Combat less-than ideal bodybuilding lifestyle

[rotinaj]

Looking for advice from people who have had success bodybuilding in less-than ideal circumstances, ie. military/firefighters/doctors/business owners etc

I’ve hit a pretty intense wall of physical and psychological fatigue dieting down to 4-5%(at 7% presently) and I’m trying to combat this with supplementation and routine adjustments around my work assignment that I am unable to change for the next few months.

The primary issue:
My assignment has me hitting 10-15k steps daily with 10-12hrs of work daily. With my commute, hygiene, cooking etc, sleep is maxed usually around 5 maybe 6hr a night.

Gear wise, I’m currently running 400 test/400mast/200 tren.. muscle recovery is decent but cramps/fullness/pumps are a struggle due to the long hours and lack of sleep.

Workout wise,
I’m lifting 4-5 days a week low volume high intensity at night. Morning is unrealistic unless I lifted fasted at around 330-4am.


My goal is combat the general fatigue and stress on my body through this period.


Interventions I’m considering:

- HGH, 2-4iu in the AM to make up for the lost production from reduced sleep

- Switch my preworkout to a zero-stimulant one to avoid the REM impact from caffeine that close to sleep. Maybe a natural alternative like Kratom or something.

- Magnesium Glycinate 3x day for cramping/cognition,

- Some kind of multivitamin and/or greens supplement to cut back on time spent cooking and keep micronutrients present

- Some kind of natural anti inflammatory, C3 Curcumin?

- Something pre-bed to improve the quality of sleep since quantity is lower.


Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[275bills]

If you can train in the morning while still getting 6hrs of sleep is what I would recommend

 

[Doitagain]

Melatonin. Can make a huge difference when you're forced to sleep less than you'd need.
Also ALCAR, slight but appreciable energy and alertness boost. Helps with cortisol too.

 

[bbxtreme]

Agreed with above as I’m a business owner so I stay on the go always. Prep and discipline are key.

Maximize your sleep. Wear an Oara or whoop to make sure the quality is good.

Add electrolytes in the AM.

Add adrenal support to control cortisol. Adaptogen herbs.

Cut our stims and caffeine. They’re a short term crutch that will bury your recovery over time.

Add in b vitamins and vitamin c daily to keep immune system up.

Your plan sounds great above and the above are just additions.

But the bottom line- maximize recovery where you can, manage stress and stay hydrated.

 

[Mufasa123]

Agree with most of what's been stated already. I travel decently for work and I guess a lot of hours in Corp job. It's a game of making the best of it.

HGH did not improve my sleep or a few others on this board. Made it hard to fall asleep and after 4ish months I just took it waking AM. For some people it increases tiredness and fatigue. I never noticed better recovery or at least much better. Did 2ius for a while then 4-6ius later ED for well over a year. Meh but not saying to discourage, just don't depend on getting the consensus reaction.

Melatonin is a godsend to me who had a lifetime of trouble sleeping. 2mg just before bed will kick me off perfectly if I do my part (no amount knocks you out). If I wake up in the middle of the night maybe 1mg then. I use chewables by my bedside. Work on a night time habbit/ritual. This pattern will help prime you for sleep. Try to keep bed time consistent. Don't eat a big meal or have alcohol close to bed.

Since you can't workout AM then drop stims.

I take 3g or more of fish oil daily. Like a natural anti inflammatory for me.

 

[TheOtherOne55]

Question, why are u not doing all of those already?

Why are you having to ASK if cutting your stims close to bedtime is a good idea?
Why are not NOT taking a multivitamin or greens powder?
GH could be a cost issue so i get...but everything else, you have answered and just havent dont it for yourself.
I apologize if im coming off blunt but there are several poor bodybuilders who work manual labor jobs who figure this shit out.
Go watch a Kai Green video when he was dirt poor in NYC eating only fish and rice in his closet-size bronx apt.
Everyone struggles on a diet. Figure it out. You have basically mentioned allll the solutions already.
You need sleep. Find a way to sleep. You need recovery. Find a way to recover.
If you cannot do these things, it may not be the time to be dieting down to 4-5%.
You need to logically think about this. There is no magical answer for you here.

