't want to go too crazy. haha

Hmm... I don't really have a great answer for you here.... SXIPro might have some better input. It's a combination of exercise and a clean diet that will help you drop your BF %. 15% BF is not extreme, so if you follow a regular exercise program and eat healthy most of the time, you should be able to get there. According to the text, Advanced Fitness Assessment and Exercise Prescription, the recommended "mid BF %" for males aged 18-34 is around 13%. For physically active males aged 18-34, 15% BF is on the" upper" range but is still considered healthy. IMO, it mostly comes down to what you enjoy and what you'll stick with.... If you don't want to go to the gym because it doesn't fit with your schedule, then a mixture of cardio, a weight set for home, and maybe a few p90x workouts thrown in there will work... as long as you do it! The biggest issue people have is not sticking with their plans... it's not that they don't have the 'perfect' routine.

I know that you need to split up strength training days in order to give your muscles time to rest, but would the "nighttime workout" followed by a "daytime workout" followed by another "nighttime workout" and so on, mess up my body cycle and metabolism much? I don't know if it effects your body that much, but throughout my training days, I just always worked out at the exact same time every day and stuck to a set schedule the entire year. But I guess that could also be just because of classes and had nothing to do with training? :/

I might have to get back to you on this one... I've had quite a few clients who are shift workers and they seem to have more difficulty than others when it comes to lose weight, but I'm not sure that this has to do with affecting metabolism, or that people who work nightshifts tend to have worse eating, exercising, and sleeping habits than people who work 9-5 type jobs. I think if you're exercising 3-4 times per week and eating healthy, you're doing yourself many favors in regards to health and weight loss. Just try to give each muscle group 24-48 hours of rest when doing strength training.

My responses are getting kinda long, sorry!

 

[Daven]

My responses are getting kinda long, sorry!

Haha!! Not at all!!! The more information the better!! Thanks so much for the replys, I appreciate it!

I really like that setting a 10 minute timer or something on the computer to check posture haha! That's a great idea, I'll have to try that.

But yea, I think the hardest thing for me is definitely just trying to stick to some kind of set schedule. I used to LOVE working out and that "dead" feeling you get after an incredible workout. But, it was always soooooo much easier to stick to a set schedule back in the day because I was on a sports team and you had specific times set by the coaches. Now-a-days things ALWAYS seem to come up, get in the way, blah blah blah. It sucks!!

I guess it'd also be incredibly easier if I was able to find even just 1 or 2 people to join me in the workouts. For both incentive to meet schedules and just to help with the shear boredom haha!!

I'll probably use 15% BFP as kind of a final goal for me to reach and then if I'm able to get into a great schedule and stick to it, maybe just see how far under 15% I could get. I always love to set "reachable" goals that I think I could definitely hit, and then if I'm able to hit it, take it to the next step and push myself to see how far I can go.

That's pretty much how I was able to quit drinking pop. It took about a year to finally get off it completely, which started because I wanted to get as good of shape as I could for swimming in high school. Then once high school finished I kept going just to see how long I could go without pop. And so far, this next August it will be 11 years!

So, I'm excited to see if I can really push myself to get back into a good workout schedule. I've slacked off waaaaay too long! haha!

And yea, I definitely know that eating habits of nighttime shift work basically goes down the toilet...sadly. But, I have definitely made an attempt to make it as healthy as I can!! Instead of bringing a bunch of crap and a frozen tv dinner like most of the guys do, I'll bring like 9 or 10 small munchies to snack on throughout the day or night. Like a couple Nutri-Grain Bars, small bag of peanuts, a carton of yogurt, and then maybe a fruit or something. Than instead of eating on big lunch I'll have like 1 thing every hour. It kind of helps pass the time too, but I also know that eating tons of small meals throughout the day is MUCH better for you than eating one or two big meals.

And then I always bring a water bottle and drink as much water as I can. But even water gets incredibly boring to drink so I'll mix it up every once in a while and bring a bottle of Gatorade or something. :/

But yea, I guess it'll all just come down to how motivated I am!

 

[Nadal]

Definitely its not easy to do and its hard to adjust in a terrible schedule because it is not easy to control over less diet. And in start we face trouble and then we are used to of it and i think sacrifice is also part of life if you really want to loss your weight.