Staying energized to workout after work

Joza

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to get started back into a fitness regime after a long time being too sedentary. My cardiovascular fitness isn't great, so I'm going to concentrate on that for now but I'd also like to pursue some weight training to build some muscle mass.

My main trouble is energy: I get home about 6:30 pm most evenings and by then I'm both hungry and tired. So what I'm looking for are tips and things I can try to be energized and ready to workout as soon as I get in. What works for you? What kinds of foods can I have throughout my working day, and how can I time it right?

I should add, I'm trying to get good sleep these days; I hit the hay about 10:30 / 11 pm and rise at 7 am.

Cheers!

power pants

ive trained the last 15 years directly after work.I bring my gym bag to work, have a snack around 4pm and leave at 5pm to the gym

By going home the temptation to sit down and not get up again is too big of a risk to take :pac:

moc moc a moc

Forget evenings, train during your lunch break.

leggo

I get home about the same time and am up at 8am. What I do twice a week is come home, get a meal and head to the gym for 9-9.30pm (to avoid the heavy crowds and be able to blast out a workout as quickly as possible). I'll get a power nap if I'm wrecked so I'm energised for the gym. I'm home by 11pm tops, shower, get a snack and am good for bed by 11.30pm. It's 11.20pm now and I'm writing this after doing that exact routine. And if you have to get your 7-8 hours you're wrecked after the workout anyway so will probably sleep like a baby soon as you hit the pillow. Works for me anyway.

Caliden

I go to bed about the same time but get up at 6am and I'm in the gym for 6:30, in work then by 8:30.

I tried going after work but I was starving and wrecked from work so by the time I got home and had something to eat it was about 7pm and all motivation was gone out the window.

I'd recommend going in the mornings as it's a great way to start the day if you have a good session.

power pants

moc moc a moc wrote: »

Forget evenings, train during your lunch break.

Personally, Ive never enjoyed doing this unless it is very last resort. I have standard 1 hour lunch give or take 15-20 mins maybe

by the time I get to the gym even if if it is only 5-10 min walk each way, change, do my session and providing equipment is free etc. Im very pushed for time. Shower afterwards and still having to eat something before going back to work.

its doable but I never enjoy it, more often than not I would have to miss out certain exercises or sets etc

MrWalsh

Twice during the working week I come to work a half hour early and leave a half hour early and go to the gym before going home.

Unfortunately my gym is in the opposite direction to my job so I couldnt go before work or at lunch (planning to change job so not changing gym).

Im not sure going at lunch would work for me anyway as my gym sessions are usually an hour+ so I just wouldnt have time unless I came in a half hour early and took an extra long lunch perhaps?

Id never be able to go home first, I know I would just settle in and make excuses not to go. Also I prefer to work out with as empty a stomach as possible as otherwise I get indigestion.

Alf Veedersane

Go straight to the gym after work. If you are genuinely hungry, bring a larger lunch or have prepared something like the dinner that can be reheqated at work and had at lunchtime. Plenty of fuel in the tank then.

Unless the job is a physical one, the tiredness is more mental than physical.

airmech

Has anyone tried going to the gym after night shifts? Would you be too wrecked? It would be quiet.

MrWalsh

airmech wrote: »

Has anyone tried going to the gym after night shifts? Would you be too wrecked? It would be quiet.

It would certainly be great to wear you out enough to sleep!

Alf Veedersane

Depends.

Back in the day, I alternated between 2 weeks of nights and 2 weeks of days (thank Christ I was only there for a few months) so I was permanently boll*xed.

But if you get decent sleep outside of your night shifts and you've adapted to it, you should be fine.

power pants

Pretty much the same as going to the gym immediately after work when working during the day providing you were getting adequate sleep and eating correctly

friend of mine does it using the 24 hr flyfit places

arayess

i like training fasted.
Maybe its' just me but I never feel weak just a bit more focused.
plenty of water sorts me out.

I train primarily at 6am on empty stomach but at weekends or days I missed the morning I train in the afternoon/ evening not having eaten up to 6 hours before hand.
never bothered me.

