finding time

[tradmike]

Lately it seems life is getting in the way of my training.  Working 12-14 hour days in a manual labor type job.

Is it better to try and make up a missed workout day?  (I hate missing a workout but sometimes just not possible to get in).  Or should i try and make it up the next day.


Just wondering what everyone does, with work if they have kids and finding time to train.

[Chris W]

Mike, sometimes I work 14 hour days, but usually its closer to 9-10. I work a mix of mornings and evenings, and I work most weekends and holidays. I have two little kids, 1 year old and 3 years old. I plan my workout times very carefully. I almost always train in the morning because I'm too tired at the end of my work day.

If I'm working a morning shift, I go to bed early the night before once the kids go to bed (20:00-21:00) and get up early (04:30). I'm warming up by 05:00 and am done by 06:15, whether I'm "done" or not. If I'm working an evening shift, I get up later but still try to train as early as possible. I don't do much besides play with the kids and my wife, train, work, and chill/sleep. I don't have TV, don't go out after work, don't play pool with "the guys" and don't go to bars. I'm boring that way, but that's the way I like it.

By the way, I also have a home wall which makes this training schedule possible. It gives me more time with the kids and the family and I can train when it is convenient for me. I have my own set of free weights, etc. for my cross training at home as well. It's all an investment, but one that is well worth it for me.

I have a harder time finding opportunities to go climb (outside) that I do training. A lot of that has to do with my wife, because she has a hard time wrangling the kids if I'm out climbing.

[Sander]

My schedule isn't nearly as tight as Chris', but his pointers also apply to my situation. Last year I built a small woody in the attic, put up a hangboard, a set of gymnastic rings and some free weights for all supplemental exercises. Now I'm adding a campusboard as well. A relatively small investement that gave me the flexibility to train whenever I have so spare time. Sometimes I miss a scheduled workout, but I try to do it the day after. If necessary, I shift the week around a bit and take the extra day from the next multi-day rest in the schedule.

[andytheblacksmith]

Hey Chris and Tradmike, I feel your pain! Get ready for a long entry:

My context looks very similar to Chris W's schedule: full-time job, infant son (7 weeks and counting! Man, they grow fast), jam-packed schedule, and very, very little energy or time open for leisure activities. In a triage of life, climbing is usually the first thing to go. For those looking down the pipeline of Massive Life Shifts (read: babies), consider this: having a kid was one of the best things that could have happened for my motivation and training. I can easily see how many climbers-turned-parents give up climbing altogether. Being a parent is unbelievably hard and energy-consuming! But rather than quit one of my great passions, I re-framed, adjusted, and distilled my desires and tastes: I traded languid climbing trips to exotic locales for 67 minute nuclear assaults on my tendons and forearms; I wrote down hangboard goals and kept them; I looked for local rock instead of distant crags.

In essence, I realized that training and goal-setting is super appealing to me. It's not for everyone! Many of my climbing friends pine for the overall experience—camping, companionship, beers around the campfire, gawking at the views from six pitches up—but I am one of the lucky few who relish the chalk-filled air of a dungeon-esque garage and yet-another-rep on my precious Beastmaker hangboard. I don't get on real rock often, but when I do, it feels like the rarest and choicest of experiences. You might say I enjoy climbing more now than ever, because I truly appreciate what a gift it is!

A few particulars regarding my training with the Anderson Bible:

— My son was born in the middle of my "Power" phase of training. I have a small garage wall with lots of holds, so I was able to set nice Limit Bouldering problems for myself. On rest days, I took my son out on hikes (he was safely ensconced in a Moby Wrap... I gotta give a shout-out to this awesome product. I scouted and cleaned boulders a bunch with my son, and I'm confident that my psyche was somehow transferred to him through osmosis). Moral of the story: build some sort of climbing apparatus for yourself in or VERY near your home. Convenience rules supreme.

— Take rests days, even when you feel desperate for the "buzz" of the climbing session. In my twenties, I was addicted to the feeling of climbing all the time. Many amateur athletes experience this; it's tempting to sacrifice eventual performance for immediate sensations of pump and burn. I gotta say, while an epic five-hour bouldering session with buddies can be wonderful, it's even cooler to send your dream route or problem because you did your homework and rested.

