Whats your routine look like with eating and training? Are you crazy strict with counting macros and all that, or just eat somewhat decent?
36 and a father of 3, wife and I both work and seems like there’s never enough hours in the day…as any of you with kids know lol
I’ve fallen out of shape the past few years and looking to get back into a routine. I’ve typically always done regular gym lifting with a bodybuilding style split. Tried CrossFit for a couple months last year to switch it up, but ended up stopping mostly due to a minor injury, and also deciding I’d rather go back to a gym
So I’m thinking of just hitting the gym/CrossFit on weekends and doing a couple home workouts during the week, with some dbs, kettlebells and bands. I feel like weekends are gonna be more feasible for me to hit the gym, as by the time my wife and I get in bed it’s usually 10-11pm and getting up at 3-4am to workout just isn’t working for me lol
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You need to be 90% consistent. Stick to your meal plan even if you fix the wife and kids a completely different meal for dinner. Work out at least 5 days a week and you’ll get there. I’m 58.
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Im single no kids but my buddies with kids who are in good shape really do just workout at home at 5:00 am everyday. Under half hour I think, everyday. Does the trick.
I know a ton of people that tout CrossFit, and for many it can certainly work. But many of the movements are more likely to induce injury.
I’ve found that the best way to get back in shape is to set a day/week goal. No less than I’d say at least 3 days a week for 45 good minutes of anaerobic weight training/calisthenics. And another 2 days of at least 30 minutes of cardio.
This will be where 10-15% of your gains will come from just by gaining better musculature you will burn fat more as it increases your tdee and it requires more calories to maintain those muscles 💪.
The other 85-90% of your gains will be your DIET. If youre looking for fat loss the best scientifically/clinically proven diets are those with anywhere in between 0.7-1 g of protein per lb of lean body mass. Say you’re 200 Lbs at 6 foot, your goal should be somewhere around 180-190 lbs with a loss of 1.1-1.5 lbs per week. All while eating a ton of protein, this is honestly the hardest thing for most people because it’s a lot more than you think you’ll need. You will likely need protein supplementation to get there.
The main thing is to keep your goals small at first, and incrementally build. Don’t beat yourself over a day missed or some pizza on the weekends. Your goal is to make it consistently into workouts and a better diet.
It’s a lot easier than you think, most people are just unproductive. It only takes 45-60 mins a day. How much time do you waste doing random shit on your phone or vegging on the couch? Protein smoothies in the morning for breakfast, I meal prep lunch two weeks at a time, dinner is just another lean meat high protein meal. Majority Whole Foods diet, very little alcohol, zero calorie drinks and very little sugar. I still run half marathons and lift heavy
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Father of 3 here, 1 in elementary and 2 in middle school. The key is consistency and discipline. After the age of 35 to 40, your body starts wearing down and you can’t do intense workouts and recover the next day like you used to. I schedule my workouts at a gym during my lunch break, daily. I have the privilege of carving out 2 hours, like 11-1 or 12-2. I do one day cardio and the next day weight lifting. This routine gives me a good balance with my exercise. Also, after I turned 40, I felt a tremendous boost to my vitality when I took daily Royal Jelly supplements. I felt 10 years younger.
When my kids were younger I would jog while they rode bikes. I was in great shape.
I wake uo at 4am and go to the gym before everything that happens through out the course of a day prevents me from doing so. I eat alot of salads, fish and chicken /turkey. It sucks ass but being a fat fuck would suck even more.
I wouldn’t say I’m jacked but I’ve been lifting 3-4x/week consistently for nearly 7 years now. Fortunately for me, I run a strength and conditioning business as a side gig so it’s something I have to do as well as create content for IG.
We recently had a kid 5 months ago and I’ve still managed to keep that up and I’m currently running a powerlifting program. My workouts right now tend to run about an hour and twenty minutes. Though, there’s so much you can do with 45 minutes to an hour as long as the effort is there. You don’t need much to make serious gains.
Nobody is jacked and ripped ok. This is a result of steroids, whether something easily accessible like Testosterone or something more intense like Dianabol. If a guy naturally has a big frame, yeah he can cut body weight and be pretty “fit”. But if your natural, your either going to be skinny and ripped. or fat and strong.
It all comes down to diet. If you are looking to gain muscle you NEED to be in a caloric surplus, this will cause you to gain fat, if your lift weights you’ll gain muscle to. If you want to lose bodyweight you NEED to be in a caloric deficit; daily by about 200-500. You will lose fat and muscle, you lift weights to stimulate the muscle and reduce muscle loss while cutting weight.
