needing some help y’all, i’m at my wits end!!

[seekingadvice24]

ok, so I have always had an issue with my weight, and have attempted to go to the gym before. I once lost 45 pounds, but have since gained 30-ish back.

i’m a therapist, so I sit all day. I also live an hour away from work. so i’m gone about 50 hours a week. my wife and I also have 2 kids (a 3 year old, and a 2 month old), so we go in parent mode until 9-10 some nights.

My only real time is between 5 and 6 in the morning, maybe starting around 5:30-ish to be more honest. going to a gym is really not an option with my schedule.

my question is, what should I do exactly to really get results?? i’ve got a .5-1 hour window in the mornings. i’ve tried to just do 3-5 exercises at my own pace, but feel like it could be better utilized.

thank y’all.

 

[doni3339]

@seekingadvice24 30 minutes of kettlebelling 3-5 times per week will make you quite strong. You'll be able to do all kinds of activities and feel good doing them.

Strength training won't directly relate to weight loss very well though. That's driven by diet instead.

If you get into a routine of doing 5-10 minutes of warm-up and then 20 minutes of the big six kettlebell movements (swing, clean, press, squat, snatch, getup) you'll see big improvements in physique and quality of life / work capacity.

Ideally choose a program from the wiki and stick to it. The key is to gradually increase difficulty so you progress.

 

[seekingadvice24]

@doni3339 thank you, i’ll check it out!

 

[user2016]

@seekingadvice24 Geoff neupert has a lot of programs that are 20min long.

 

[seekingadvice24]

@user2016 thank you I’ll check it out

 

[ruatruechristian]

@seekingadvice24 We're in similar spots. It a therapist with a one year old and four year old. I work from home most of the time, so that super helps. I have pretty unsuccessfully stuck to a program, though I have gotten very good at restarting after missing days for whatever reason. I am trying to incorporate an ABC design with hardstyle kettlebell, heavy club, and rucking.

From an exercise perspective I keep it simple. 5-10 minute mobility warm up, 15-30 minute workout, and 5-10 minute stretching cool down. My workouts are really basic:

Kettlebell: A volume or density cycle of one of the six basic kettlebell movements (ala Mark Wildman nerd math). The humane burpee (Dan John), and/or Armor Building Complex (Dan John).

Club:. Mark Wildmans Mill/Squat program. Two and one handed.

Ruck: My own design. 30 pound plate walking at an incline for some amount of time. I also build in loaded carries and carry a 20 pound plate while also carrying my backpack with the other weight.

One thing about weight loss is for me it's all diet. I can't exercise myself into loosing weight. I need to loose weight in the kitchen.

I'd say keep some equipment in your office and when you don't have a client lock the door and workout.

 

[jamescen]

@seekingadvice24 Similar to pavels grease the groove for my less active days I have adapted every time that I need to get up and go for a pee break during the day I will do 20-30 swings. Reps soon stack up it is low fatigue and can be done with lots of other exercises too.

 

[tim316]

@seekingadvice24 If you can’t do 30 minutes in the morning.
Can you do short sessions spread through out the day?
for example: 3 10 minute EMOM sessions throughout the days e.g. 10x10 swings before work, 10 minutes of clean and press during lunch (bring your kb in the car, carry to your office (extra work, suitcase carry), and at night maybe do squats or leave it out if too busy.

Alternatively, just bang out some complexes whenever you have 10 minutes. Great way to work multiple muscle groups hard in a short amount of time.

you don’t need long to get the heart pumping and the muscles working. For complex ideas, pretty sure Pat Flynn has a free downloadable book on his site ‘chroniclesofstrength.com’

As for weightloss, do you eat breakfast? If so, consider cutting it out- added benefit of more time to train and automatically reduces calories intake. If you buy lunch at work, make it the night before. Doesn’t need to be fancy, but it’ll probs be healthier, cheaper and less calorie dense.

 

[seekingadvice24]

@tim316 Maybe I could? as long as I don’t get too sweaty between sessions. don’t think anyone wants their therapist perspiring when the get them from the waiting room.

awesome!! I’ll Check out Pat Flynn!

and i’ve swapped traditional breakfast for unsweetened almond milk, chia, flax, frozen banana, and protein powder. otherwise I know I will binge at lunch or at night

 

[tim316]

@seekingadvice24 Lunch time session doesn’t need to be mental, could just go for a short walk? Every little helps

 

[seekingadvice24]

@tim316 yes! I was walking a mile during my lunch break, but i’m in Oklahoma, so the heat index is about 101 some days.

 

[tim316]

@seekingadvice24 Ah okay, I’m from the UK, we don’t have that issue here

 

[tim316]

@seekingadvice24 Geoff Neupert has a Father’s Day sale on. Short 15 minute workouts designed for busy dads, might be up your alley. His site is chasing strength I believe

 

[seekingadvice24]

@tim316 oh perfect! I’ll check that out right now. thank you

 

[auskid]

@seekingadvice24 If weight loss is your main goal, then a diet with a calorie deficit and a workout focused on intensity should help. Considering your schedule, try intermittent fasting. It can be as simple as skipping breakfast at first and then working your way up to a 16/8 schedule. Download a workout timer and focus on EMOMs or Tabatas with kettlebells. You can get a lot done in just 30 to 40 minutes daily. Hope this helps.

 

[jonyjam_123]

@seekingadvice24 30 min to a hour is def enough time to get some work done and have great progress. Maybe ask the wife if you could have a hour later in the day or before dinner to crank out a workout? Y’all could switch days as well so you both can workout. Just what I think would be best if possible

 

[learnandbloom]

@seekingadvice24 I train for 20-40 minutes most mornings. I’m also able to bike to work, so I can squeeze in an hour of light cardio most days.

You can get a lot done in 20 minutes or you could get almost nothing done. Everyone’s advice to pick a program you like and stick to it is sound. If you ever did team sports in school remember those conditioning sessions where your coach and teammates are cheering you on to keep pumping out push-ups even those your arms are made of jello and push yourself.

And yeah, it sucks but the diet is key.

 

[jim_68]

@seekingadvice24 If you have no time or mindspace I'd suggest emom swings with a heavy for you kb. For 20-25mins. Start at 10swings per minute for 10 minutes. Graduate to 20 swings per minute emom for 20mins by adding reps and minutes. You'll burn about 300-500 cals with near full body effort. Once you hit 20x20 increase the weight.

You can do this every day since it is not high impact..

Once you do this for a month or two, you might find mental space to do different things. DFW remix is a small step up. Lots of Geoff neupert programs are 20-30 mins 3 days a week. The other two days you can do swings or start cardio.

I have limited time as well, didn't want to learn too many different exercises and found just doing swings to be a big step up in calorie burn.

Of course you have to be at a calorie deficit to lose weight. But you will definitely feel stronger.

 

[seekingadvice24]

@jim_68 solid advice!! I’ll try it out

 

[davis_steff]

@seekingadvice24 Lotta high rep compound moves in the form of a complex…

Ie.

6 goblet squats

6clean and presses

6 rows

10 push ups

25 swings

Repeat 5-10 times.