Bodybuilding while working HARD construction/landscaping

[ArnoldsProtege]

2 whole eggs, 5 eggwhites, 2 slices whole wheat bread, cheese, ham, milk, 3 medium slices of pepperoni pizza, 2 veggie. 2 large plates of chinese: noodles, rice, lemon chicken (battered... i ate some with it, some i had the decency to take it off), beef and peas mix, and about 2-4 gatorades.

And there it is... It is probly the worst ive ate in a looong time. And on my cut no less... However, and this is a BIG however... this day of feasting happened on my first day of work doing general landscaping and helping this guy do construction. from about 9 pm to 11 o clock at night, I was digging 2 truckloads of dirt into a garden, lifting slabs of concrete, sweeping, planting flowers and moving shit around and carrying things. non stop. I thought it was raining at some point due to the beads of sweat falling off my face...

Do any of you workout regularly and have a tough day job like landscaping, construction or manual labour or maintenance? cuz fuck man, I just started gettting serious for the summer, was ironing out my precise calculations for reaching my weight loss and fitness goals (with help from many great people here and now thats alll out of whack. On the plus side, I am getting an amazing workout. My metabolism is going to be skyrocketed, im gonna EASILLY be burning 3000-4000 calories a day.. imagine someone 200 lbs just moving nonstop, liftiing, bending, shoveling, sweeping, pulling, hammering... all effin day. I am eating like a beast though, but out of necesity... we were being fed at the site, and i NEED carbs. like, when I ate that pizza and i drank that gatorade, it was the sweetest thing my lips had ever had!well... there are some things that come close : O But I dunno wheeeeere im gonna fit lifting in... my new boss already wants me as his go-to guy.. workin 50 hours at one job where hes working under another guy, and doing side jobs with him workin 20-30 hours on other contracts. Besides the obvious time constraints and limitations, I play baseball as well twice a week, and basketball. But you cant argue with an envelope of seeerious cash at the end of the day lol.

So, sorry for the essay, but this is a big thing for me; in a matter of days, my entire summer/gameplan/workout shedule/diet schedule has completely been upheved and replaced with a new one. How the **** can I eat low carbs carryin marble on my back all day!

oh p.s, strength training is bomb! haha its so great being able to do anyhting that is asked of you that others would take two men! I am literally doing farmers walks all day, only replace the 50 lb weights with buckets of concrete and limestone!

As always, thanks for reading... Any recomendations or suggestions?

 

[Built]

You get fed there, right? So there's no way to monitor intake on the job?

 

[ArnoldsProtege]

well, heres the thing; I COULD have eaten 3 slices, or two, and I COULD have eaten one small plate of chinese food, but I actually need the energy. I think that if I was doing what I was doing with less food, I actually think id faint. another thing that is less than ideal, is that we get fed less, 1-2 meals a day. so if im working a 12+ hour day, I gotta eat alot of food to keep my energy up. Honestly Built, I dont know how im gonna be going to the gym with any regularity, and its dissapointing. At the same time though, I gauruntee im going to be 10-20 lbs lighter this summer, stronger, leaner, and tanned aaaaaand Ill clear 6000-8000 cash

That being said, im gonna go do an upper body workout tonight after work even thojgh il be doing one all day lol.

maybe if i change my routine to something easier/less physically exerting? perhaps? when i get some free time ill sit down and think about it.

 

[Travis Bell]

I work as a mechanic, many times out in the middle of nowhere in the hot sun on a semi truck. The shop feeds us lunch, but I pack my own stuff. Its hard to eat when its so hot out. Weight gainer shakes have become my friend but really, the best thing is to force the eating when you need to. I know you want to lose weight (whereas I'm trying to maintain) but be careful you don't lose it too fast

 

[ArnoldsProtege]

Its gonna be easier now actually... I realize that was just one job, and that I have to bring my own lunch to this new job lol. Today I had a tuna sandwich on whole wheat, with a banana, apple, almonds and half a gatorade. A step up from 5 slices of pizza lol.

I actually do think though that the gym is gonna be rough this summer. I am going to be working 50-60 hour weeks to pay for school, and I start at 7-9 in the morning and work often till 6-8 at night (sometimes later if we have to get the job done).

