Graveyard shfits & Lifting

[mattypyuu]

how do you guys manage your lifting sessions while doing graveyard shifts (for the people who do them).

Occasionally i get put on the graveyard shifts (which is probably worser than being constantly on the grave shifts) and it just fucks up the whole week, like i feel tired/exhausted every day for awhile. I hate it.

Even when i have a good 7-8hr sleep, i feel really low on energy, like that sluggish feel? And was wondering ways to just get past that feeling so i can just get my sessions together.

Im doing Wed, Thur grave shifts this week, and f*ck not looking forward to my session, considering im running 2 smolov programs (jr. for bench & full 13 for squats lol).

My idea was to go gym after my graveshift (7am) and then sleep AFTER my session?

[Andre01]

I have a rotating roaster 4 afternoon shifts and 4 night shifts. When on night shifts I tend to go to the gym on the morning of the first night shift, then go home and relax and try and sleep. Then after the shift from then onwards I go straight after work. As I do Fictional Fitness classes (well next week I will, doing it already classes start next week) then I will go to the 9am class and go home and hop into bed around noon. Then sleep and get up at 9ish and repeat. :nod: this seams to be working at this point in time.

[Pseudonym]

I remember graveyard shifts, and I don't envy you guys at all! I'd always try to do my workout before I went to work. I found it helped me stay awake overnight, and if I left till after work I was always too tired to do a decent workout.

[Kalidane]

I used to finish work around 0830 except for a late finish Saturday and I always worked out after work; somewhere around 1pm.

I was training at home at the time so would fire up the music and start thinking about the workout ahead. Was usually pretty damned fired up to rip into it after a couple of songs.

This was perma-night shift though. The rotating shift thing makes it harder but hey - if it was a cake walk there wouldn't be any fatties to make us look good. Actually they'd still be at the 'cake' part so bad metaphor

[shane]

Train straight after work I did a few times after work at 8 in the morning was good home food and shower had good sleep

[Boom]

I do 12 hr shift 2 weeks days 2 nights. Still average only 42 hrs a week so not too bad. What's worked for me has always been to keep a couple of four hour spots in the day where I can amp up. So most days i workout between 1300 and1700, but when I'm on days, I get to the gym at 0630. This means that on my days off I might wake up at 0700 and go piss check emails for half an hour then to back to bed. And when I'm on nights, this is when I'm about to finish my shift, so my body gives me a ill burst of energy to get me home.

I also almost always eat within an 18 hr period, so for me I don't eat between 2300hrs and 0500 hrs. This really helps because it doesn't matter if I'm on nights, days or off, my body doesn't expect food. This doesn't mean that every day my meals span the whole 18 hours, it means that on my day off for example, I'll have breakfast at 1000hr, snack at 1200, coffee gym and protein at 1330ish, lunch at 1500, and dinner at 1700. And if I'm on nights/days I'll make it all a bit later/earlier.

If you do 8 hr shifts you can often get away with working out after a night shift, but for me, I see no point in going to work and burning my energy, getting all amped up for the gym then trying to o home, eat and force myself to sleep. I find I'm awake for the next 3 hrs. Workout beforehand and you'll be more alert during your shift.

[Kalidane]

I do 12 hr shift 2 weeks days 2 nights. Still average only 42 hrs a week so not too bad. What's worked for me has always been to keep a couple of four hour spots in the day where I can amp up. So most days i workout between 1300 and1700, but when I'm on days, I get to the gym at 0630. This means that on my days off I might wake up at 0700 and go piss check emails for half an hour then to back to bed. And when I'm on nights, this is when I'm about to finish my shift, so my body gives me a ill burst of energy to get me home.

I also almost always eat within an 18 hr period, so for me I don't eat between 2300hrs and 0500 hrs. This really helps because it doesn't matter if I'm on nights, days or off, my body doesn't expect food. This doesn't mean that every day my meals span the whole 18 hours, it means that on my day off for example, I'll have breakfast at 1000hr, snack at 1200, coffee gym and protein at 1330ish, lunch at 1500, and dinner at 1700. And if I'm on nights/days I'll make it all a bit later/earlier.

If you do 8 hr shifts you can often get away with working out after a night shift, but for me, I see no point in going to work and burning my energy, getting all amped up for the gym then trying to o home, eat and force myself to sleep. I find I'm awake for the next 3 hrs. Workout beforehand and you'll be more alert during your shift.

Gotta say that sounds solid. Routine is your best friend.

Defo wished I had got into the routine of waking up a few hours before work and using my energy for the important stuff.

I think the get rich quick scheme can be summarised as:

- Set priorities

- Create a routine in line with that

- Do it

- Repeat step 3

Much easier said than done but that's where motivation and preworkout supps come in to it \:D/

[Andre01]

I would workout before my shift, but as I don't drive I am at the Mersey of my husband taking me to work. I catch the bus after work and then hit the gym and for some reason by the time that I get home and sort out my crap I tend to fall asleep in the couch.

[Specter]

I think the get rich quick scheme can be summarised as:

- Set priorities

- Create a routine in line with that

- Do it

- Repeat step 3

You hit the nail on the head there!

Train yourself to a routine and train your mind to get use to it.

I aim to head down to my gym around 2am..maybe 3am if I get interrupted and train for a hour then get my arse back to work(Im the boss, so techinically I can go train at my own leisure), the strategy is placing your diet etc around the hours you work and that can help a whole lot!

[symphony]

Change jobs!