Question for blue collar guys working 12 hour shifts

[WesternThighs]

it’s not the fatigue that bothers me, it’s the gym crowd. Have to lift after work during prime time. By then im filthy, exhausted, and stressed to all hell. Not a people person to begin with, but man for the first part of my workout I am on fucking edge. But, once I get going they fade out into the background and I always leave feeling great. The amount of problems just lifting fucking weights has solved for me is endless.

That’s why I’m glad I have my own home gym set up. Spend $2 grand during the pandemic when gym shut down and haven’t regretted it since. I still have a second power rack that I haven’t unboxed lol it’s just there as back up in case my current set up breaks down

 

[southernmucle214]

That’s why I’m glad I have my own home gym set up. Spend $2 grand during the pandemic when gym shut down and haven’t regretted it since. I still have a second power rack that I haven’t unboxed lol it’s just there as back up in case my current set up breaks down

That should make it easy to train before work

 

[WesternThighs]

That should make it easy to train before work

Yeah, that seems like the best option. I’m thinking I’ll just wake up early, sacrifice some sleep for two of the work days of my long weeks. Those workouts will be reserved for the push days of my ppl split. I worked legs once before a shift and fucking regretted it lol

 

[Fa Seeshus]

it’s not the fatigue that bothers me, it’s the gym crowd. Have to lift after work during prime time. By then im filthy, exhausted, and stressed to all hell. Not a people person to begin with, but man for the first part of my workout I am on fucking edge. But, once I get going they fade out into the background and I always leave feeling great. The amount of problems just lifting fucking weights has solved for me is endless.

The solution to rush hour gym is to really really smell. One time in paramedic school we were doing intubation and ventilation on decomposing cadavers I'll day. Well I said fuck it and went straight to the gym. Lemme tell you, it was like a force field that cleared All equipment in nose shot.

 

[juggy38]

Idk if you qualify nursing as blue collar but I have 3 12's in the ICU with an 1.15hr drive each way and teach undergrad a day. But that's an 8.

I do most of my training on days off from the hospital. Teaching isn't nearly as tiring but keeps me busy. Sometimes it's tough because I'm training literally every day off from work with literally no totally "off" days. I train 4 days a week now. I can't do heavy leg or back training after work. Not physically tired but mentally overstimulated and struggle to fire up the intensity. Chest, delts or direct arm work I can make happen I was doing a 5 day a week Mountain Dog program.

Some days I was sleeping 4hrs a night between work, training and waking up for cardio. Not the best long term but I made it work for the dieting phase I was in. Gotta do what you gotta do sometimes.

I don’t know how I didn’t kill a patient when I would do legs before a shift. Grueling legs, clock in at 6:27, chug whey and grits. God damn med pass and doctor rounds, code blues, code browns, oh nice it’s 2pm and I’ve ate 500 calories and have 8,000 steps.

Well I do know. Fucking adderal saved many many old ladies with broken hips and pneumonia lol

 

[juggy38]

Yeah, that seems like the best option. I’m thinking I’ll just wake up early, sacrifice some sleep for two of the work days of my long weeks. Those workouts will be reserved for the push days of my ppl split. I worked legs once before a shift and fucking regretted it lol

Contrary to popular belief, you can make snail like gains with pretty poor sleep. It’s just the over reaching effect of poor sleep that makes it so fucking hard. But nightshift and having an impressive body by a standard like a board like this isn’t usually gonna happen without god-mode genetics.

You’re more hungry.
You crave sugar
Your workouts are perceived harder
Your mind will want to quit quicker
Your less insulin sensitive
Your cortisol will be higher
If your natural (haha) hormones will be fucked.

You have to stretch your caloric intake (say 3000 calories) across 20-24 hours sometimes longer on your “flip” days where most guys only eat in a 12-13h window.

Nightshift is fucking terrible. Bless you sir.

 

[Josefein421]

I don’t know how I didn’t kill a patient when I would do legs before a shift. Grueling legs, clock in at 6:27, chug whey and grits. God damn med pass and doctor rounds, code blues, code browns, oh nice it’s 2pm and I’ve ate 500 calories and have 8,000 steps.