 

[buck]

I spent 30 years sleeping about 6 hours a day. After work(sometime 10 hour days and 7 days a wee) commuting taking care of house/yard, training, cooking dinner nightly and prepping all my work meals on sundays relationships etc. . I typically had about an hour to less to relax at the end of the day. Was natural much of that time. Was at the gym 6 days a week and on the weekends when i wasn't i was out in the wilderness burning off calories. And made good gains. Once i started gear the gains part was easier. Consistency and discipline were what worked. Plan the week out follow the plan adapt when needed. Unless a gym went out of business or some one died i didn't miss a workout. And then it would be for 1 day.

 

[AllOkJumpmaster]

Transdermal androstene-3 beta-7 beta-17 beta-triol (b-AET), a great cortisol controller, can help massively

another thing to consider is maybe bringing food and BF up to 10-12% 7% is hard to live life at with so many other physical obligations. From my experience trying to live too lean for too long (albeit nas a natural bitch) No matter what you do you are going to be battling fatigue and recovery challenges

 

[AllOkJumpmaster]

you could also try sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber if you an extra 5K laying around lol

 

[rotinaj]

Question, why are u not doing all of those already?

Why are you having to ASK if cutting your stims close to bedtime is a good idea?
Why are not NOT taking a multivitamin or greens powder?
GH could be a cost issue so i get...but everything else, you have answered and just havent dont it for yourself.
I apologize if im coming off blunt but there are several poor bodybuilders who work manual labor jobs who figure this shit out.
Go watch a Kai Green video when he was dirt poor in NYC eating only fish and rice in his closet-size bronx apt.
Everyone struggles on a diet. Figure it out. You have basically mentioned allll the solutions already.
You need sleep. Find a way to sleep. You need recovery. Find a way to recover.
If you cannot do these things, it may not be the time to be dieting down to 4-5%.
You need to logically think about this. There is no magical answer for you here.

After bodybuilding for nearly 15 years I’ve grown into a more minimalist approach.
I lift hard/track my workouts, I eat my macros, and I take the fewest supplements possible.
I prefer to have a life, so being obligated to 70-80hr+ weeks and no days off for months at a time is not my regular schedule.

The post was not about “struggling on a diet” I can get, and have gotten, shredded glutes on 3K calories with zero cardio. if I’m hungry I’ll just drink a diet soda or increase my fiber.

If you reread the OP, I am specifically asking for advice on what modalities people have had success with implementing to combat the physical and psychological fatigue from prolonged periods of high stress and lessened sleep.
Which is why mentioned military, doctors, firefighters ect who are subject to these circumstances at times.

Cortisol management, inflammation regulation, stimulant variation/timing/alternatives, modifications to training styles/volume/frequency, pharmaceutical prophylactic regimens, peptides, sleep hygiene modifications/improvements etc.

I understand to continue dropping weight I need to continue eating fish and rice in my apartment, but honestly I prefer chicken breast

 

[aHarness]

Honestly just sounds like you need to fix your sleep. I work in a warehouse, get 15-20k steps a day doing similar hours. My recovery is fine as long as food is in place and sleep is in order.

 

[Performance Based]

In all sincerity military, LEO and Firefighting needs to be treated at an arms length from entrepreneurs, C-Level, etc.

My response is a bit all over the place my apologies - had three calls come in while
Typing it out. All annoying ones too haha!

To delve into your question however - military hybrid athlete here.

1) I get severe cramps on as little as 200mg of Masteron. Its ability to leach water out of body muscle and subcutaneous tissue also means a loss of micro nutrients. My 500M swim time goes from mid 8s to high 8s with the same output level sometimes, mile time goes from 6:00-6:07 to 6:34+

It is not a performance drug unless trying to make weight for an event and even then I wouldn’t recommend it.

2) Tren - If you are a military athlete i would strongly recommend you reconsider this compound. There is literally no upside of utilizing this compound even in minute dosages. We can chat about this if you’d like.

3) My recovery. Average 12,500+ steps per day. Very long hours outside 8+ per day and two a days. Basal metabolic rate is on a low day 5,500+.

