Workouts meets work

I always knew that going back to work would be the biggest challenge to my regular workouts. Especially as I aim to workout in the morning. I tried yesterday, but only finished my squats before I had to leave for work.

These early bird habits are still new to me, and I’m still figuring out when I need to do what in my morning routine. So here follows an attempt at structuring my mornings.

New early bird schedule

As long as I work at the main office, I need to leave home at 08:30. I estimate I need 30 minutes for hygiene and dressing and 45 minutes for breakfast (yes, I mean a real breakfast). So, on off days, I will rise at 07:15. On training days, I probably need to rise an hour earlier, at 06:15.

Off day

• 07:15 Breakfast
• 08:00 Hygiene/dressing
• 08:30 Leave home

Training day

• 06:15 Breakfast
• 07:00 Weightlifting
• 08:00 Hygiene/dressing
• 08:30 Leave home

This is unheard of in my life up until now. I always had difficulty keeping these habits for a long time. This will be as much a challenge to me as starting and sticking to a weight lifting routine.

Wednesday’s workout

During the workout yesterday morning I did the following working sets:

• Squat: 62,5 kg × 5 reps × 3 sets

It’s a new best again, and this time, it felt like it. I had to pause at every other rep. I wasn’t paying much attention to form however. Since there are so much to think about in terms of technique in the squat, I figure there’s no other way than to let it improve gradually by focusing on different aspects one at a time.

My current routine

I focus on the big three (deadlift, squat and bench press). Since squat and deadlift involve some of the same muscle groups, I’ve decided to keep a schedule like this:

1. Deadlift day
2. Bench press day
3. Squat day
4. Rest or aerobics day

I typically do two exercises per day, sometimes three. I always start with one of the big three, then complement with an exercise involving another muscle group. Like so:

• Deadlift – Barbell rows
• Squat – Standing military press
• Bench press – Barbell curl

On rest/aerobis days, I do these exercises:

• Triceps extension
• Calf raises

Apart from the order and combination of exercises, I don’t believe in planning workouts. Tracking workouts is critical, but planning them only sets yourself up for failure.