“I wish that I had the free time to just hit the gym and do what I want to do.”
Friends often bring up to me how they wish that they had free time to get in the gym and get jacked. There’s a guy who I run into every few months who keeps on telling me how he plans on returning to the gym. He has a laundry list of excuses and I simply don’t have the energy to try to convince him that busy people can get in shape too.
It’s far too easy to neglect your health when life gets busy. I want to show you how you can get in shape even if you’re busy because life’s better when you’re jacked and feeling good about yourself.
I don’t think there’s anyone out there not looking to get a little more jacked or to feel more confident. The issue is that we get busy and we let life get in the way of our health. By the time we realize what has happened to us, it can feel overwhelming.
I was inspired to write this by a tweet that I saw from my friend Bobby.
“In the last three years I’ve optimized every part of my life – finances, marriage, business… except for my health. Working on it now, but the sad reality is that fitness is one of the easiest things to put to the side for self-employed people.” — @genymoneyman
I’ve noticed that many people will begin to neglect their health when they get busy. They put off their workouts and they rely on fast food to get them through the day. This happens to the best of us.
You feel like you deserve to treat yourself to a movie and a snack after long day instead of a workout and a kale smoothie.
It eventually catches up with us. You realize that you’ve put on a few pounds. You’re not feeling good about yourself. It’s difficult to reach peak productivity when you’re not feeling confident.
I want to help you get jacked.
I’ve been busier than ever the last few years and I’ve managed to get myself into the best shape of my life. Now in my 30s, I plan on getting more jacked as time goes on. I was inspired by my friend JP who wrote a guest post here on intermittent fasting.
Part zero: the theory behind getting jacked when you’re busy.
Decide on what being jacked means to you.
What exactly do you want to happen? Here are a few things to think about:
- Do you wants abs?
- Do you want to put on size?
- Do you want more energy?
- Do you want to feel comfortable with taking your shirt off at the beach?
- Do you want to lose 15lbs?
- Do you want more energy?
Decide what being jacked means to you. You need to have a specific goal. My goal the last few years has been to stay lean and muscular. I enjoy having abs. In the past, I just lifted weights to get big and then I wouldn’t be happy with how I looked.
What would it mean to you to feel like you’re in amazing shape?
Stop reading useless articles on visualization and start moving.
- “Be the hardest work in the room.”
- “You have to work for your dreams to work.”
STOP STRESSING ABOUT USELESS MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES!
This whole fitness stuff is simpler than you think. You don’t have to overcomplicate this stuff. Seriously, you don’t have to visualize or meditate. You need to start moving. It’s important that you get active.
Get into a gym.
“I haven’t been hitting the gym lately because I can’t find a good routine.”
A friend actually gave me this excuse for why he wasn’t training. He was obviously reaching for an excuse and that was the best that he could think of.
I want you to get into a gym.
I hate to break it to you, but you won’t be fighting in the UFC any time nor will you be entering any physique competitions. Your goal should be to get into the gym and just move around. Make some progress. Do something. Don’t stress about finding the perfect routine.
What about home workouts?
MEH.
Are you really going to workout at home?
BE HONEST.
You’re not going to do anything at home except for binge watch Netflix. If you can actually build a home gym or do a home-base workout then go for it. Chances are that you won’t be able to find the motivation.
It’s also good for your social life to be around people.
Every morning I wake up at 9am sharp. I respond to emails and write until it’s time to train. Three days a week I hit BJJ class at noon for one hour. I try to lift weights 4 days a week (weekends included). After each session, I hang out in the sauna and shoot the breeze with friends. If you’re self-employed, you can benefit from being around fun people.
Stop worrying about expensive gimmicks.
You don’t need to buy a new wardrobe nor do you have to spend money on expensive supplements.
Coffee is the only supplement that you need. Steak being the next thing that you need (or whatever you want to do for protein).
Make health a priority.
I’m not here to lecture people but I’ve noticed that most of my friends want to talk about getting in shape but they don’t really want to do anything. If you actually want to do something then it’s important that you take action.
How can you make health a priority?
- Drink water in the morning. I drink a ton of water in the morning to ensure that I’m hydrated.
- Get sleep. Stop scrolling and find a way to get more sleep. Also, bragging about how little you sleep isn’t cool. A lack of sleep is deadly.
- Cut down on mindless surfing.
- Stop arguing politics and do some pushups.
Part one: Watch your eating.
You’re going to feel like eating a donut for breakfast because you’re busy. You’re also going to want to order fast food for dinner because you have somewhere to be. You already know what eating all of that crap does to you.
How do you watch your eating?
- I swear by intermittent fasting. More on this later.
- Try to order healthy food. I don’t cook that often. Don’t worry, I won’t lecture you about cooking. There’s nothing wrong with ordering your meals or eating out. Just try to go for the healthier option.
- Make cooking fun. If you’re going to cook, then turn into something that you enjoy. I usually blast out a few podcast episodes while I cook up my meals. There are many meal prep ideas out there so that you can keep things interesting.
- Fuel your body. I know that life gets stressful and that you’re going to want to reward yourself with a bag of chips. You got so much done. You deserve a treat, right? You do. Just not a daily treat.
- Plan cheat days. Have the occasional day where you pig out and let loose.
I actually follow intermittent fasting to get results. You can see pictures of my progress there. You can also read up how I eventually transitioned into the one feast a day plan for optimal productivity and results.
I created an entire course on how fasting can help you get jacked while helping you become more productive. Try replacing your heavy breakfast with a cup of coffee tomorrow and see how you feel. Wait until lunch to eat that mea.l.
Part two: Start training.
The next step is to get moving.
The best way to get into training is to find a class at your local gym. I don’t have enough space in this article to start listing out different training routines for different goals. You know how to use Google.
Don’t complain about the cost of the membership. You’ve likely spent money on stupider things in your life.
If you can’t find a class, then try to find a training partner.
When you’re comfortable enough to train alone, you can Google a training routine based on your goals. If you’re ever confused about any of the exercises, you can look up tutorials on YouTube.
I understand that everyone won’t be a fan of lifting weights. This is why I suggest that you find a gym with a variety of classes from CrossFit to kettlebells to combat style training.
Part three: Managing your busy schedule.
We know that you’re busy. However, health is everything. I don’t know what to tell you. You have to find a way to add training to your routine.
It’s also important that you train for the social aspect alone. You can easily feel isolated when you’re always alone or only interacting with people online. It’s good to have real life friends. I personally look forward to my afternoon grappling class after a morning of typing away at coffee shops.
These are my best tips for managing getting jacked with a busy schedule:
- Find classes/training sessions that you can commit to.
- Have someone in your corner. This could be a spouse, co-worker, friend,
- Don’t overcommit. You don’t have train like an olympic athlete. You just want to get into better shape for the summer or in general.
- Ease into it. Don’t try to go all out. You can’t change all of your habits in one shot. Try slowly eating bette while throwing in more training sessions.
We’re all busy, but if you don’t take the time to take care of yourself now, then it’s only going to get tougher as you get older and busier. Treat yourself to a better a physique. Your mind will also thank you.
Here’s a summary of how to get jacked when you’re busy:
- Find a way to eat better without stressing out about it.
- Join a gym that’s going to force you to train with others.
- Be consistent. Your business didn’t grow overnight so your biceps won’t either.
Good luck with getting in shape. Start now before it’s too late.