• Athletic Greens 2x Per Day
• 3-4 servings Dr. Price Electrolytes per day
• 2 servings XTEND Hydration Per Day
• Circumin, Resveratrol, Blood booster (on Amazon), Beet Powder, VO2 boost,
• 20-40iu IGF-1 pre bed
• 2 IU GH mornings
• 200mg test per week
• 600mg EQ per week
• 50mg oxandralone or stanolol power or plyometric days only

Non traditional modalities - Get an Oura ring or whoop. You aren’t recovering, but why? This will help diagnose the problems. In all sincerity the tren may be impacting your sleep and causing a decline in recovery. It massively increases my RHR and decreases my HRV. Yes steroids can hinder recovery.

Cryotherapy has been shown to do virtually nothing to enhance physical recovery but there is a bit of data showing it provides a hard reset to your CNS.

Weeks where I am over 3,000 calories burned per day (from activity not metabolic) I usually snag two lactated ringers + meyers cocktails throughout the week.



The question pertaining to sleep specifically - in the military it has always been ambien and other sedatives but this is no longer the case. In organizations with budgets I should say. Sleep studies are always ordered now, data over time is collected and changes made.

1) No one maintains their level of fitness on deployment - it is physically not possible on vampire schedules. Dieting down like you are on zero sleep may simply not be a feasible feat psychologically.


2) Without a data set to look at legitimately no one can give any advice with any weight

 

[b-boy]

I work 12 hour swing shift and have done it for 26yrs now. When I'm working I train at either 5am (before work on dayshift) or 6:50am (after work on midnights) both are fasted, the rest of the day is eating and recovering. When dieting and at a very lean bodyfat your not going to get much sleep! If your not doing a show then come out of the calorie deficit and good quality deep sleep will return. I myself average about 5-6 hours a night sleep when working and about 8-9 hours when off with naps during the day. Don't murder yourself in the gym if you have limited recovery.

 

[LATS]

I've always said your workouts need to match your lifestyle. My job is a ton of walking. Which is fine.. 12 hour days. So I always train on my days off or if I train on my days on its a easier workout on recovery like arms..

But when I do programs for people that have a bit more physical jobs I tend to put the bigger bodyparts on their days off when they are fresh and can eat and relax for the rest of the day. I always recommend lower volume workouts as most people just can't recover from high volume with a usual lifestyle.
And honestly unless your getting ready for a show there is no need for 4 percent bf as active as you are. 7 is plenty low. You don't see many bodybuilder at 4 percent who are " active" besides their workouts and feeling not like death lol

 

[Type-IIx]

Looking for advice from people who have had success bodybuilding in less-than ideal circumstances, ie. military/firefighters/doctors/business owners etc

I’ve hit a pretty intense wall of physical and psychological fatigue dieting down to 4-5%(at 7% presently) and I’m trying to combat this with supplementation and routine adjustments around my work assignment that I am unable to change for the next few months.

The primary issue:
My assignment has me hitting 10-15k steps daily with 10-12hrs of work daily. With my commute, hygiene, cooking etc, sleep is maxed usually around 5 maybe 6hr a night.

Gear wise, I’m currently running 400 test/400mast/200 tren.. muscle recovery is decent but cramps/fullness/pumps are a struggle due to the long hours and lack of sleep.

Workout wise,
I’m lifting 4-5 days a week low volume high intensity at night. Morning is unrealistic unless I lifted fasted at around 330-4am.


My goal is combat the general fatigue and stress on my body through this period.


Interventions I’m considering:

- HGH, 2-4iu in the AM to make up for the lost production from reduced sleep

- Switch my preworkout to a zero-stimulant one to avoid the REM impact from caffeine that close to sleep. Maybe a natural alternative like Kratom or something.

- Magnesium Glycinate 3x day for cramping/cognition,

- Some kind of multivitamin and/or greens supplement to cut back on time spent cooking and keep micronutrients present

- Some kind of natural anti inflammatory, C3 Curcumin?

- Something pre-bed to improve the quality of sleep since quantity is lower.


Any suggestions are appreciated.

You've done an outstanding job at enumerating interventions that will likely help. I just want to basically affirm all of these considered interventions; I think the answer to all of the questions are a "yes." You might try rhGH at nighttime pre-bed to see whether you're one of many who derive sleep benefits from it. It helps to not already be approaching sleep apnea, or suffering from the condition, because GH does stimulate adenotonsillar growth and often provokes this side effect, worsening sleep. It also can cause more nighttime awakenings, so if you suffer from difficulties falling back asleep, you might actually benefit more from a secretagogue combination (Ghrelin mimetic, Growth hormone-releasing hormone analogue; e.g., Sermorelin or Ipamorelin & Mod GRF (1-29)).

