A smack of reality

As I write this, it is 7:00 at night and I missed the gym.

Why? I worked late in my day job and by the time I get my ass rushed around to go to the gym, it will be 8PM.

I train 4 days a week, but what 4 days is up for debate as my job goes.

I don’t sacrifice everything for the gym, but I sacrifice a lot. Stuff like:

• Drinking
• Hanging at bars until 2AM
• Eating whatever I want
• Etc

But when I am in the gym, that is my time. Period.

In the past I’ve heard people say, “I need to find a job that gives me enough time to lift”. This was said by a guy who had no job and was a classic meathead.

When I was younger, I had that same mentality. I called off work to lift at times because I could. Not often, but it did happen.

It was only when I was forced to wake the hell up did I develop the work ethic I have now.

Let me give you an example of it…

When I was a Union Electrician I was working 40 hours a week. I was in Apprentice School 2 nights a week from 6-9. I lifted 3 days a week. I bartended one night a week, bounced one and also played rugby. Practice was 2 nights a week and gameday was Saturday.

It doesn’t take much to realize the candle was being burnt with a fucking blowtorch, but I made it happen until I burnt out. I was able to do that for a long time before something had to give.

The point is that you have to make time around your life. Jobs come first, kids come first, relationships are important to a healthy life and paying bills ranks up there with the best of them.

This is why I firmly believe in a 4 day a week training program for most people. Those 4 days can be adjusted for whatever pops into your life. The exceptions are the bodybuilders who compete, the CrossFitters who choose to compete and athletes who require almost daily work.

For the rest of us, 4 days a week is plenty.

If you work late on a Monday, you can adjust easily. One day will not kill you and you may actually be surprised what an extra day off does for you.

We are extreme people and often times we get crazy when we are forced to miss a scheduled lift day. Shit happens though and you gotta deal.

Sometimes scratching that day and hitting it tomorrow is just what you need to do. Don’t be that OCD where your schedule must be ironclad where you can’t accommodate life’s little curveballs.

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