Well I do know. Fucking adderal saved many many old ladies with broken hips and pneumonia lol

Ooff. Yeah I could never train before work. Especially not legs lol. Id have felt the same way!

I was prescribed Adderal when I first started grad school and like the second time I took it in the morning before work there was a wrap response into code first thing. MICU fellow took a little while to get there so I ran the first part of it and I swear I could see the electrical conduction of the heart with my eyes lol. It was a crazy feeling but outside of that situation I didn't like how it made me feel and stopped. But I always laugh thinking of it

 

[SAVAGEPMHNP]

I'm also an RN (12 hr shifts), but I am working PRN right now whilst finishing up PMHNP school next semester which really is a full-time job by itself (clinical rotations, weekly assignments, papers, etc.)!! I can tell you that I always try and work out in the morning before work/school when I am most motivated! Evenings can be super busy with school, kids, etc. and I think I could easily just put off the gym if I were tired enough!

 

[KayAitch]

I hit the gym at 4am 4x a week on a weekday. 2 on 1 off then 2 on 2 off. I work 12 hour shifts 3on/4off/4on/3off. I hate weekends and going after 12, just because of the people.

I think if you have shift work like us it’s better to reevaluate your split and find something you can hit hard and early imo. Or reserve the hard lifting days for days you know your sleep will be better.


My routine has been working for me but I’m lucky to live 10 mins from my gym.

 

[juggy38]

I'm also an RN (12 hr shifts), but I am working PRN right now whilst finishing up PMHNP school next semester which really is a full-time job by itself (clinical rotations, weekly assignments, papers, etc.)!! I can tell you that I always try and work out in the morning before work/school when I am most motivated! Evenings can be super busy with school, kids, etc. and I think I could easily just put off the gym if I were tired enough!

Bro advanced pharm final last week had me pulling my hair out. I squeezed out an A. But god damn. Pick the most obscure drug and ask a vague question x100 lol

 

[Josefein421]

Bro advanced pharm final last week had me pulling my hair out. I squeezed out an A. But god damn. Pick the most obscure drug and ask a vague question x100 lol

Nursing education sucks lol. I did all but the last 2 rotations of my FNP and it was so weak and full of fluff. I learned 10x more studying on my own for CCRN and CEN. I had a dialysis nurse saying she wanted to work in a trauma center ED asking what antibiotic Clonazapam was. And my Peds preceptor was an NP for 20+ years and told me Augmentin was great because it was "2 antibiotics in one". And don't get me started on the stupidity of the DNP.

So I switched to education to reform the system LOL. 1 quarter left. Done in May and it might not have the cool factor or money as CRNA/NP but man is it chill and I actually feel like I can make a difference.

 

[juggy38]

Nursing education sucks lol. I did all but the last 2 rotations of my FNP and it was so weak and full of fluff. I learned 10x more studying on my own for CCRN and CEN. I had a dialysis nurse saying she wanted to work in a trauma center ED asking what antibiotic Clonazapam was. And my Peds preceptor was an NP for 20+ years and told me Augmentin was great because it was "2 antibiotics in one". And don't get me started on the stupidity of the DNP.

So I switched to education to reform the system LOL. 1 quarter left. Done in May and it might not have the cool factor or money as CRNA/NP but man is it chill and I actually feel like I can make a difference.

Oh I agree 100% the amount of useless APa papers I have written is absurd. I moonlight down in Mexico at an addiction facility that actually has good recovery rates. We get people off drugs, methadone and suboxone being some of the hardest…..and I come back here and hand that shit out like candy.

The irony….lol

 

[Josefein421]

Oh I agree 100% the amount of useless APa papers I have written is absurd. I moonlight down in Mexico at an addiction facility that actually has good recovery rates. We get people off drugs, methadone and suboxone being some of the hardest…..and I come back here and hand that shit out like candy.

The irony….lol

That's actually really cool

 

[SAVAGEPMHNP]

Bro advanced pharm final last week had me pulling my hair out. I squeezed out an A. But god damn. Pick the most obscure drug and ask a vague question x100 lol

Bro I feel you! LOL First exam of the semester next week on mood disorders (diagnosis, medication management)! I'll be done in August thankfully! You have me thinking about doing a DNP now though! LOL I already started looking in to it with my school! I think I might do something on PTSD if I do end up pursuing it!

