Competitors and full time jobs

[gYmgIrL]

Hello!

hey do you know anyone who competes and works full time? I always find it really difficult to find the time to do things now, and I'm thinking about adding more cardio, but I'm just wondering how to fit it all in.

The ladies I've spoken to have 'full time' jobs as personal trainers, or cleaners, or something that they can fit their eating and routines around. I've never met or heard of anyone who has a Mon-Fri 9-5 and can still compete. I wondered if there were any!

well

that you know of, theres gotta be some! hehe

[Italianangel]

Well yes, I have trained a few women and men with full time jobs, some with kids too! But many factors are involved. Support is always helpful but not always a real availability and degree of it depends.
I had a gal who had to quit mid way in prep for BB because her hubby was jealous so he was riding her and even her boss or sup, was saying she was not able to work and concentrate because of her dieting...........there can be some truth to it but this situation was all jealousy and sabotage, very sad.
I have seen both side to it. The ones with most success definately have some type of financial ease whether it be job, spouse with money, sponsors.......and they do well of course. But there are many determined athletes without any of these perks who do work full time and have to do it themselves with suits etc and still do well...........but it is much more work, much harder for them.
Linda

[tidalwave]

The trick may be finding the right workplace. I work in IT/software and that usually gives me time to workout and diet along with working full-time. Some companies offer what is called (at least in the US) 'flex time'. It's a rather appropriate term in this context

Flex time is basically a way of saying that you can work different hours as long as a) you put in your full standard hours per week, and b) you get your work done. For instance, it allows you to come in early and leave early.. or come in late and leave late. I usually eat my meals at my desk in lieu of going out for lunch, then I'll take an hour and go to the gym around 3pm when it's not busy, then I'll come back and finish my work.

Granted, this is not applicable for many companies, but your best bet is to look for this in large tech companies.

Another trick to fitting the diet into a full time work schedule is to try to perform as much food prep as possible during the night/weekend. When possible, I try to cook a week worth of chicken breasts on Sunday night so I can just throw them in a container and bring them to work throughout the week.

Hope that helps!

[sucher67]

A lot of fitness athletes appear to be involved in sales. Makes sense; it's a job where you have more control of your daily schedule.

[gYmgIrL]

So... you guys chose the job you do to fit in with your fitness goals? That's awesome!!! So dedicated!

I think I'm stuck being a sexretary until I've paid my mortgages down enough to not have to earn much! then I'll be a personal trainer. THEN THE WORLD!

Until then I'll just do my besT!

Good plan?

[tidalwave]

Hehe, I wouldn't say that I choose my job to accommodate my fitness goals, but I'm grateful that the two are mildly compatible.

Yes, I think that sounds like a good, pragmatic approach to your eventual goal. Try to be as specific as possible and set milestones for yourself while working toward the ultimate solution. For instance, working full time at a less-than-desirable job while concurrently applying for new positions - with the goal of getting something better in the next 3 months. Then, working in the evening to get your personal trainer certification for the 5 months following that. Once you get your PT cert, maybe you could work part-time somewhere while you build your clientele (pun intended!).

Other than that, I'd continue to do what you've started here and keep talking and asking people for opinions. You never know - someone might have a path in mind that none of us would have thought about before, and that might be your ticket. Don't worry too much, you're still young and there are opportunities for those with movtivation and a bit of insight.

[Italianangel]

Actually my job chose me..........I had no idea of what career to go with, althoughI always wanted to sing and dance...............I went through Eating Disorder, my dads death and found fitness on my way healing from this........then I felt and saw what it did for me so I wanted to do this for others, competing just fell into place while the job did as well but I chose the job so that I could make a full time wage, on avg, and work only a few hours per day. I made then in my govt office job with good benefits and seniority in 8 hours 5 days per week, what I make now in few sessions - comparatively to biwkly pay checks!! It took me 10 years to get to this comfort zone though so you have to either work part time as a trainer with another job while working your way up to full time or you need a working spouse which is what I have and he is with the city now for 5 years or so, which means he has me covered so I don't have to pay for extra self employed med/dent coverage etc.
That would be a bit more per month but with my asthma drug expenses it would be worth it. My drugs cost an avg of 400+ per mth without any med coverage so............
If I wanted to be really money oriented I could make a killing working full time as a trainer but I don't want to, I want the time rather than the cash. I only market myself locally when I have a spot open for a client, otherwise I just don't market and then you don't get as many clients.......I already get quite a few with word of mouth and I do have my regulars but only a few, the rest are come and go, I help with their goals, they learn and then are self sufficient, I am not one of those trainers who trys to hang onto clients by slow progression, limited teaching etc and pushing for more package sales, that is not me! But that is why I do so well and get so many from word of mouth. My regulars are those who have a very busy life, run business's and just want to come in, do what they are told and move on but they all do homework and I help with them with eating and they become self sufficient so that if for some reason I have to let them go or they decide to go it alone or lessen sessions, they can do so comfortably.
You get less people looking for long term training, motivation etc.....those who need you there so they get in, because many people do not have the luxury to afford that so they are less common and of those a few are flakey anyway and do not last as they want the results without effort.
I do not shmooze the rich, that is not me and I am very down to earth, practical and so if I get clients with money they are the same personality, I do not do well as a people pleaser to the extent of what some of the 'financially better off' types would expect of me. I refuse to be a servant as well so because I portray what I expect, I attract the clients which suit my needs and me theirs, we click.
I have one guy who owns and runs a large construction company, but he is an ex east vanner.......from my hood and he likes meeting me down here and likes the hood and we are alike in that we have similar attitudes from our back grounds from living in the same area which used to be high in italian immigrants, he is Italian and went to a local school here and although older, he even knows some of the same peeps........so he loves his sessions for more than just the training. I am old school flavor for him too so as a person we click. Someone very high maintenance and foofy or stuck up in a suit, may not do so well with me unless they are down to earth like me.
I also find some of those who are 'rich' so to speak, expect too much, and can be rude and cancel and late etc etc.......I do not spoon feed, although I am very understanding and flexible with reason.
It is worth more to me to spend more time with my dogs than to make hundreds of dollars in lieu of the hours I spend with my dogs........my time with them is priceless especially being that they don't live very long in our lifetimes!!
Linda