My gainzzz maybe have suffered but at 95kg - I doubt it.

power pants

I prefer to eat regulalry throughout the day. all depends on your goal and your natural body shape in general I suppose

LuckyLloyd

Everyone's routine is different. Nobody can answer precisely what will help you train regularly. What I could say is:

- if what you're doing isn't leaving yourself in a good position to train it doesn't work for you;
- there is a settling in period to any new routine that you have to push through;

I train after work and I have my bag packed with me in the morning. I have a small meal between work and training and might add a coffee with it if feeling particularly lethargic. If I don't have that meal organised often times I won't end up in the gym. If I don't have my gear with me in the morning and have to go home to get it often times I won't end up in the gym. So I have to do those things. And sometimes there is an element of forcing yourself because you ARE tired and genuinely don't want to do it but will feel better afterwards.

I think there are a few options in the thread around changing the time you train and preparing yourself in the morning and going straight to after work. You need to keep altering things until you're generally feeling good pre training. You then need to force yourself to stick with that for a bit until it becomes a routine that is automatic.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

just a tip, but if you drink one tea spoon of matcha green tea about 2 hours before gym, you will blast into training
it removes mental tiredness, and drops physical tiredness .

best stuff ever for focus and endurance.

The_Honeybadger

Just started back training myself after several years. I did a lot of walking in the interim so I had a reasonable base to work off.

I get home about 6.00 and immediately eat a small dinner. I'm in the gym at 8.30pm until 9.15 or 9.30 And then have a snack when I get home. That has been working well for me although sometimes it is hard to control the portion I eat when I get home from work as I'm often starving after the day. If I eat too much at 6.00 it definitely effects me later on the gym. Lately I've been trying to have a bigger lunch and a snack at 4pm to stave off the hunger.

kerry4sam

Joza wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to get started back into a fitness regime after a long time being too sedentary. My cardiovascular fitness isn't great, so I'm going to concentrate on that for now but I'd also like to pursue some weight training to build some muscle mass.

My main trouble is energy: I get home about 6:30 pm most evenings and by then I'm both hungry and tired. So what I'm looking for are tips and things I can try to be energized and ready to workout as soon as I get in. What works for you? What kinds of foods can I have throughout my working day, and how can I time it right?

I should add, I'm trying to get good sleep these days; I hit the hay about 10:30 / 11 pm and rise at 7 am.

Cheers!

The will-power needs to be there also. I can't have any dinner before exercise or it just won't stay down. Felt nauseated during workouts after work from eating too late before finishing work ; too soon before work-out.

Timing is key but only time, trial & error will tell you what works for you.
Some days I finish work ; in the door, quick change and I'm back out either walking/jogging or cycling. Wait afterwards over an hour for my body to relax before I can get food into me.

~ Know what exercise you want to do.
~ Can you heat something up at work? Can you eat about 3/4pm? Have a coffee &/or banana after but about an hour before you finish?
~ Have you enough air circulating around you at work - are you near an open window? That would help keep you focused and more alert than if you worked in too much heat that could just drain you imo.

It's certainly possible. You just need Will-Power and the Drive okay. Get it into your head that you must do this because really, you must! Think long-term. Think of your body in 20-years time. Just focus on your long-term health and you'll find the drive inside you.
Put the work in now & Reap the Rewards in later years of you life

Are you sleeping too much? Have you tried going to sleep later and getting about 6-7hours sleep? I find if I sleep too much I just feel groggy and lethargic the following day. I've a routine created through the years for myself now. Took Time. Took Patience. Took serious Will-Power for me. Took Drive & Focus. Find the Enjoyment in your Exercise and you'll want to continue as it'll be fun!

Hope that helps & Wishing You the Very Best,
kerry4sam

roisin.browne

I used to train in the evenings after work but it was always a massive mental slog to get out of the house and down to the gym. Sitting down on the sofa is the worst thing you can do (well, for me, anyway!!) I've just started with a PT and specifically requested early morning sessions. So now, I'm up at 6.30am. Have never been a morning person so was dreading it but have actually found it's much, much better! It sets the day up nicely and I don't have to feel guilty in the evening if all I want to do is watch Netflix!

