- 28th June 2017
- By Matthew Fever
I have found being a father a wonderful experience. Watching my two sons grow up each day is a privilege and a blessing I am truly grateful for. With them still being so young, I find that there is little time for myself and training.
Since becoming a dad, I have noticed that I have less time, less sleep and less energy which can all make progressing in the gym a challenge.
Gone are the days when I could spend almost two hours in the gym each day. These days I have become a master of the 30 minute workout. Here are my five tips for staying at the top of your game.
1: Decide what is important.
Having to be more efficient with my time means that these days I probably train better than I did in my twenties, I wouldn’t say I train harder, just smarter. I focus only on the things that matter and I have removed anything unnecessary from my training. Since doing this I have found that I am actually stronger despite the fact that I am doing less. A key part of this process has been goal setting. I have worked out exactly what’s important to me and whenever I can, I work towards that.
Decide on your goals, look at your behaviour, ask yourself, does your behaviour match your goal?
2) Accumulate volume throughout the week.
I rarely have more than 30-45 minutes at one time to work out, because of this I choose to spread my workouts across the day / week using shorter sessions. Here are some examples that might also work for you.
One of my goals is to improve my flexibility. In an ideal situation I would perhaps add in some yoga classes or spend some additional time stretching after workouts. What I have found is that I just can’t spare the time all at once. That’s very different to not having the time at all. The day begins early in the Fever household, with the boys often waking up at 5-5.30am. I have found that a great start to the day is to begin with a daily mobility sequence, a warm up to the day. This sequence is a simple top to bottom routine that stretches and mobilises the whole body. It takes just 15 mins and can be performed in between playing with my sons.
15 minutes per day x seven days a week = 1hr 45 mins of flexibility training per week. There are the additional training hours! It may not achieve the same results as doing a longer session but I believe it may be better. Instead of doing it just twice a week I actually work on it every single day. Of course, it doesn’t need to be done first thing in the morning. If you’re not a morning person, look for the gaps in your day. If it’s important enough to you, you’ll find the time.
Another goal of mine is to get stronger. This can be difficult once you have been lifting for a little while as you tend to require more volume and more rest between sets resulting in longer training sessions. I have therefore opted for the following, 3 x 30 min workouts, working up to 3 heavy sets of 5 on the squat and press and 1×5 on the deadlift. The warm up sets and the rest periods required from lifting heavy usually results in a 30 minute session.
Mon: Squat 3×5
Weds: Press 3×5
Fri: Deadlift 1×5
If time allows I add accessory work after I have performed the main lifts. I often choose bodyweight exercises or kettlebell movements. This schedule isn’t ideal but it means I cover all of the major strength movements throughout the week.
The following programme is another great example of how you can accumulate training volume across the week. It’s my go to programme for getting strong again using the pull up. Please take a look and let me know if you decide to complete it. It takes 8 weeks to complete and has two phases, a volume phase and a strength phase.
https://www.t-nation.com/workouts/chin-up-project
3: Show your kids what it means to be active
If you just can’t make it to the gym, look for ways to be more active with your kids. I believe in being a great role model and setting a good example for a healthy active life. Ride bikes, play in the park, walk on the beach , go to the forrest. There’s nothing better! Here is a little workout I did in the park just last week.
5 rounds of:
10 Chin ups on the monkey bars (this was added to my total for the chin up project above)
20 Squats (using the little guy for resistance – just hold them like a sand bag, as you can see from the picture it’s great fun!)
20 Push ups (if this is difficult for you elevate the hands as shown in the picture below)
20 Bench jumps or step ups
40m Sprint ( I turned this into a game and chased my son on his bike, training in the park means you have to get creative).
Of course this wasn’t straight forward either, lots of interruptions and stopping for all kinds of reasons but it was completed nonetheless.
4) Meal plan for the week
If you are simply unable to work out as often or as hard as you like you may find that managing your weight can be difficult. To avoid this aim to spend a little time planning meal times.
This is key in my house. If we don’t plan our meals we tend to eat larger quantities, eat less healthy food and spend more money through being less organised. It also costs us more time with repeated visits to the supermarket.
Choose a day of the week (our’s is Sunday) and plan what you will need for the week. It all begins at the supermarket. You can’t eat what you don’t buy so begin thinking about what you will need and get prepared. The saying goes ‘If you fail to plan, then you are planning to fail’ – this is definitely true when it comes to weight management and healthy eating. Convenience food is just too readily available.
These days everybody seems to be working more and putting in extra hours resulting in many families eating different meals at different times. Studies continue to show the importance of sitting down to eat when managing your weight and if you plan to eat as a family you will no doubt take more time and care with the type of meals that you are eating. It’s also another great way to catch up and spend time together as a family.
Think about each meal for the week and all the snacks you will need throughout the day. That way you can leave the house in the morning with everything you need for the day and avoid unneccesary trips to find something to eat. It really is cheaper and will save you time too!
For more tips check out http://mattfever.com/30-day-weight-loss-challenge/
5: Set a little time aside for yourself
The roles and responsibilities of fatherhood are ever increasing, however in order to look after the family you must first be in good health yourself. Take advantage of the little pockets of time that you may have and seize the opportunities whenever they are presented to be more active, live a healthy life and enjoy some time with your children. Rest is also important, sometimes you will need the rest more than you will need the workout. It’s just a question of balance.