Incoming intern here, do y’all get time to lift? Currently lifting 2hrs/day, 6x/week and worried my current program is overly ambitious for what’s to come. Energy levels aren’t the issue as I’m basically snorting pre- at this point, but moreso having time after work to spend an hour or so at the gym without compromising on sleep/studying too much. If any of y’all have made it work, and continued to make progress during the worst parts of your residency, I’d love any tips you have.
Also, wtf do y’all eat outside of cafeteria food?
I lifted around 6 days per week during intern year, but had to shorten my workouts to 45min-1hr. Always went right after work so that I wouldn't fall asleep at home first. Can't say I was getting any bigger but was at least able to maintain what I had coming out of 4th year of med school. Would just study for a bit after the gym. I was single and living alone at the time so that definitely made it easier.
I took a protein shake to work, otherwise just slow cooked some chicken early in the week and made a large container of pasta that lasted me a few days. Hated meal prepping so never did that.
Snorting pre and working out for two hours a day isn’t the flex you think it is
Damn someone reeks of insecurity. Maybe direct your bitterness inwards to figure out why you can’t maintain a good physique while your colleagues can. Might help you fight off those nasty divorce statistics. Just a thought though.
Shorten your workouts. Unless you want to compete in Classic Physique or the Crossfit games you can shorten your workouts without compromising quality. For cardio, HIIT. For Resistance training, you can follow a super slow routine that is a killer workout and still gain muscle in 30 min or less (Look at Doug McGuff stuff on youtube). For protein intake, there are 10000 ways of increasing your protein, with shakes (core power) being n1 choice.
I wasn't able to work out regularly in my PGY1 year, but then, starting my PGY2 year, was able to get at least 4 resistance training sessions per week, and two cardio sessions, with one rest day. My workouts are usually an hour max. Helps if you have a gym in your hospital, or your home/building. I have both. My home gym is pretty basic (live in a small apartment) but has all the equipment I need to complete a workout. I also have a cardio machine at home. So it is very doable, if you prioritize this dedicated hour, and manage your time well. I also happen to be in a clinically busy program.