Irishcrx

Everyone finds a time that is more suited to them , for some it's evenings/mornings/afternoon...

Myself , I don't suit the evenings at all, too tired and can't get the motivation after work so I go first thing in the morning at 06:45am and I'm in work at 8. I love it, I'm working out fresh and energised and by the time I get to work I feel good after the workout , awake and hungry to start eating getting energy back into me...I think it's a great way to start the day..

But you need to find the time that is best for you and your body.

MartyMcFly84

I go straight from work. I finish around 6pm and travel straight to the gym about 45mins/hour to my gym Mon -Fri and train Sat mornings.

My eating routine would be like this. Its not ideal, but it gives me energy to train.

7.30 - breakfast 1
10.00 - Breakfast 2
12.45 - Lunch (This is the largest meal I have, more like a dinner)
4.30 - Sandwich or something
22.00 - Shake or Bar
22.30 - Small meal veg/protein

23.30 bed.

deadlybuzzman

MartyMcFly84 wrote: »

I go straight from work. I finish around 6pm and travel straight to the gym about 45mins/hour to my gym Mon -Fri and train Sat mornings.

My eating routine would be like this. Its not ideal, but it gives me energy to train.

7.30 - breakfast 1
10.00 - Breakfast 2
12.45 - Lunch (This is the largest meal I have, more like a dinner)
4.30 - Sandwich or something
22.00 - Shake or Bar
22.30 - Small meal veg/protein

23.30 bed.

Bloody hell that's a fair spin. Do you work in the middle of nowhere?

5dolla12

If you live close enough to home you could run home.

I rum home from work which acts as both exercise and a quick energy boost, so by the time im home doing situps etc is no big deal as I am already warmed up.

Alf Veedersane

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

Bloody hell that's a fair spin. Do you work in the middle of nowhere?

What? It's about 45 minutes for me from work to the gym and I don't work or live in the middle of nowhere.

tony1980

I have found a lot of difficulty in motivating myself aswell but when I stopped sitting down when I got home straight after work and went straight out for a run, I always feel great after it. It is breaking through that mental barrier which is the hardest part.

deadlybuzzman

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

What? It's about 45 minutes for me from work to the gym and I don't work or live in the middle of nowhere.

In fairness I am probably spoiled with the distances between where I live and work and train. To be honest if it took me that long I'd probably go do something else or just find a closer gym

Alf Veedersane

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

In fairness I am probably spoiled with the distances between where I live and work and train. To be honest if it took me that long I'd probably go do something else or just find a closer gym

It's on the way home and only 5 mins walk home.

MartyMcFly84

Bloody hell that's a fair spin. Do you work in the middle of nowhere?

I train a specific martial arts gym. Actually the best in Europe the trip is nothing considering the instruction you get there.

There are plenty of other "regular" gyms closer, but my goals and aims would not be filled in one of those places. You get used to it very quickly once it becomes part of your routine.

Mr_Muffin

This is something i sometimes have trouble with as well.

I work in construction and usually work from 8 to 6. The work itself can be very hard and I'm going all day. I do try and go to the gym after work but i am usually totally wrecked. Maybe going before work is an option?

deadlybuzzman

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

It's on the way home and only 5 mins walk home.

Ah ok my bad I thought it was 45 mins out of your way

deadlybuzzman

MartyMcFly84 wrote: »

I train a specific martial arts gym. Actually the best in Europe the trip is nothing considering the instruction you get there.

There are plenty of other "regular" gyms closer, but my goals and aims would not be filled in one of those places. You get used to it very quickly once it becomes part of your routine.

Fair play. I remember being at an MMA event in donegal town and being struck by the distances some of the lads were traveling. A few of them would've been doing 1 1/2 hour round trips a few days per week.
Doing that on top of work on top of some of the hardest training possible on a regular basis blows my mind