 

[SAVAGEPMHNP]

Nursing education sucks lol. I did all but the last 2 rotations of my FNP and it was so weak and full of fluff. I learned 10x more studying on my own for CCRN and CEN. I had a dialysis nurse saying she wanted to work in a trauma center ED asking what antibiotic Clonazapam was. And my Peds preceptor was an NP for 20+ years and told me Augmentin was great because it was "2 antibiotics in one". And don't get me started on the stupidity of the DNP.

So I switched to education to reform the system LOL. 1 quarter left. Done in May and it might not have the cool factor or money as CRNA/NP but man is it chill and I actually feel like I can make a difference.

I totally agree with all the "Fluff" they put in there! I would imagine to just get more money out of us I am sure! I had a discussion with a couple NPs about how they really should base these programs more on the medical model and less emphasis on the Nursing theorist "holistic" BS! I think we would be taken more seriously as providers if they did that!

I never did my CCRN but I did MSICU/CVICU/Open heart recovery for a few years because I wanted to go the CRNA route but ended up realizing it wasn't for me.

I know a few who went the education route and they really seem to like it so far! Good luck to you!

 

[marssel]

I have the luxury of having a gym at my job for our 24 hour shifts, but most of the big dudes I knew growing up in hardcore gyms were blue collar dudes working construction and similar jobs. There was a dude, “Concrete Mike” who obviously layed concrete for 12 hours a day and then crushed it in the gym. He was the biggest and strongest dude I knew who never competed. Trained like a maniac. Another huge 270lb BBer I knew was a roofer.

Don’t use it as an excuse, figure out whether you’re better off training in the AM or PM and attack your workouts

On a side note, I felt my absolute worst while training when I worked a desk job, sitting at a computer 12 hours a day. Tight hips, back problems, and a different type of fatigue, not to mention corporate bullshit stress. I feel much better as a blue collar worker

A lot of fire fighters cops etc do 12 and lift. It seems excessive but the body adapts. If you do labor 12 hours 5 days a week and have a bodybuilding lifestyle or not that becomes your body’s norm same as if you sit a desk. It’s not easy by any means but look at how many jacked dudes are trainers, my gym I train clients at is almost all plate loaded so on an average day I’m moving thousands of pounds and still doing my at cardio and on lift. I bet that PT is the #q1 job among serious competitors

 

[Icepickslick]

I have worked demanding shift work for the better part of the last 18 yrs. I have been on a PPL split for awhile now. During my work week I work out before shift, but when I am especially exhausted and/or sleep deprived, I will dial back the intensity and volume for the day. Then the next workout of the week for that body part (hit every major group2x a week) I will ramp intensity way up and add volume.

My absolute minimum working sets for a week is 10. So if I only get 3 sets on the workday because I’ve had say only 8 hrs of sleep in the last 3 days, then Im doing 7+ on the day off once I recover from the week.

Sometimes its unavoidable or would be stupid not to take an extra day off. These times I will generally find a day on my weekend to do a double, (early morning workout & PM workout).

It helps that my gym is in my basement.

 

[Astro95]

I work in oil & gas. 15 hour shifts accounting for travel. 3hrs of driving, 12 hours on location. If I’m working dayshift it’ll be from 3:30AM - 6:30PM. I don’t like to work out during rush hours after everyone is off from work, so I'll train before work from 1:00AM - 3:00AM. Quick shower and off to work.

If working nights shift is from 3:30PM - 6:30AM usually I’ll wake up at 11ish AM and be in the gym by noon at the latest till 2:00PM. 3 day bro split with no set days off. When I burn out and need sleep, that’ll be my day off.

 

[astrosfan123]

theres 0 chance i would workout 6 days a week if i did night shift, i do 12 hour days at hospital all in a row. I tell myself just to lift one of those 3 and that leave 4 other days to go. Nights suck bad enough for your body and then couple that with each bodypart twice a week. I couldn't. Im making some of the best progress of my life going 4 days a week right now. I personally have never done only 4 because of the stubbornness but this is great. I dont miss 6 days at all.