Just wondering if anyone out there is willing to share some “fatherhood” templates for a new parent. Ive been running just the base template, with 4 conditioning session per week, two sprint/prowler/strongman etc type sessions and two walks. Im thinking of going to something like this
Monday
Deadlift 5/3/1 reps
bench 5/3/1 reps(warmup sets supersetted with band pullaparts, work sets with chins)
1-2 lower body assistance
1-2 upper body assistance
Saturday
Yoga/flexibilty training similar to above
Obviously being a parent and helping out my wife takes precident, so conditioning sessions might get comboed with other days. Just wondering if anyone is willing to share some of their own templates. Just for reference Baby is a 3 day old so looking for time sensitive templates at least until we settle into a groove.
You could try doing the “jack shit” template. Basically just go in, do your warm-ups and 5/3/1 sets with a PR on the last set, then leave. Could work on the days you’re most crunched for time.
[quote]nkklllll wrote:
You could try doing the “jack shit” template. Basically just go in, do your warm-ups and 5/3/1 sets with a PR on the last set, then leave. Could work on the days you’re most crunched for time.[/quote]
Defintly something thats in the wheelhouse. Today for example I did deadlifts for 5/3/1 reps, hit front Squats for 3 sets of 3 paused reps at 250 then did abs and fucked off. Tommorow bench day will be “jack shit”. Will do bench and superset my three warm ups with band pull aparts then 3 work sets with chins. Later this week will probably combine Military and Squat because I work 11-8 friday through sunday. I look at all of these days being able to fall back to “jack shit” assistance, but want to have a plan layed out that I can attempt.
I’ve been training for the past 5 years with 5/3/1 through the birth of two kids. A few things I have learned along the way:
this time will absolutely fly by so focus your efforts on your newborn. You have your life to lift so if you miss a few training sessions because of your child or wife, you aren’t losing being ‘hardcore’ nor will you shrink
for the first few months I went from lifting 4 times a week to 2-3. I also started working out first thing in the morning rather than after work because it was more predictable
don’t worry about cardio, put your kid in a stroller and walk them around the neighborhood. It’s good for them and good for you
there will be nights when you get no sleep. If you can’t train, then skip it, there are worse things then bonding with your kid at 2 in the morning
prepare meals on the weekend for the week so that you have healthy choices
lastly, relax and enjoy the best thing that could happen to you. I can tell you when I look back over the last 5 years, I don’t remember prs or missed workouts but I do remember the first time my daughter laughed, playing in the yard with my son when he was learning to walk and taking them to the park every night in the summer. You will figure out how to get your workouts in. I have and in that time I have added over 150 pounds to my total. Sure, I will never be elite on the platform, but hopefully my kids will think I’m an elite dad which is far more important
^ What he said, time will fly by enjoy it as much as possible they’re only going to be a baby once.
Also just from my personal experience I probably didn’t lift for the first 10 days. After that I went back to lifting like normal 4-5 days a week for maybe 45 min to an hour. As long as you are there for her and the baby and you let her get some sleep, change some diapers ,and cook some meals then I see no reason why you can’t get to the gym for an hour. Although the gym I went to was 2 min away from where I lived at the time. You’re still going to need to take care of yourself and get away.
Allot of whats been said… I made a one time purchase of 600 plus pds weights, 2 bars, marcy monster bench n a squat lift off and I lift at home now. I agree first thing in the morning to clear the day and be consistent. My daughter is 2 now and loves training days -shes in there flippin weights n setn up mats while I train. Shoot she uses the adjustable bar for the bench to squat with and my e-z bar is for her deadlifting. Haha .
Ima believer in simple compound movements. Very little assistance. Short rest periods. For this very reason-timeconstrants due to family life.
Do what works best for you and your family. I went down to two days when she was younger
Deads/bench one day . Incline/squat the other.
Now im back up to 3days - keep it simple-one main movement w. One opposing assistance
Monday- deads/olympic pause squats/rows
Wednesday - press flat/incline/closegrip/chins
Friday-squat/stiff legged deads
So it can be done. 1 hour is the goal. I use timed 1 minute rests to help keep it rollin.
“Any asshole can be a father. But not everyone can be a champion.” - one of the funniest lines from The League.
Just have an “A” workout and a “B” workout. Train the main lift hard - while being a parent isn’t the easiest thing in the world it certainly isn’t splitting an atom. Just be sure to maximize your time in all areas of your life. If training is important to you, you’ll find the time. And remember this: where ever you are, be THERE. So when you are with your family, be a parent/father. When you are training, train.
