What am I in for:
- 5 – 10 minute read on how to destroy the “dadbod“
- Programming examples and tips
- Solutions and ideas to solve your training schedule problem
Having a family is no excuse to put off or avoid getting in shape.
Show me a 40+ year old dude with a dad-bod and excuses, and I’ll show you one that’s busier than he is, and getting shit done!
Sure, if you’re 40 with kids, you’re not going to be able to train with the same schedule or intensity as you did when you were 20 and single, but with the right approach you can still make shit happen!
News flash! It’s going to be tougher fitting it in, and at times, you may even miss a workout! But hey, that’s life now! Time to move on with it.
Having ‘No Time’ is the number 1 excuse that we hear when it comes to skipping your training. If you’re sick of hearing your own shit, and want to make a change, here’s 15 tips on how you can Destroy Your Dad-Bod and train hard on a tight schedule.
1.Give up the bro split
If you’re like most busier individuals, 3-4 sessions per week is likely your training cap. Rather than training 1-2 muscle group per session, use smarter training splits.
For the 3 per week guy, full body might be your best choice. This way you’ll hit most muscles 2-3 x per week, which we know is ideal for muscle growth. Less than that and you’re likely wasting time we know you don’t have.
2. Train in higher rep ranges
You don’t want to limit yourself to higher rep ranges forever, but if you’re going through a busier time period with work or family, bumping up into the higher rep brackets (like 10-15 reps or more) is a great way to speed up your workouts. Higher rep sets generally require less rest than their lower rep counterparts.
3. Have priority lifts
In your profession, you probably have priority tasks or jobs you aim to knock out first thing daily. Knowing that if you only tackle those tasks, but they are done well, you’ll still have a good day.
Your workouts are no different.
When you head into the gym on a time-budget, know your priorities. Go in hard, put your energy into those, and if you have time remaining, work in your filler stuff.
4. Use alternate muscle group supersets
You’ve likely used supersets before, but have you tried alternate muscle group supersets? This is where you pair two muscle groups that oppose each other and train them in a superset.
For example:
A1. Flat DB Press
A2. Seated Row
Rest 60sec and repeat
As you train the first movement, the second movement gets a rest (and vice versa). After a short break, you’ll be ready to kick off again. This is a great way to stick in more training volume (work), while minimising rest in your session.
5. Time your rest intervals
Easy one! Don’t waste time guessing. Time your rest intervals and stay focused on the task.
6. Speed up your warm ups
No doubt like most 30+ year old guys, injuries, aches and pains leave you needing a decent warm up if you really want to get moving. If you don’t have 20mins to dedicate, stick your mobility work in between your warm up sets. Warm ups are too important to miss, so this is a great happy medium for most.
7. Eat your dinner, then you can have dessert!
We get it, training arms is fun! Unfortunately, if you’re on a time-budget you’re going to have to leave the smaller stuff to the end of your workout, and put your bigger lifts upfront. Make sure that around 80% of your training is spent using lifts that target multiple muscle groups and joints. For example, you’re going to get more work in doing chin ups over bicep curls
8. Have a good playlist
Studies have shown that good music can increase your training efforts. Sort yourself out with a decent playlist of music that gets you pumped, then go in there and tear it up!
9. Don’t procrastinate
Procrastinating about “should I go to the gym today, or should I just wait a little longer and get (Insert Task Here) done?”, is wasting time! Even writing about it NOW is wasting MY time! Pull up your big boy pants, grab your gym bag and do what you told yourself you were going to do.
10. Use a program
You need to know what the plan is prior to rocking up. Walking around and guessing your way through is not only a waste of time, its unproductive training. Have a plan and execute it.
11. Do a class
If you don’t like the idea of hitting the gym floor, or perhaps you just want to do something different try jumping in on a class. Most gyms now offer group training options that aren’t step aerobics and body pump, so you’ll likely have a meat-head friendly option.
12. Turn your phone on flight mode
Taking phone calls, replying to texts or taking selfies is time-wasting when it comes to your workouts. Stay focused on the task by turning your phone on flight mode while you train. Trust me, those texts will be there when you’re done, and if it’s important they’ll leave you a voice mail.
13. Use interval training
Maintaining your cardiovascular fitness is an essential part of a complete program. Although longer, slower cardio sessions are great, they are time costly. If you’re looking to stay fit and healthy (and you should be), bang out some short burst intervals to get it done. Studies have shown that as little as 1 MINUTE of cardiovascular work (example short burst protocol below) has been shown to have similar benefits to a 30min steady state workout! No shit!
14. Use a ‘busy gym’ circuits
Think of a ‘busy gym’ circuit as a plan you can execute on the spot, with limited equipment. Jump in the rack with a barbell, grab a bench and some dumbbells and go to town. Here’s an example of a great ‘busy gym’ circuit that uses minimal equipment.
15. Have a coach
Probably the ultimate combo of all the points above. Having a coach take you through and create your workouts removes the guess work from training. A good coach will keep you to task, create workouts that work for you and your schedule, and will maximize your time in the gym.
Where to now? Pick 1 or 2 of these and get started. Work your way through the list ticking off the points that speak to you the most and watch your health, physique and fitness change. Dad-bods aren’t cool guys!
If you want to make a change, or would like to know how we might be able to help you, contact us, and we’ll be in touch.