 

[fisther69]

Morning is the only time you should even consider lifting..I live the same lifestyle as you it seems..I’m typically lifting at 0230-0300 in the morning..I don’t know why people beat the shit out of themselves all day just to hit the gym at peak crowd hours

 

[Dezzy]

In all sincerity military, LEO and Firefighting needs to be treated at an arms length from entrepreneurs, C-Level, etc.

My response is a bit all over the place my apologies - had three calls come in while
Typing it out. All annoying ones too haha!

To delve into your question however - military hybrid athlete here.

1) I get severe cramps on as little as 200mg of Masteron. Its ability to leach water out of body muscle and subcutaneous tissue also means a loss of micro nutrients. My 500M swim time goes from mid 8s to high 8s with the same output level sometimes, mile time goes from 6:00-6:07 to 6:34+

It is not a performance drug unless trying to make weight for an event and even then I wouldn’t recommend it.

2) Tren - If you are a military athlete i would strongly recommend you reconsider this compound. There is literally no upside of utilizing this compound even in minute dosages. We can chat about this if you’d like.

3) My recovery. Average 12,500+ steps per day. Very long hours outside 8+ per day and two a days. Basal metabolic rate is on a low day 5,500+.

• Athletic Greens 2x Per Day
• 3-4 servings Dr. Price Electrolytes per day
• 2 servings XTEND Hydration Per Day
• Circumin, Resveratrol, Blood booster (on Amazon), Beet Powder, VO2 boost,
• 20-40iu IGF-1 pre bed
• 2 IU GH mornings
• 200mg test per week
• 600mg EQ per week
• 50mg oxandralone or stanolol power or plyometric days only

Non traditional modalities - Get an Oura ring or whoop. You aren’t recovering, but why? This will help diagnose the problems. In all sincerity the tren may be impacting your sleep and causing a decline in recovery. It massively increases my RHR and decreases my HRV. Yes steroids can hinder recovery.

Cryotherapy has been shown to do virtually nothing to enhance physical recovery but there is a bit of data showing it provides a hard reset to your CNS.

Weeks where I am over 3,000 calories burned per day (from activity not metabolic) I usually snag two lactated ringers + meyers cocktails throughout the week.



The question pertaining to sleep specifically - in the military it has always been ambien and other sedatives but this is no longer the case. In organizations with budgets I should say. Sleep studies are always ordered now, data over time is collected and changes made.

1) No one maintains their level of fitness on deployment - it is physically not possible on vampire schedules. Dieting down like you are on zero sleep may simply not be a feasible feat psychologically.


2) Without a data set to look at legitimately no one can give any advice with any weight

I really enjoy stanozolol close to competition, it seems to help with power and explosiveness, almost instantaneous results with liquid sublingual but not with oral, is this in my head/placebo?

 

[Performance Based]

I really enjoy stanozolol close to competition, it seems to help with power and explosiveness, almost instantaneous results with liquid sublingual but not with oral, is this in my head/placebo?

I would hypothesize yes. I’ve got some pretty clear cut data sets showing substantial output changes. Usually take. 1-2 hours before showing up to the gym

 

[fisther69]

I would hypothesize yes. I’ve got some pretty clear cut data sets showing substantial output changes. Usually take. 1-2 hours before showing up to the gym

I haven’t taken that since I was 17 years old! Haven’t even considered it..don’t know why

 

[juggy38]

My job isn’t physically as stressful as some, but definitely ~8,000 steps. But mentally, very high stress. Also some shifts are so busy chewing whole food meals is just fucking impossible.

Running on cortisol for 13 hours straight, sleep is tough too. I usually get 6 hours of sleep on a good night. Bad nights it’s closer to 4h.

You can still progress in the gym on lack of sleep, as long as calories are there. What you WILL find, fat loss is what gets fucked when you’re running zombie mode for months. It’s harder to get off, and it goes on easier. But you can still hit your training marks on poor sleep, each workout feels twice as hard as it should.