Hi there - my wife and I have just found out we’re expecting our first child. Super excited, but I am thinking long term about training following the birth. I’ll obviously want to spend as much time as possible with my new baby so was looking for something where I can get in and out of the gym in c.30minutes.
I was thinking splitting the 4 big lifts over 4 days and following the intensity schedule of The Bridge (week 1 low stress, week 2 moderate, week 3 moderate, week 4 high etc), and supplementing that with something quick. Eg:
Monday - squat 5@6, 5@7, 5@8 followed by a push movement for myoreps or supersetting.
Tuesday - bench 5@6, 5@7, 5@8 followed by a pull movement for myoreps or supersetting.
Etc etc.
Any thoughts? Any other first time parents can offer any advice on how they fitted in training for the first year or so?
Yep. Turn your garage into your gym. You can bounce the baby on you knee between sets, or stick them in a playpen in the same room- at a safe distance of course…
By the way, the first year or so is a breeze. Once they become mobile, get into everything, begin school, become involved in extracurricular activities, start talkin back, thats when the real fun starts.
Awesome thank you - that’s my plan long term (garage gym), unfortunately we’re renting our house at the min and have no garage but hoping to own our own home by the time the baby arrives.
Any advice or critique on getting in a good workout in c.30 mins? Thanks again
Probably the most important thing is 1) get on the same page as your wife and 2) be flexible.
I cant stress the first part enough.
The big thing that changes with having a child is you no longer get the luxury of one plan for a given day. You will need many plan(s) to adopt or discard, often.
The first year is easier in certain regards: they aren’t moving around for most of that, which does make them easier to pen in.
Re; half hour workouts- pick a theme for the day and do that. Pay attention to your conditioning and your rest periods now so you can spend a good chunk of the shorter time frames working and not recovering. Don’t be afraid to reduce the load to fit in more work. I’d also suggest setting timers in GymBoss (free app).
This is one I used when getting to the gym 3 times a week was the most I could manage.
0-8:00 empty bar to first work set
8:00-24:00 squats or deadlifts
24:00-34:00 press or bench
34:00-40:00 supplemental work (ie upper back, arms, abs, or even a tertiary lower body lift, like leg press or lunges if I deadlifted. Myo reps are your friend)
40:00-60:00 conditioning LISS or HIIT
for the main work, things like
working up to a 6@9, then spending the rest of the time doing as many sets of 3 work well.
The above is inclusive of transitions, so you have to stay aware of the clock.
Last piece of advice; do something active 6 days a week, every week. Something will always best nothing, and whether you have competitive aspirations or not, it will help. Push ups sit ups and air squats in your flat’s living room for 10 minutes are better than not training.
That’s awesome thanks man. When you say ‘pick a theme’ do you mean focus on a certain lift? I.e. deadlift/squat/press/bench, or do you mean like ‘volume day’ or ‘intensity day’?
Either or, but I probably wouldn’t overly focus on intensity at the expense of getting enough volume, when crunched for time.
One main lift and a little work on another is a good way to go, or to get a really good conditioning workout in that time.
But don’t try to fit in everything in 30 minutes was my point.
This is all great advice, especially the comment about being considerate of your spouse. Training can appear to be a selfish indulgence, and a new mother faces many challenges that make your desire to train seem inconsiderate. For this reason I train during my lunch break at a nearby commercial gym. 30 minutes is plenty of time for 2-3 exercises. Take strict 2-3 minute breaks between sets, and superset accessory work like chins or rows in between presses and bench. Use RPE to self regulate for fatigue and lack of sleep.
From another BBM coach and now, new parent. 20 minutes, in and out. As he says, not ideal, but it gets the job done.
Don’t forget, training’s always going to be there. In five years time you wont be regretting all that time you didn’t spend in the gym. They grow up that quick its nuts. Enjoy!
Yeah I absolutely agree - I was also thinking of lunchtime training if I can find a gym nearby, or early AM training whilst baby and wife are (hopefully) still asleep. With training in the first months/year, my main aim will not be on building strength/size, just maintaining what I’ve built up until the baby is born, mainly because I understand it’s going to be massively hard work raising a newborn baby so I want to at least stay in shape and not pile on the pounds.
That last part really puts it in perspective, thank you - I’m thinking that when baby comes training will be pushed so far down my list of priorities that I’ll have to force myself to get to the gym at times.
Hi there. I’ve been able to train before and after having my two sons (3 years old and 1 year old). For both boys I took a month off right when they were born to be 100% focused on Mom and baby. I started training again shortly after going back to work and would fit it in during the day as others have recommended. I was using the BBM hypertrophy templates right after and could get the session for the day done in 35-45 min if I set a timer between sets and stayed focused. I skipped any GPP for the first couple months and then once we could go on walks in the BOB stroller I could keep the pace up. Since my gym is 24 hour access I have been there at 3:00 a.m. or as late as midnight to get training in. It is really amazing how little sleep you can operate on, although not ideal.
Great recommendations from others in regards to taking care of yourself in order to better take care of your family. My wife understands it helps so much with my mood/stress level. Now our youngest is old enough my wife has started training again!
There have been times when they get sick, have appointments, etc where I missed days, had to condense training, work around less than ideal circumstances and you just need to find ways to make it fit. When I finally realized I will no longer “get” more time to train and it may not be 100% ideal for the next few years, it became enjoyable to just make some time to do it.
Good luck and congrats!
Awesome thanks man - good to see you were able to take the month off and get back to training, think this is what I’ll do too. Looking forward to the challenge!
You’re welcome! Another strategy that helped me was joining online fitness classes designed for new parents. These classes are tailored to be baby-friendly and offer a great way to stay motivated. Additionally, consider checking out some resources on postnatal fitness to ensure you’re doing exercises that are safe and beneficial for your postpartum recovery. For more in-depth information on changes and milestones during pregnancy and postpartum, you might find this article about Feeling your baby's first moves: What is quickening in pregnancy - Femia Health very informative. Understanding the changes your body has gone through can help you better tailor your fitness routine. Finally, don’t hesitate to ask for help from family or friends so you can carve out some time for yourself. Remember, staying active is important, but so is enjoying this special time with your baby. Keep up the great work, and you’ll find a balance that works for you!