[mooshue]

i notice that the 'rich' as you put it who have the trainer every day in there. They havent changed a bit in a year of training. They get 1 drop of sweat on their brow after an hour session, because most of it is spent bitching about their kids or whatnot, and their matching $150 workout suit isnt even damp.

[Italianangel]

Originally Posted by mooshue

i notice that the 'rich' as you put it who have the trainer every day in there. They havent changed a bit in a year of training. They get 1 drop of sweat on their brow after an hour session, because most of it is spent bitching about their kids or whatnot, and their matching $150 workout suit isnt even damp.

Yeah, but again that is a percentage only, and rich is not a great choice I guess, maybe 'better off financially, to a comfortable degree' is a better way to put it.
I hate to generalize because there are always the exceptions.
But yeah, you got my point anyway.
Linda

[Neely]

I've done it quiite a few times. And not working at a gym either.

Really, it all comes down to time management and prioritizing training. It certainly does take out more free time. But overall, I'll have more free time when I'm not prepping for a show. And the people I socialize with understand that. Plus, I usually make sure that I have at least one full day off... no work and no gym time... so that I can keep some semblance of sanity with a day where I can do whatever I want.

[gYmgIrL]

Hmm ok, so should I prioritise sleep over working out? I mean, I live a fair way out of Perth, so in order to get up have a good workout and then get ready for work and go I'm up at 4:30am. By the time i get home from work its usually close to 7:00pm. If i get the full 8 hours that means I have to go to bed at 8:30, which gives me an hour and a half in the evenings to do some cardio and eat dinner and relax before doing it all again tomorrow. Which isnt enough.

So if I go to bed at around 10 instead it might be a bit more possible, but more than likely I will be getting close to 5 hours sleep a night... but then I wont die!

What do you think?

[Neely]

Originally Posted by gYmgIrL

Hmm ok, so should I prioritise sleep over working out? I mean, I live a fair way out of Perth, so in order to get up have a good workout and then get ready for work and go I'm up at 4:30am. By the time i get home from work its usually close to 7:00pm. If i get the full 8 hours that means I have to go to bed at 8:30, which gives me an hour and a half in the evenings to do some cardio and eat dinner and relax before doing it all again tomorrow. Which isnt enough.

So if I go to bed at around 10 instead it might be a bit more possible, but more than likely I will be getting close to 5 hours sleep a night... but then I wont die!

What do you think?

Oh wow, that makes for a long day!

Definitely don't scrimp on your sleep. You gotta get good sleep for recovery.

How many days a week do you work? I assume you've got at least a day or two off in your week. Perhaps you would need to schedule some workouts on your days off of work, which will leave you a little extra time on some of the days you do work where you're not training.

Do you always split your workout time into morning and evening? Are you trying to do cardio every evening (or most evenings)? Because that seems like a lot of cardio to me (and a lot of extra time). But that's just me because I don't do very much cardio with my contest prep. Rarely do my cardio sessions last more than 30 minutes. On average they're only 20 minutes.

[gYmgIrL]

I work Monday-Friday, and i go to the gym early because otherwise a 30 minute drive turns into a one and a hlf hour drive with the traffic! So having days off during the week wont really help me much

I dont do cardio every night cause i cant fit it in. I'd like to though! The only reason I split it into morning and evening is because theres no way I'm getting up before 4:30am! haha

But i thought you didnt really start burning anything til after 20 minutes of getting your heart rate up?

[buttafli]

I work a 9 to 5 and have been training for 2 competitions. It's tough because my schedule is so hectic. I pack my 2 duffle bags for the gym and my lunch box with 5 of my 6 meals in it the night before. I also keep several bottles of water on me.