Gym + shift work

[Mazik]

After being lazy for a too long time I'll start to work out at a local gym this summer, so tonight I will go and buy a gym membership. The problem is that I will have a three-shift job this summer, meaning that I will shift between working morning (06.30 am-2.30 pm), afternoon (2.30 pm-10.30 pm) and night (10.30 pm-6.30 am).

I will work 7 days and then be free for 5 days. I will work like this (M=morning, A=afternoon, N=night):

Day 1: M (06.30 am-2.30 pm)
Day 2: M (06.30 am-2.30 pm)
Day 3: A (2.30 pm-10.30 pm)
Day 4: N (10.30 pm-6.30 am)
Day 5: N (10.30 pm-6.30 am)
Day 6: N (10.30 pm-6.30 am)
Day 7: A (2.30 pm-10.30 pm)

How would you put up a schedule for me during these 7 days? I was thinking of going to the gym 3 days per week (one deadlift day, one leg day and one chest day), and 2 days cardio (one day rowing to work with boat: 2x 6-7 KM, and one day biking to work: 2x 20 KM).

[Linebacker]

Its good that you choose a powerlifting routine.Most people today choose Calvin Klein mode instead of Tank mode.

Lift heavy weight and make your arms and neck big,that commands respect.

That is a very strange and dynamic work schedule.Never seen one like that before.Its going to be hard to maintain a program with it but you can pull it off.

[щрбл]

Does biking really increase cardio? It hurts my bum more than anything actually...

[Fortis in Arduis]

Wow. I take my hat off to you for accepting shifts like that.

I would suggest that days 1, 2, 3, and 4 would be possible for gym training, because you will have had and will be able to take, adequate rest, and your plans would probably be best laid in relation to that.

Look at when you will have time to rest and eat well, before and after training, and there is your window.

Day One: Evening
Day Two: Evening (not much rest here before...)
Day Three: Morning (...this session, so ensure that there isn't an overlap)
Day Four: Evening

Given that there is a longer interval between training on days three and four, you might be able to do something more strenuous on day three.

Also, if you are taking a break on day five, day four could be your day to take the opportunity to really exhaust yourself.

Obviously, the body much prefers regular eating, sleeping and training times, and also, the mornings are generally preferred for that which is more strenuous.

I would be very careful to make sure that I had adequate rest, and given all the chopping and changing, I would keep regular and routinised as much as possible.

[Mazik]

That is a very strange and dynamic work schedule.Never seen one like that before.Its going to be hard to maintain a program with it but you can pull it off.

Wow. I take my hat off to you for accepting shifts like that.

It's very common in the heavier industry of Sweden. At least in the mining, iron and metal industry. The good thing is though that you have 5 free days after you have worked 7.

Its good that you choose a powerlifting routine.Most people today choose Calvin Klein mode instead of Tank mode.

Lift heavy weight and make your arms and neck big,that commands respect.

Will do, mate
I will use the summer to come back to my old shape, and then the autumn to start with heavier lifting.

I would suggest that days 1, 2, 3, and 4 would be possible for gym training, because you will have had and will be able to take, adequate rest, and your plans would probably be best laid in relation to that.

Look at when you will have time to rest and eat well, before and after training, and there is your window.

Day One: Evening
Day Two: Evening (not much rest here before...)
Day Three: Morning (...this session, so ensure that there isn't an overlap)
Day Four: Evening

Given that there is a longer interval between training on days three and four, you might be able to do something more strenuous on day three.

Also, if you are taking a break on day five, day four could be your day to take the opportunity to really exhaust yourself.

Obviously, the body much prefers regular eating, sleeping and training times, and also, the mornings are generally preferred for that which is more strenuous.

I would be very careful to make sure that I had adequate rest, and given all the chopping and changing, I would keep regular and routinised as much as possible.

Thank you for your post I have slowly started now, but not fixed a schedule yet. I will take your post into consideration when I write my schedule. The overlap between day 6 and 7 is really a killer. You have 8 hours of freedom before you start again, not to forget that it takes time to travel back and forth. So in total I might get about 5 hours of sleep.

[Mazik]

And btw, Ultra. You don't have to stalk me around the forum and thumb down all my posts. What reason do you have to thumb down my first post in this thread for example?

[Ultra]

And btw, Ultra. You don't have to stalk me around the forum and thumb down all my posts. What reason do you have to thumb down my first post in this thread for example?

I don't stalk you anymore than you stalk me and thumb down my posts. I think you should man up and train your various bodyparts more than just once a week, like why only train your chest once? Why not train your legs on the chest day also? I don't know if that was my original reason for the thumbs down, but you have one reason from me now at least..

[Fortis in Arduis]

If you find yourself injured, stalled or limited by following an intense stress and recover pattern in your training, this book might lead you towards helpful insight:

http://www.amazon.com/Body-Mind-Spor.../dp/0609807897

In a nutshell, if one trains to 70% of one's capacity three times a week, with recovery days, this is still not as effective as training to just 50% seven days a week, without needing breaks to recover.

70% x 3 days = 210

50% x 7 days = 350

Professional athletes often train twice daily, the stress-and-recover model being more popular for those with limited time.

One of the main, very simple, points of the theory expounded in the book is that if it becomes necessary to breathe through the mouth, the body is experiencing too much stress, cortisol levels are increasing, and that this is an indication of over-training. The remedy for this is to employ the "ujjayi" breath, which is where the back of throat is closed, as when whispering, and never to breathe through the mouth.

To say that guarding against over-training allows for faster progress is stating the obvious, but it helps to be able to gauge optimum exertion whilst training, when stress-and-recover is not working, for example, when injury has led to burn-out.

[Mazik]

I don't stalk you anymore than you stalk me and thumb down my posts. I think you should man up and train your various bodyparts more than just once a week, like why only train your chest once? Why not train your legs on the chest day also? I don't know if that was my original reason for the thumbs down, but you have one reason from me now at least..

I don't know what you mean with man up and train my body parts more than once a week. Back when I used to work out at a powerlifting gym the people normally worked out just 3 times per week, but trained very hard these 3 days. Here we talk about people who belonged to the European and world elite.

In this case, I wanted help to fix a schedule for the weeks I will work like this (see my OP). When my recovery level is very limited due to bad sleeping and eating habits.

[Desaix DeBurgh]

Does biking really increase cardio? It hurts my bum more than anything actually...

The best forms of cardio are things such as biking, rowing, jogging and swimming but jogging/running is the absolute king of cardiovascular exercise so I refuse to do any other form of cardio. I have no time for messing around with other stuff only the king of cardiovascular exercise is good enough for me but you peasants can settle for less (joking kind of but not really).