— Embrace the structure of a training plan. I climb much, much less than I did in my twenties (I'm thirty-three now), but I am quantitatively stronger now than I was then. Silly moment of full disclosure: I have always wanted to do a one-arm pull up off of my middle two fingers. When I was twenty-eight, and climbing non-stop (read: sometimes 4-5 days a week), I couldn't even get close to that goal. Now I climb two (maaaybe three) days a week and I can crank off the two-finger-one-arm with absolute ease. The aforementioned physical goal was merely a training goal, not an indication of my climbing performance.

— Write down goals. It's tempting to just "climb" and hope that the stars align with your psyche, or, as many climbers do, pretend that goal-setting is somehow too aggressive or shallow. I have friends that just kind of hope things work out, and if they don't, they move on. Forget that! Make a list. Heck, make an Excel chart and check boxes! I had a goal of climbing a certain V10 near my house that involved a heinous two-finger pocket, so I trained my face off on two-finger pockets. I checked all the boxes. And I sent. It was awesome, and I didn't wait for the stars to align. My celebration beer tasted oh so good.

— If you work in a trade or do manual labor, then a rigid training schedule is your friend. Nothing compounds injury more than overuse, and overuse often comes from lack of planning and just "climbing when you feel like it". I am a full-time blacksmith, so I occasionally have nine-hour days of swinging a hammer on an anvil. It's exhausting labor, to be sure. I have to REALLY pay attention to my rotator cuff on my right arm, my left wrist (gripping tongs too tight), my lower and upper back, and my hip-flexor from standing all day. If you are a carpenter and wield a hammer ("wield" is a cooler word than "use") buy a hammer with a wider diameter handle, as it prevents over-gripping. Do lots of core exercises to prevent injury. Oh, and buy a rubberband stretchy thing to train your rotator cuff. The latter item has been totally clutch for injury prevention.

— Find a time of day that works. I like mornings (early, as in before 6 a.m.) because I'm catatonic by 8:30 p.m. I'm like Chris: wake up, train, work, play with kids, kiss wife, go to bed.

[Chris W]

Andy, Congratulations on the little one! That growing fast thing, by the way, doesn't seem to slow down. Happy Thanksgiving.

[Annie]

Thought it might be interesting to throw a mom's perspective into the mix. I'm big into training and climbing, but also have a 6 month old baby and full time job (an office job with long hours and post-work networking events). The best time-saver I have found is really focusing on my climbing weakness. That's a hard thing to figure out, but if you self-observe and ask your climbing partners what they think, you should be able to dial in on your weakness. For me, I have naturally strong grip strength (lucky!) and endurance. But I am a hard-gainer of muscle. So my climbing training focuses heavily on building muscle. I lift weights in my basement, focusing especially on deadlift and weighted pull-ups, three times a week. I climb twice a week on the weekends. If my work week schedule permits, once a week during my lunch hour I jog 1.5 miles to the climbing gym, climb for 45 minutes, and jog back to work. I don't do any cardio (although I don't drive, so I bike or walk everywhere). If I have to give up a workout, the last one to go is the weight-lifting workout, because it is prioritized as the most important workout. I plan to follow the RCTM plan this winter, but drop out the endrance segment because it's too time-consuming and endurance is my strongest natural skill as a climber. My home workouts (lifting or hangboarding) are done early morning before my son wakes up for the day.

Anyways, here are some ways I save time:
1. I only shower once a week and I never do my hair, wear make-up, or wash my face(yes, I'm disgusting!)
2. I don't watch TV (instead, for entertainment, biking to and from work I listen to podcasts, including Enormocast and TrainingBeta)
3. I don't drink (breastfeeding!) and I very rarely socialize
4. I have to look nice for work, so I plan at my outfits for the week Sunday evening
5. I work through my lunch hour if my work load is heavy
6. I tend to my skin during conference calls
7. I eat salads from pre-made kits for lunch and my partner prepares most dinners
8. (most importantly)My partner helps me out immensely!!!

[MarkAnderson]

Dec 12, 2014 10:21:31 GMT -7 Annie said:

1. I only shower once a week and I never do my hair, wear make-up, or wash my face(yes, I'm disgusting!)

Haha!  I can absolutely GUARANTEE you are not the only one on this forum.  Actually I'd wager you're above average in the hygiene department. 

I'm also a big fan of doing skin care at work.  I get some strange looks though.  

[slimshaky]

skin care at work is a key part of the day for sure!

[tj]

I see a common theme here...of folks trying to find time post kid. We have an almost one year old and it has been rough. I am just starting the program and already struggling with the outdoor mileage days (which are virtually impossible for me to do more than once a month, and even that is pushing it). We have a home wall which helps, but it is small and too overhung for ARC days.