Not only would I be sooo tired, I think it would be over training and make my job much more difficult. I mean, Its like im having a total body workout every day lol. I was lifting up 12x12 drywall and holding it to the ceiling on a step ladder for like, 5 minutes while they screwed it in and made sure the measurements were good. My arms are shaking after I let go, and Then i have to do it over again! I did it about 6 times today, and most look at it as labour, I look at it as shoulder press My chest is killing me from wheel barrling, my bis and tris are dead from lifting,shoveling and other work, my back and lower back ESPECIALLY got an amazing workout today...and dont even get me started on my legs... Why even go to the gym? I AM going to lose 15-20 lbs this summer, get more fit than I have ever been, and make a shiiiiit load of money I think im still gonna go though 3 times a week, just cuz i love it lol. but im gonna go fairly soft, 3X10, do some core stuff, the compund exercises, and ill see how I feel. As long as I keep my diet in check, wich i definitely will, by september 1st im gonna weigh 185 and get rid of the spare tire and get a washboard instead

 

[Built]

Actually, I'd do it quite differently. Go 3x a week, but go heavy, intense, and short. You're already doing the "high rep" stuff at work.

3 5x5 workouts a week and be done with it.

 

[KelJu]

Yep. I move antiques. Antiques are seriously heavy. The average weight of a piece of furniture at our shop is between 300-400lbs. I might move 20 pieces a day on average. Often times, we load up our truck with up to 30 pieces and go to these rich fuckers houses to play musical furniture with their interior decorator. We might move the same piece 10 fucking times.

I worked construction on a lot of jobs sites, and moving antiques is twice as physically demanding.



So, in the last 5 years of doing this, I have learned a lot of techniques for balancing my job and training:

Plan everyday for the worst. You never know what you will be doing and how long you will be away from a refrigerator. Keep meal replacements like protein shakes, nuts, and a pre-made carb source all configured to your diet guidelines. If necessary, have all your meals prepared a day in advance. It is a pain in the ass, but you will do it if you want it bad enough.

Work hard and make a good impression with your employers. You will need the rapport when you have to stop occasionally to take in a quick meal. I usually don't take a 1 hour lunch breaks at my job. Instead I take a 15 minute meal breaks at 11:00, 2:00, and 5:00. My best friend works there, and he is also a bodybuilder, and it does nearly the same thing. We got made fun of by our co-workers and the owners for a while, but they got use to it. Eventually they figured out that the reason we are so good at what we do is because of our training and how we take care of our bodies.

 

[Perdido]

Actually, I'd do it quite differently. Go 3x a week, but go heavy, intense, and short. You're already doing the "high rep" stuff at work.

3 5x5 workouts a week and be done with it.

Built is right on. Been working construction now for 27 years & going to the gym 3 days a week.

No one gives me any shit on the job

 

[ArnoldsProtege]

ahhh great advice built, as usual

I actually just went to the gym today even though I felt so tired... I just REALLY wanted to bench some heavy weight 4-6 times, but not lift the way I did heavy stuff before...4 seconds down, explosive up... no no, this was just pumping... 2 seconds down 2 seconds up. I just had a craving for it lol. So I did the bench, some incline flys, bicep curls and delt flys... that may seem really weird lol, but I was just going today to do what I felt like pumping lol.

I am definitely gonna do that built... 3 5x5 workouts a week... since Im working legs non stop at my job, im thinkin an upper body/lower body/upper body split. Can anyone make any recomendations for that? How should I train that split, given the circumstances with my job and everything?

Also, do you guys find that you lose weight or have gotten really lean from working demanding jobs? I already feel "tighter" and my appetite and control is MUCH better now than it was that first day... i think my body just thought i was going nuts and it had to take care of me by making me stuff myself lol. I am going to eat about 2500-3000 cals a day... do you think that is enough to lose signifigant weight? my body probly burns 2300-2500 cals to begin with,and I figure Im burning at LEAST 500-1000 cals a day from that work. Do you think that I will get really fit working this job all summer, 50-60 hour days and working HARD, while not necesarilly cutting cals? Thanks again guys. I gotta get ready for bed... got a long workout tomoro!

 

[Travis Bell]

yeah I lost about 25lbs last summer. freakin pissed me off though. I work hard to gain weight haha I understand thats not your goal though. Watch your water intake in the heat though, dont get dehydrated

 

[chris mason]

I agree with Built. A super basic routine with very limited volume is the way to go.