41, 3 kids (12, 10, and 8) here. I make it a point to put my workouts first – I plan my days around when I am going to the gym. I like going early before my day starts because other than my own laziness there’s nothing that’s all of a sudden come up where I can’t go workout anymore. I’m in the gym 4-5x a week, some weeks it’s only 3x. It really comes down to how bad you want it. If you’re not really wanting to train you’ll find every excuse in the book to not go. For me, it’s one of my favorite things to do so my motivation is intrinsic.
Diet wise, we make food at home that is pretty clean in general so I don’t have to do anything special. I do eat more than anyone else so I make my own snacks and other meals in addition to what we’re eating as a family.
I’m in pretty decent shape and lift 3x per week, powerlifting type routine with squat/bench/deadlift being the primary lifts. I’m not super strict about diet since I don’t intend to cut below 15% bf, probably closer to 20% if I had to guess right now. I try to go during lunch breaks at work, taking a longer lunch when possible. Usually I have to try and squeeze my workouts in between other commitments, which can be challenging.
Main thing is to make sure you’re getting enough protein and sleep, IMO. Those are the two hardest things for me with two young kids.
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Dad with two small kids, Stay consistent with the weights. Cut out alcohol and sugar. Get cardio in atleast half your sessions. Hard yard work counts as cardio. Stick to protein and fruit. Make sure you rest, I don’t lift more than 3 days in a row. Utilize the weekend. Get good sleep.
Pretty much it. Oh, and you have the time. You just need to figure out where and how. I’m big on the morning sessions.
My kids are active, I do what I can to coach their sports or learn their activity and play with them.
I started reffing hockey several years ago. It pays me to skate several hours per week, and now that I’m doing upper levels and high school, it motivates me to get in better shape in between seasons.
Everyone is saying the same thing: consistency. You won’t feel like working out for the sake of working out very often any more. You have to make yourself get up early or fit in a lunch break workout then remind yourself how you will feel when you’re done.
Eating: I don’t cut things entirely but I have cut my portion sizes. Everything in moderation works best for me. Craving french fries? Order the smallest size and it always satisfies the craving. I have a soda once or twice a week, no more than that. I naturally cut down on drinking but I never really drank often anyway. Maybe once per week now, and only a beer or 3 at a time.
I can’t function without 6 or 7 hours of sleep any more either. That’s been the biggest difference post-40 for me. I even take a short nap once or twice a week now as well, which is also new in the last couple years.
I just eat whatever within reason. Really only have 2 meals a day which probably helps.
Mornings before work I’ll go for a run, then during lunch at work is when I go lift. Between the commute and changing I can get 40 minutes in
I lost 75 lbs with a 1 and a 2 Yr old.
Abs are made in the kitchen is real. I do high fat high protein with extremely limited grains and sugar.
I… Do.. Get up at 0345 to go to the gym. It does suck.
When I was concentrating on losing weight I lifted weights to Tabata timing. It sucks. It’s very exhausting and it’s very humbling, but you get a tremendous bang for you buck as far as limited time. I only exercise at a gym 3 days a week.
When I reached my goal weight I switched to Mentzer Method to add muscle.
You can do tabata (not just HIIT, tabata specifically) at home or at gym doing ANY exercise and it really is a great way to lose the chub, but you cannot and will not out-exercise a poor diet. I’ve tried.
Quick run early in the morning (45 mins tops). And I don’t eat sugar basically at all. I also don’t drink alcohol at all.
That’s it.
I would never waste time in a gym. I’ve stepped in one a few times because I was visiting the owner :))
Over the long term, 100% of my gymbro acquaintances have ended up worse or far worse than I did (physically, I mean).
38m here, 2 kids, just got back on the wagon after a crazy 15 year separation. Started 16 days ago. 280.4 down to 272.2 at the start of the day today. Intense 30 min lift session with FitBod app in my garage gym, followed by power walking. Have overview on calorie intake, picked up some supplements to aid in joint/muscle health and recovery as well. Wear workout clothing that makes me sweat. Afternoon workouts and walks since my work day starts a bit early. Gave up alcohol, cannabis, and da sugar.
Overall, I’m starting to feel better, easier to sleep, and I’m looking forward to seeing the scale every morning. If you want it that bad, find a way to push yourself mentally towards the workout every day. Good luck brother!
I’m 43 with two young kids (5 and 2). I built a weightroom in my basement and do an upper/lower split four times a week. I put 75 cals in the airbike as a warm up these days. I hike a bit and play some disc golf, and spring through fall I bike to work (15 miles round trip) five days a week.
