Will a physical job help or hinder my weight training?

[nodiggitydave]

Because I'm not too sure, currently working as a Sales Assistant in a furniture shop, and this includes warehouse duties, carrying 3 piece couches, king size matresses, large flatpack furniture etc. This includes taking in large loads and carrying them out for delivery, it's tough work. I'm currently doin the 3x5, 3 times a week. I'm 19, 6ft, 215lb, 18% Bodyfat. Today we had a huge delivery and was absolutely exhausted going to the gym tonight, missed the deadlift by 1rep, and same with the bench press. I'm thinking of changing my routine around but i'm still going to be exhausted one training day.

 

[Faizakafez]

no not really it comes down to cals in vs cals out.. if your having trouble with energy try a nap before the gym. The best idea is figure out your cals needs factoring your job and adjust accordingly.

 

[ZGzaZ]

I would have to say it has a negative impact on your training, however, like the above post mentioned...there are ways to keep your numbers moving. Eating more than you normally would, and getting more rest are the two best ones.

 

[s8nlilhlpr]

I know it seems tough right now, but its not really THAT bad...compare it to some guys who work factory/roofing/construction. It'll take a few weeks for you to get used to it, consider using an energy supp on training days. You're body will thank you for the extra work though, you'll have good endurance, but gaining weight will be a little more difficult.

Bet you see some BF% come off!

 

[skullcrushin22]

Or you can get up early and lift before work.

 

[beerdrinker]

Nah, you're 19. You should be able to do that AND get hammered on the weekends.

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

Try working a hardass physical job outdoors during the summertime with the sun beating down on you all day. People that have never done it don't realize that even flaggers standing around all day in the sun get tired. The sun especailyl when you get heavy expsoure to it is another form of stress believe it or not.

My best advice is that you should focus on getting 8-9 hours sleep a night as priority #1 and upping your calorie intake abit.

 

[Sculelos]

Try working a hardass physical job outdoors during the summertime with the sun beating down on you all day. People that have never done it don't realize that even flaggers standing around all day in the sun get tired. The sun especailyl when you get heavy expsoure to it is another form of stress believe it or not.

My best advice is that you should focus on getting 8-9 hours sleep a night as priority #1 and upping your calorie intake abit.

Yep, I am in the sun 8 hours a day at work and my job is physically demanding, but I only walk/push stuff around so my calves/tricepts are very large compared to all my other muscles, I'm starting the rippletoe program and hopefully that will get my other muscles in line... I just can't believe how much I'm eating, 4-5K a day or even more.

 

[nodiggitydave]

But surely if the amount of activity i do in work changes drastically, my cals can never be constantly, or i'd accumulate lots of fat on some days i can imagine. Currently about to start an eca stack and have no idea for calories.

 

[solarclimax]

But surely if the amount of activity i do in work changes drastically, my cals can never be constantly, or i'd accumulate lots of fat on some days i can imagine.

1 way of looking at it would be to see how many cals u need to cover an average hard day at work plus lifting. And if you have a day when you are sat around not doing much because work is slow, then either lower the cals a bit for that day or do some extra work when u get home to help balance it out.

Personally i would choose to rest up whenever possible and lower carbs on slow days at work.

Carrying beds, couches and stuff may even be a good way of getting some alternative kind of GPP work.

 

[nodiggitydave]

I was thinking that too, because everywhere but my abs is packed with muscle, then I have what looks like a beer belly because I never really use my abs at work... more cardio when I start my eca stack me thinks!

 

[rsnoble-im-back]

Depends on you. For me, yes. I work construction, am older, and had to go on supplements like AMP02 to keep up.

 

[legendz]

I was thinking that too, because everywhere but my abs is packed with muscle, then I have what looks like a beer belly because I never really use my abs at work... more cardio when I start my eca - ephedrine - caffeine - aspirin stack me thinks!

Reducing your overall bf% will help you be rid of your "beer belly" problem. (And, doing ab-related excercises to better define that area, as you implied.)

 

[redtopp06]

i work with concrete. rough work. but still lift pretty damn good. just eat good and drink water.

 

[nodiggitydave]

off topic, but when you do cardio to drop bodyfat and try to retain muscle (also bear in mind i'll be on ECA) what should my target heartrate be?

 

[Protobuilder]

You don't see many lean sprinters. Or lean marathonists. Meaning, high intensity AND low intensity cardio works. Just burn calories. Period. Honestly? I'd say do whatever cardio you enjoy the most. Mix it up. A day of 45 minutes moderate walking on an incline tredmill (you should get just slightly winded). The next day (or however you set up your workout), do some sprinting or some kind of high intensity circuit training (kettlebells, sprinting, jumprope, burpees, etc.).

 

[poysyn]

You don't see many lean sprinters. Or lean marathonists. Meaning, high intensity AND low intensity cardio works. Just burn calories. Period. Honestly? I'd say do whatever cardio you enjoy the most. Mix it up. A day of 45 minutes moderate walking on an incline tredmill (you should get just slightly winded). The next day (or however you set up your workout), do some sprinting or some kind of high intensity circuit training (kettlebells, sprinting, jumprope, burpees, etc.).

Um..sprinters are some of the leanest, most ripped athletes around.. and marathonists are some of the skinniest people around. low intensity cardio is definitely great as long as its done in moderation, overdoing it will just result in a catabolic mess for most people.

As far as a physically tough job goes - just make sure you eat ENOUGH cals. I work at a pretty rough job for 12 hours, and I know it is burning a hell of a lot of cals throughout the day. Not only will it be burning those cals on the days you work, but keep in mind it will have your metabolism elevated as well. Unfortunately, its extremely hard to predict how many extra cals your burning, and it can be quite easy to plateau with a physical job as you will probably underestimate your caloric needs..just don't try and eat 2,000 calories and expect your body to be running its best..

 

[nodiggitydave]

thanks for a good answer poysyn, currently cutting at the moment so hopefully it will work in my favour.

 

[rsnoble-im-back]

Don't forget the opposite of this thread, meaning working out can adversely effect your performance at work. Not that I give a fuck, but some of you may. The day after a workout and getting up at 4am I usually feel like i've been rain over by a train.

 

[Sculelos]

Don't forget the opposite of this thread, meaning working out can adversely effect your performance at work. Not that I give a fuck, but some of you may. The day after a workout and getting up at 4am I usually feel like i've been rain over by a train.

Yeah, but if you stay with the same routine and get enough rest then your body should adapt and be able to handle it.