[quote]barbedwired wrote:
Allot of whats been said… I made a one time purchase of 600 plus pds weights, 2 bars, marcy monster bench n a squat lift off and I lift at home now. I agree first thing in the morning to clear the day and be consistent. My daughter is 2 now and loves training days -shes in there flippin weights n setn up mats while I train. Shoot she uses the adjustable bar for the bench to squat with and my e-z bar is for her deadlifting. Haha .
Ima believer in simple compound movements. Very little assistance. Short rest periods. For this very reason-timeconstrants due to family life.
Do what works best for you and your family. I went down to two days when she was younger
Deads/bench one day . Incline/squat the other.
Now im back up to 3days - keep it simple-one main movement w. One opposing assistance
Monday- deads/olympic pause squats/rows
Wednesday - press flat/incline/closegrip/chins
Friday-squat/stiff legged deads
So it can be done. 1 hour is the goal. I use timed 1 minute rests to help keep it rollin.
Goodluck .use what works ![/quote]
Defintly something id like to be doing. Will probably limit my sessions to 1 hour, including drive warmup etc itll probably be an hour and 30 anyway. Little guys “day” seems to start at 2am and go till 10 then sleeps all day apart from breast feedings. SO definitely need as flexible a schedule as possible. The two main sessions works for me right now, but at least like to have the conditioning sessions/flexibility stuff programmed in and If I get to it, ill get to it, if I dont im not gonna shit my pants.
[quote]Jim Wendler wrote:
“Any asshole can be a father. But not everyone can be a champion.” - one of the funniest lines from The League.
Just have an “A” workout and a “B” workout. Train the main lift hard - while being a parent isn’t the easiest thing in the world it certainly isn’t splitting an atom. Just be sure to maximize your time in all areas of your life. If training is important to you, you’ll find the time. And remember this: where ever you are, be THERE. So when you are with your family, be a parent/father. When you are training, train. [/quote]
Thanks for the advice Jim, and agreed, want to be around but people have trained hard with far more on their plate. So this seems very doable for me
Two of the best recommendations for success in life and training in one short thread:
#1) “I also started working out first thing in the morning rather than after work because it was more predictable.”
I’ve got two boys who are now 11 & 9. The chaos doesn’t go away as they get older. You’ll have sports, school functions that will have to be take precedence over training. Not to mention work commitments and the other stuff that comes along with being a grown-ass man.
#2) “And remember this: where ever you are, be THERE. So when you are with your family, be a parent/father. When you are training, train.”
My 1st kid was born about 15 months ago and since then I’ve been lifting 4 days/week and jogging 30 min on off days. This amount of time for working out is only possible for me because I do it in the mornings before work and on weekends. The wife and kid are often still sleeping when I’m out the door.
During the weeks the evenings are generally: get home at 6 pm, play with kid a bit, make food, eat dinner, put kid to bed at 8-8.30 pm, then I’m free after 9pm. Planing workouts that late would definitely lead to me skipping a bunch, so mornings it is. I’m always free in the mornings, but not always in the evenings…
My experience was that my wife needed a lot of help from me in the 8 weeks after the birth to get used to the new situation and things relaxed quite a bit… so maybe consider reducing time away from home at first. Got called at the gym by a panicky wife a few times and had to go home.
I do the Triumvirate and it’s relatively quick at 40 - 45 minutes. I’d have a hard time recommending the Jack Shit template for long periods of time because it’s unbalanced… that template is more of a short term patch than a great template to me. To reduce time away from home I’d prefer reducing to 2 workouts / week with a balance program rather than increase risk of injury with an unbalanced program.
I have a daughter who is just about to turn two and my wife is going to pop out our second baby in the next week or two. I have continued to work out 6 days a week and have actually gotten stronger and much better at time management because of it.
Basically, what the other guys mentioned: start getting up early. I would also add: invest in a good home weight setup. I have now build up to a pair of adjustable (90lb) dumbells, power rack with lat, cable curl, pull up, dip bar and about 450 lbs of plates, an exercise bike, bands and a weight vest. It took me about two years to get it all together but I would not say the cost was more than $1500.
I used to hate working out in the morning. Now, I get up at 4:30 every day. I have the house to myself and I can just go work out. When the baby cries or wakes up I can hear it and I run in and get her milk or hold her or whatever she needs then to back to the workout. I have to go to bed earlier…maybe about 10:00, but it works out well. In fact, on days like today which is an off day for me, I still get up early and it is awesome because I am up before everyone else, check my e-mail, get showered etc. By the time everyone is rolling into work all pissy and tired I am just about in the middle of my day and rocking a rolling. I totally own and morning meetings or whatever that I have to do because I am much more on the ball this way.
Train 2 days a week and tell your wives you need this time…no exceptions…no interruptions. Don’t be one of those fathers walking around the mall with a baby strapped to your chest while your wife is shopping. Nothing wrong with helping out but today’s fathers are ridiculous.