I have a pretty healthy diet but I don’t track and can maintain. I cook all our food and focus on lean protein and fiber.
Yeah I’m with ya brotha at, also 36 with a kid. I’m no physical specimen but I eat good during the day, I still have some fun snacks with the fam at night. I try to exercise 4-5 days per week. Cardio mixed with weights. Honestly it’s worked for me so far.
I work out in the AM (alarm set for 5:30am) it’s the only possible way. I also meal plan for lunches because it’s impossible to stay consistent on diet otherwise, as your metabolism isn’t nearly as forgiving as it used to be.
You can do it bud. We’re all gonna make it!
I rotate between night time or after bed time. (I have a 2 year old)
MWF each week for about an hour with a day of rest between, and if I miss a day, I go on Saturday.
I’m 40, so I also started taking zinc/magnesium in addition to a daily multivitamin, vitamin D, fish oil, and protein shakes after workouts. (Plus 3-5mg of creatine on weeks I work out)
I also do a 1-2 week break or a “deload” week every 8-10 weeks cause I’m working out with weights mostly, and my old body needs a break from time to time.
I’m in the same physical shape as I was when playing college soccer and semi pro football. (Outside of all the fucking running and shit cause I hate that)
I’d also say tracking the workouts and progress on an app has been a game changer for me cause you can see the line going up as time goes on.
I’m competitive in general, so that helped me turn it into more of a game so I stick to it.
I wfh and have dumbbells next to my desk. When I’m listening in on a meeting I’ll get something in. I work while I eat lunch and do cardio for 30 minutes minimum per day. I make it work
Im not jacked, but Im in pretty good shape. I own a pressure washing company and do all the work, and play soccer about 3x a week at 43
I’m 45, 6’1, 195 and bench 285 max, workout with 250. (Well just got a shoulder injury, so in a recovery phase now.)
Now that I’m old I go to the gym 1 day on 2 days off for recovery. Food I am definitely not a macro counter, but eat rationally. Fast food maybe once a week, regular cooked meals, vegetables, etc. I also 12 hour fast, but don’t know if that really does anything.
At the gym it’s about 1 to 1.5 hours, but no playing around, have my workout plan stick to my plan, I’m not sitting around on my phone, things like that. Days off of the gym, I might take a walk for an hour, I got back into rock climbing, just keeping active.
VO2 Max has the greatest predictive power in terms of longevity and health. I focus on this, but it requires a lot of other pieces.
I do at least 600 intensity minutes per week as per my Garmin watch. Three hours of lifting weights. At least one run per week. Walks, hikes, bike rides, etc. Spend a lot of time in Zone 2. Daily whey protein shakes with creatine.
Counted calories and macros for a couple years until I had a handle on what to eat. I’m 51, so I’m a little heavier on the protein.
Peter Attila’s Outlive gives everything you need to know.
I started going to work 30 minutes early so I could take a longer lunch break and go to the gym. Works wonders and having a long lunch workout makes the day go quickly. Then I just drink a protein shake while I catch up on emails when I get back.
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I’m 43. I’m in relatively good shape for my age. I have a job where I can hit the gym at lunch so that helps. I do an upper/lower body split 4 days a week. I train Brazilian Ju Jitsu on Friday-Sunday. It helps when your kids get a little older. My daughter is 18 and my son is 10. As my son gets more self sufficient I find that I have more time. If you have 3 young kids it can be hard to make exercise a priority.
Most of it is I eat lots of meat, I never eat fast food, I do BJJ twice a week, and I commute by bike (5-10 hours a week).
One big thing I did is I got gear to be able to carry my kids on the bike. I have a carrier, a shotgun seat, and a rear seat. Right now I can carry my 4 year old in front of me while my 1 year old sits behind me. It keeps me in shape, the kids love it, and it gets me places. And most of all, it’s not extra time I need to find in my schedule to exercise.
Not really, just make time for the gym and running and typically works out
I lost weight as a dad!
Proof ⬇️
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I use a Google Pixel Watch which is also a Fitbit so I make sure I sleep the best I can (sleep tracking), I aim for 10K steps a day (step counter) and I also try to stay at like 2200 calories a day or less. I’m a 6’3″ mesomorph so I need to eat or I crash but I like to have three meals and two protein shakes a day in-between.
What works best for me is waking up early at like 5 am to get the workouts out of the way. I also have an elliptical and it’s great. Pick a show you like and only watch it on the elliptical. Helps with consistency and making it fun.
Meal prepping. Sleeping. Lots of water. Tracking calories. Eating good food vs processed crap. Consistency. It works!
