When I started coaching I was doing 20-30 hours per week on the gym floor, most of which was for free, trying to get things going. I was also working two other part time jobs just so I could eat and pay rent. There were days where I worked all three jobs in the same day (definitely do not miss that). To be honest, my fitness ended up taking a back seat for a while.
I couldn’t stand thinking about how much I was working while letting all the hard work I’ve done towards my fitness just slowly slide backwards. There was a certain point where my weight was the heaviest it’s ever been and I knew I needed to make a change. I don’t think that a fitness coach needs to be the most in shape person in the world but in my head, I was doing a disservice by asking my clients to do all this hard work in/out of the gym while I let things slip away from me.
My schedule did not change, I didn’t quit one of my jobs, and I wasn’t able to add a 25th hour to the day (unfortunately).
Instead, I was able to take a step back, make a plan, and I did what needed to be done.
I want to go over what I did to get myself back on track as well as what I do with my clients who have trouble keeping up with busy schedules.
#1: Start NOW
I know what you’re thinking; “I can’t start now, I’m too busy, that’s why I’m reading your damn article”.
Waiting for your perfect time and the perfect plan is garbage. You can kick the can down the road as far as you want, but if you want to get back on track do SOMETHING today.
Now this doesn’t have to be a full workout or an hour spin class, just do something. The way I started was by walking. I got up every day and took my dog for a 1-2 mile walk.
Walking is the single easiest and most readily available form of exercise there is. You put on shoes and move your body.
All you need is 10 minutes, can you find 10 minutes today to go for a walk? Hell yeah you can.
Will that 10 minutes give you everything you’ve ever wanted and more? No, but you are a step ahead than you were yesterday (literally).
#2: Create a Schedule
Your schedule is the guideline for your consistency. If you leave It up to fate or “how you feel”nothing is getting done.
Try this:
-Look at the non-negotioables in your schedule (work, kids, sports, meetings, etc..)
-Where are the pockets of time that you have for yourself? This could be before work, after work, middle of the day, or even a day off.
-Find 1-2 days during the week that could fit a 30-45 window for yourself. This is your workout time. To see great results we ideally would like to see 3 workouts per week, but getting started with 2 is perfect.
Now look at this:
-What do your non-work days look like?
-If you don’t work on Saturdays or Sundays, could you build in time for a 30-45 minute workout or walk?
When my schedule was at it’s busiest, the only day I didn’t work was on Sunday. I made sure to get a workout in every single Sunday no matter what. Even if things got in the way during the week, I knew I could bank on getting a session in on Sunday to keep the ball rolling.
My #1 goal when starting to get back on track was to not go a full week without a workout.
Some people work different shifts/schedules. If you work a rotating schedule or things come up too often, look at your workout schedule from a monthly view instead of a weekly view.
Some weeks will be busier than others, the down weeks are the times to add an extra workout or two while the busier weeks can cut back a session or two. This type of schedule is great for your body because it gives you a chance to rest more when things are hectic and push yourself a bit when things are open.
Even with the changing schedule, aim to get your 10-15 workouts in throughout the month, instead of thinking about 2-3 workouts per week.
The final piece on planning, away from your schedule, is having a plan for your workouts, which we are going to discuss in the next step.
#3: The Workouts
Being efficient is the name of the game when It comes to working out with a busy schedule. The goal is to get the most amount of positive work in you can during your workout window.
Now, this does not mean going absolute balls to the wall is the right idea, because it’s not. What It does mean is that you can do the right things with extreme focus and effort.
When It comes to your workouts, as we said above, we need a plan. Without a plan you are going to be wasting your time thinking of what you should do. Along with that, a written plan will allow you to track your progress over time to see the changes that have occurred.
Here is how to plan your workouts:
Each workout is going to be full body. This makes sure that even if you have a few days in between workouts, every part of your body being used every workout.
You want these sessions to be MAX 45 minutes, and we are aiming right around the 35-45 minute mark. You are going to pick 4 exercises each workout and have 2 different workout templates.
