Working out with babies requires sacrifice from the entire family

[dammy005]

@redeemedsinner How old are you guys?

 

[nrg23]

@redeemedsinner Yeah but you can have the conversation with your partner about going to the gym. And clearly if your baby is puking you manage that situation and then you go to the gym after or do a double workout the next day

You’re just making excuses for not working out the way you’d prefer. When dealing with a young child you gotta do what you can when you can

 

[redeemedsinner]

@nrg23 Double workout the next day means wife has to watch and take care of the baby double the time I'd be typically gone at the gym. I'm not making excuses, my point is that working out with a young baby ALSO requires sacrifice from your family to allow you to workout.

 

[nrg23]

@redeemedsinner Again making excuses, you are upset you can’t do your optimal workout. I lifted lots with a baby napping or just rolling around on the floor, were they my best workouts? No but I kept at it and did what I could when I could

 

[christianlife08]

@nrg23 Bruh.

 

[ray88c]

@redeemedsinner Totally.

Training for an ultra with two young kids nearly broke my marriage! I won't be doing another for quite a while, my wife made me promise.

 

[mattt]

@redeemedsinner I'm not sure what your fitness goals are, but I personally found great success with kettlebells. They won't get you the same hypertrophy and max strength results as a barbell, but you can get a terrific full body strength, endurance and conditioning workout in as little a 30 minutes with a minimal investment of time, space and money.

My daily routine is getting up at 6, making myself some coffee, then putting on a podcast while I do a 20-30 mins session of (mostly) kettlebell training. Swings, clean and presses, squats, jerks, snatches...

 

[sharkbait13]

@redeemedsinner Yeah, pretty much spot on. Some people have different economics circumstances and can "buy" some of their time back and as a result can get to the gym and then in turn flex on social media. Hate em.

It was effectively impossible for us with kids during the pandemic in NYC to exercise at all, for years. Glad we're able to do it now and support each other taking the time to get back in shape.

 

[icetiger100]

@redeemedsinner think about getting weights for your house.

switch to full body 3 days a week, 2 days on weeks with little sleep

 

[icetiger100]

@redeemedsinner when my daughter was born was when i switched to lifting at home permanently

 

[mistigale]

@redeemedsinner I still wake up in the middle of the night to help with kiddo and get up at 6am to run or hit the gym.

I just gave up on having a good night's sleep for the near future.

 

[veronica33]

@redeemedsinner I saved money and purchased home gym stuff. I started with adjustable dumbbells and an adjustable bench. Saved more, power rack and barbell, saved more, more plates, saved more, cable tower. I don’t need anything else now really. I didn’t really need much beyond the power rack. It’s not that pricey ether. Cheaper than a lot of gym memberships. My wife and I both work out, she works out at 7am. I watch our son and make breakfast. I workout during my lunch break as I work from home. For those that work in an office it’s harder but even when I worked in an office I worked out first thing AM near my work then went to work. Or workout during lunch. Everyone has a different schedule, life, circumstances, thoughts. Just don’t compare yourself to others and life gets a lot easier. Compare you vs you and what do you want and how are you going to get it.

 

[thankgodproductions]

@redeemedsinner Amen. That’s why if any fitness influencer or coach or whatever says “you just don’t make gym a priority,” they are absolute full of shit. I don’t even have kids and still have a hard time sometimes. Sounds like you are working through it though keep it up!

 

[bdennis]

@redeemedsinner Whatever you do, watch out how much and what you eat. Don’t pick up a lot of weight like I did. You won’t get back any time until they are 6-7 years old.

Also work with yourself on accepting 20 minutes as a workout. Or 10 minutes x 2 each day.

 

[called4christ]

@redeemedsinner What I will also add is that eventually one child becomes easy to manage, but when you have 2+ there will always be something that takes precedence until the youngest child is around 3.

Working out with a baby in a swing beside you? Thats great, but add a crazy toddler walking about too and those squats are quickly interrupted.

I think it’s also ok to just accept that workouts will change and not to expect the same discipline or level of commitment to it.

I’ve changed my whole outlook - I now only lift twice a week because I find it hard to fit it in, but I walk for miles with my toddler, cycle with him on the back, and swim at least 3 times a week after bedtime to make sure I’m maintaining overall flexibility. I also run about like a madman at soft play and the park, and fit in lunges and squats as part of it.

My exercise is now just more intertwined in my daily life, rather than being a set time of day where I’m alone.

I’m currently just out of the first trimester again so plan on continuing this routine until baby is born, but I’m not stupid - this will drastically change when baby is born and I’ll have weight to lose and less time to move, so my priority will be pram jogs and just overall movement with mild calorie restriction.

But I think it’s ok to just accept that in this season of life, exercise won’t be what it was before kids. It will go back to 7am pre-work gym trips, but it’s just not that right now. But it’s very worth the sacrifice!

 

[anagenisis]

@redeemedsinner You sound like a solid dude and good husband.

 

[alyakim]

@redeemedsinner I was a 630am workout guy too. Because a 5am workout guy after the little guy was born. We’re mostly asleep by 930 most nights anyway, and I have a home gym, so I make it work.

 

[katokacho]

@redeemedsinner Preach, friend. I've basically only been able to have serious gym time with (a) a YMCA that offers childcare and (b) getting fired and having plenty of time.

 

[markr_86]

@redeemedsinner A home gym is what saved me with my littles. Allowed me to workout either after I put them to bed or before they woke up.

 

[rexellaskat]

@redeemedsinner This would be a great cross post to r/daddit