Not counting cardio or a warm up, I lift no longer than 25 minutes. I know my lifts before I get there and I do a lot of circuit training which helps with time. My longer workouts are on the weekends, but even then I’m only at the gym for 30-40 minutes. I go real hard without resting and then leave. That’s my key to success
38, father of 2, ones an infant.
I don’t count anything. Go by feel. I try to eat little or no processed foods. I like to feel satisfied and slight hunger. Mainly eat meat, certain veg/fruit, almonds/pistachios, yogurt, milk, cold oats.
I lift 4 times per week. I usually go
Depending on feel, I put days off within or based off of my SO needing me to help w kids or some commitment.
I’ve done this routine for about 3 months and am thinking of modifying and joining certain body parts together and streamlining. I do this often to try and give my body different challenges.
I’m recomping and cutting. My target date to switch to maintenance is June/July.
My main focus is filling out jeans and turtleneck. Why, imo they are both a good indicator if your bottom and top half are correct. Going for lean cut over meatball.
Yeah it’s a combination of health, vanity and not wanting to look like a flat slob. Been in shape, and been a fat slob. Life is a lot easier in shape.
I like to work out anywhere between 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm because my gym is slow during that time. I have free range mainly as it’s me and like 7 other regulars at that time.
Can you bring a set of adjustable dumb bells to work? Knock out a set between tasks?
My neighbor in my apartment complex has a ~newborn (3-6mo, unsure). He brings his kid to the apartment gym with him at off hours and we get a lift in while his kid is in his stroller. Sometimes the baby needs some extra attention, sometimes we spot the baby instead of each other.
He makes it work and the gym is empty in off hours!
44m I don’t work out much anymore but I lifted a LOT for a long time. These days, I just have to watch what I eat and I look pretty good.
Basically, I eat a lot of lean protein every meal, shoot for a minimum of 30g, double that is best. A small portion of complex carbs and avoid fat. Really easy, filling and keeps me lean. I don’t drink unless I’m at a social function.
That’s it, easy peasy.
Overall in life, prioritize your priorities.
Most people don’t actually need that much time the gym. 4x :60 will do it. Two weekdays, two weekend days.
I used to get a lot of, um, mileage out of putting kids in a running stroller.
Foodwise, no matter what else, I have to track what I’m eating if I want to lose weight. I also have phases of my life where I just eat for nutrition. No sugar, no snacks.
I’m lucky, I have a gym in work.
6am wake up and head to work 5k run before breakfast.
Calories counting 450 calories for breakfast
Coffee all morning, especially when I’m hungry
650 calorie lunch
150 calorie afternoon snack
3pm lift heavy weights for an hour
Finish work at 7pm
Eat 5-700 calorie meal.
Good quality sleep with magnesium oil
Creatine, fish oil, zinc and magnesium supplements.
Prioritise protein as it is satiating and muscle preserving.
Repeat until jacked.
38m 2 kids. I work overnights so I begin workouts at 930pm before work starts at 11. Not jacked but have managed to stay in shape eating clean and no alcohol Sunday thru Thursday. On Friday/Saturday I’m not too strict. I’ll have pizza w/the fam and drink beers if that’s what I wanna do. Only workout 2 days for about 45mins/1 hour. I’ll never get in peak shape like this but it keeps me strong enough and the fat away.
3 times a week 45 to 1 15 minutes heavy fast workout. Diet is 80% of filling stomach not many crap.
Go to bed earlier.
50$ on Amazon for a set of resistance bands. Incorporate body squats and leg lifts into a circuit with the bands. Get a hook system for the wall. You now have a 300lb cable pull system that takes up a 4” wide spot on your wall. I get my heart rate up with the body squats then immediately hit my routine. Non stop for 40 mins. I wake up at 4am for work so early workout isn’t an option. I have 2 children and a wife so when I get home at 2pm I clean up the Guinea pigs and hit my routine. 3 days a week with 150g of protein a day. Do a Chinese liver detox while you’re getting back into things.
I’ve dropped a lot of weight and feel like an animal now. 32 male.
Counting calories to make sure I don’t over eat…Whole Foods, high protein. CrossFit 5 days a week and I got super lean and jacked at 41…I’m 48 now and that is still the best shape i ever have been. Had 2 kids at that time. Now still in decent shape but with 4 kids I’ve gotten a little soft. These days require getting up at 4am or getting it on while kids are at school or napping
Honestly, I am not what I was with 3 kids at young ages.. I decide to spend more time with them so instead of 5+ days a week, its like 2-3.
I am at the point in life where I want my heart and cardio system healthy so I have focused more on that the last 5-10 years, but do lift 2-3 days a week..