First Template:
1a. Leg exercise (squat motion)
1b. Upper body exercise (push motion)
2a. Leg exercise (hinge motion)
2b. Upper body exercise (pull motion)
Second Template:
1a. Upper body exercise (push motion)
1b. Leg exercise (squat or hinge motion)
2a. Upper body exercise (pull motion)
2b. Core exercise
In each workout there are 2 supersets. 1a/1b are paired together and 2a/2b are paired together. This is so you can move back and forth between each exercise making things smoother, faster, and more efficient.
I want to give you 4 workouts here that you can start using NOW. There will be 2 workouts of each template above.
Workout #1:
1a. Goblet Squat 3 x 6-8, rest :30
1b. Push-Up 3 x MAX, rest :75
2a. Hip Thrust 2-3 x 10, rest :30
2b. Single Arm DB Row 2-3 x 8-10ea, rest :75
Workout #2:
1a. Pause DB Bench Press 3 x 8, rest :30
1b. Split Squat 3 x 6-8ea, rest :75
2a. Chest Supported DB Row 2-3 x 10-12, rest :30
2b. Forearm Plank 2-3 x MAX, rest :75
Workout #3:
1a. Romanian Deadlift 3 x 6-8, :30 rest
1b. Seated DB Overhead Press 3 x 8-10, :75 rest
2a. Goblet Reverse Lunge 2-3 x 8-10ea, :30 rest
2b. Ring Row 2-3 x 10-12, :75 rest
Workout #4:
1a. Single Arm DB Floor Press 3 x 8ea, :30 rest
1b. DB Rack Squat 3 x 10, :75 rest
2a. Dual DB Bent Over Row 2-3 x 10, :30 rest
2b. Hollow Body Hold 2-3 x MAX, :75 rest
You are going to choose exercises that have a BIG effect on the body.
Example: Push-ups vs. tricep kickback.
The push-up is going to work a hell of a lot more muscles on your body than the tricep kickback and we want these things to have that big effect!
Here is a list of exercises to choose from:
Leg exercise (squat motion)
-Goblet squat, back squat, front squat, split squat, rear foot elevated split squat, front foot elevated split squat, reverse lunge, walking lunge,
Leg exercise (hinge motion)
-Deadlift, romanian deadlift. stiff leg deadlift, hip thrust, trap bar deadlift, b stance deadlift/hip thrusts, single leg romanian deadlift, sumo romanian deadlift, sumo deadlift, kang squat, rear foot elevated kang squat
Upper body (push motion)
-Bench press, DB bench press, floor press, incline bench press, overhead press, push-up, z-press, alternating z-press, alternating DB press, single arm floor press, slight decline DB press, landmine overhead press
Upper body (pull motion)
-Barbell row, inverted row, single arm DB row, chest supported row, T-bar row, chin-ups, ring row (TRX row), plank row, gorilla row, pendlay row, landmine row
Take these workout templates and plug in any exercise that fits that day. You can do that workout for 4-6 weeks, doing everything in your power to improve on every exercise across those weeks.
Once that time is up, toss in some new exercises and follow the same idea. The goal is to see progress with each consecutive phase of training. If we aren’t getting stronger, feeling better, and moving better, things need to change!
The last point I want to make here is about your motivation.
Waiting for motivation to get things done is not going to lead to success. The reason “Start Now” is #1 is because action is the first step to gaining motivation. That action (when done well) leads to results. Whether that is weight loss, feeling better, or even just building a routine, you see a positive result. Now with that result, you know what comes next, MOTIVATION!
Motivation does not come out of thin air, it’s earned through action and work. Now, right after you feel that motivational high, the wheel keeps spinning and you need to keep DOING, so you can see a positive result, so you can feel motivated yet again!
Being busy is tough, especially on your fitness, but if you can follow these three steps I KNOW you can get where you want to be!
In good health,
Jeff
P.S. Fill out our This Questionnaire and we will send you a personalized roadmap to start seeing progress!