Basically, finding time takes sacrifice and help from your partner. I find inspiration in the stories of other folks doing it. I am extremely weak (post baby life hasn't been good to me and I build muscle slower than a snail) - but I'm determined to improve. Even if I can't put in all the workouts laid out.

[bk]

I've got 3 kids six and under. I find I can consistently get in two good workouts a week (not including supplementary strength and/or cardio that I can do in my basement). On my first season, I've been able to make good progress with this schedule.

I'm lucky to get away with showering once a day. If I cut back to once a week, my wife would leave me and I'd be fired for cause. I suppose that would free up my schedule though.

[MarkAnderson]

Dec 18, 2014 23:05:07 GMT -7 tj said:

We have an almost one year old and it has been rough. I am just starting the program and already struggling with the outdoor mileage days (which are virtually impossible for me to do more than once a month, and even that is pushing it). We have a home wall which helps, but it is small and too overhung for ARC days.

That's very understandable.  Keep a couple things in mind: Doing something, even if it's a compromise, is infinitely better than doing nothing.  It's easy to miss one workout, and then get into a shame spiral where you eventually give up completely.  Or, think that since you don't have two hours to do the full-blown hangboard workout, you might as well do nothing.   It's ok to miss a workout here and there, compress/replace a workout,  or realize from day one that you only have time to train once every 4 days or whatever. Don't think it's absolutely essential to follow the plan exactly.  Do the best you can, and chances are it will be a lot better than what you were doing before.  As your kid(s) grow up you will have more time, and the ground work you laid down now will help you get the most out of climbing years down the road, even if the results aren't overwhelming in the near-term.

[MarkAnderson]

Dec 19, 2014 5:24:01 GMT -7 bk said:

My wife has a terrible sense of smell.  It's one of the reasons I married her (or should I say, one of the reasons she married me?).

[tj]

Thank you for your response mark. It is really helpful to hear we were just scouring our topos for more kid accessible crags for the future and our new hang board came in the mail today! On my way

[soggybiscuits]

I'm resurrecting this thread. It has some absolute gems of posts. Thanks to all for sharing your detailed accounts of work/life/climbing/training balance... It makes for some inspirational reading for sure.

I dug it up as I was searching out advice on supplementary exercises. I myself have a 3 month old son (yay!!!), a new house (2 months), a full-time job as well as climbing aspirations and a supportive partner who also climbs. I've been following the RCTM over the last 3 years and love the progression that comes with targeted and planned training and resting. I do the same things as other people on here to make it all work: training early mornings, late at night, sacrificing other parts of life (reading / TV / films) to ensure that I don't have to cut short (shock) or skip out completely (horror) training sessions.

One thing that I have yet to master however is supplementary exercises during a strength phase. By supplementary exercises I mean exercises from Café Kraft, things like a weights session (deadlift / bicep curls / shoulder press etc.), core (leg lifts / front levers etc.), TRX (sling and ring work), bar work, floor work and so on.

Now, the Bible says that these come after a fingerboard session, that is, immediately following the post-work out refuel; all is well in theory. However, I often only just manage a warm up and fingerboard, so that any meaningful weights session or core session is out of the question as it's time to look after junior / do some work / put the washing on... you know, life.

This leaves me with several options, none of which are prime. Is it better then:

1. to attempt a set of supplementary exercises on the morning of a fingerboard or earlier in the day?
2. to perform the supplementary exercises the day following a fingerboard?
3. to do the exercises the day prior to a fingerboard session?

Certainly, all these offer better options than not completing the exercises at all but which fit on with the fingerboard. I would have thought that the best option would be exercising the day following as this still leaves a complete rest day before the next fingerboard.

Let me know your views if you have any. Maybe I'm over thinking the whole thing....

[MarkAnderson]

The best option of the three you listed is #2. Many folks on here do that by choice. I've done it on occasion when time constrained. I've noticed it allows me to go a bit harder on the SEs, since I'm starting out basically fresh instead of fatigued from the HB workout. I haven't noticed any ill effects of doing it the day after. The reason I don't do it that way all the time is convenience. It's more convenient for me to get it all done in one long session.

A 4th option is to do the SEs later in the same day as the HB workout. Such as, HB in the morning, go to work/whatever, SEs in the evening. That works pretty much exactly the same as option #2 in my experience. Also equally inconvenient for me.