Honestly, I use the weekends for working out in the mid mornings.. That is two sessions and if you can make it to one or two M-F that is winning.
I just choose to job/run around the hood half the time and do pushups and some core stuff.. Goal is throwing weights around 3 days a week. At least the kids can job/ride bikes with me lol
I quit going to the gym for most of my 30s because, life. I got so out of shape that I started having heart problems. Around 40, my Dr told me to expect my 1st heart attack by 45.
Fitness became a little more important.
I’ve taken breaks a few times since then, and I notice everything starts to go downhill fairly quick. Stuff starts hurting. My energy levels drop. And i start to feel old. I hate it.
I play Minecraft with the kids while I walk on the treadmill. Or watch shows with them as I walk.
45M, 2 kids. Lift anywhere from 3 to 5 times a week (depending what time of year it is). Usually a full body split. I run the other days. Always wake up at 5am to lift or run before work and before the rest of my family is awake. Go to bed between 10 and 11 pm. So usually 6-7 hrs of sleep.
Eating depends on if I’m trying to cut or bulk. When I first started trying to get back in shape, I lost 40 lbs by counting calories and logging cals and bodyweight in a spreadsheet and taking weekly averages. I focus on getting enough protein first then calories. Fats and carbs I don’t worry about too much because they just kind of fall into place.
It seems like the only answer is you have to be ok with sacrificing sleep.
Which is a rough trade off. One of the most important things in life
I train pretty regularly and try to eat clean, but I don’t do portion control. The end result is I’m starting to look like an NFL player. I really need to tone down my portions, but even now I still feel hungry all the time.
Time wise, I’m in as soon as the gym opens at 5AM because wtf else am I going to do when I’m up that early. I’m awake, I won’t skip and there’s nothing else to get in the way. I do a light cardio session before lifting. I’ll get the girls ready for school after I’m home and showered. I try to get in some decent cardio later in the day, run/stationary bike/ruck. Just hitting the gym hard for 1-1.5 hours then being sedentary will not do it.
Sleep and recovery is huge. For me, 7.5-8.5 hours depending on how active I am. This means I’m in bed once the kids are down.
Eating. Nothing crazy. I try to stay away from processed foods, very rarely drink alcohol, and try to get somewhere between .9-1.4 g of protein per lbs of my bodyweight. I do meal prep for the week, but it’s just the lean protein and a bag of steam fresh vegetables each day. Couple of high protein snacks and a sweet potato throughout the workday. Keep it simple and easy.
Father of 2 here and someone who went from being wildly out of shape to someone who considers themselves in really good shape (I’m 6’1” and 190 with a pretty low bf%).
I’ll give you my daily routine (no Saratoga water in this one fellas…sorry).
0430 : Alarm goes off and I head to my kitchen to slap some pre workout and my creatine. My gym is in my home, so I’m fairly lucky on this end.
0445 – 0620 : Lift/Cardio. I follow PLP which takes roughly an hour to an hour and a half followed by 20-25 minutes on the assault bike every morning while I watch the news.
Meal 1 : Half a cup of protein oats, mixed with a scoop of whatever protein powder I’m feeling.
0745 – 1200 : Working (office job)
Meal 2 : 5oz of brown rice with 7oz of lean protein (either fish or chicken) I will usually do a mile loop around our complex after I eat.
1230 – 1700 : Working
Meal 3 : Whatever the fam is having (typically smaller portions but everything is weighed)
Depending on meal 3 I may have another meal later around 730pm. Usually. some veggies, fruit, lean protein.
I always have two PBJ rice cakes before I go to bed and sometimes if I’m feeling like a real scumbag I’ll eat half a jar of JIF Peanut Butter with a spoon. Lol.
I’m a creature of habit and have done this same routine for roughly 3 years now. Easily the fittest I’ve ever been. It is doable my man! Kids and all.
Well, there are certainly many levels of being in shape, and I’m somewhere in the middle. But I take about 45 minutes to stretch and lift every morning at about 630. I’m not in the shape I was in my early 30s, but I’m better at 47 than I was in my 20s.
It’s mostly diet where the results will come from.
Which is what I can’t commit to 100% haha.
I have 2 under 3 years old. I literally just try to sneak in squats, curls, pushups and stretch whenever the kids allow me to do so. Kettlebells too. When the kids are napping or asleep.. so early AM or late night after 10pm. It’s always sacrificing sleep to get it done
I’m not in crazy good shape by any means but my strength, stamina, and body has stayed the same all throughout being a dad… on less hours of sleep, time to play hockey, run, etc.