New Job hurts my workouts

[daan69]

3 weeks ago started working for FedEx... Its all heavy work... 6 hr shifts of lifting boxes and objects weighing in the upwards of 100 pounds... my application stated that the limit that i would lift would be 150 pounds...

however since i have to bend at my lower back and knees picking up these things, with no break for 6 hrs, it puts a pretty good strain on me.

today is the 2nd day in a row i have thrown my back out, im considering scheduling an appointment with a local chiropractor (sp??).

My workouts have begin to SUCK. Seriously im so sore and tired by the time i finish a few sets, my intensity goes way down, and i feel as though i am overtraining.

I have gotten weaker, and have lost weight... thankfully i am losing fat too

What should i do? Should my workouts consist of less volume? (they are 15-18 sets usually) Should i hop on cycle that will allow me to recover better and continue to work out hard? Or should i quit my new job that gets me $14/hr and benefits (not a bad job for a student who is out of school for the summer) so that i can pursue the body i have been sculpting for 5+ years?

the whole situation is shitty

 

[Dlove]

How many shifts are you working? When I used to work with my hands more and lifting things I would always get my lifting sessions done first thing in the morning.
15-18 sets also seems kinda high on or off cycle. I used to that but switched to going heavier for less reps and I like this way a lot more. You could always jump on some deca and test for recovery too.

 

[gottabadrash]

i do masonry... i lift at 5 am because there is no way you can lift good after throwing cinderblocks around all day

 

[daan69]

How many shifts are you working? When I used to work with my hands more and lifting things I would always get my lifting sessions done first thing in the morning.
15-18 sets also seems kinda high on or off cycle. I used to that but switched to going heavier for less reps and I like this way a lot more. You could always jump on some deca and test for recovery too.

5 6-hour shifts tuesday through saturday...

i suppose i could lift in the morning, but that would probably make it worse later on...

idk ill give it a try

 

[Dlove]

i do masonry... i lift at 5 am because there is no way you can lift good after throwing cinderblocks around all day

To me manual labor is more taxing to my body than free weights. Uncontrolled heavy monements like throwing cinder blocks will make you stronger than barbell or DB work. In my opinion.

 

[joshbeam1]

Give your body a little time to adapt to the new stress youre putting on it, eventually u'll get used to it. I do construction work(lots of manual labor) I work anywheres from 8-14hr days. Obviously on the 11-14hr days I don't have the energy to workout, but even 10hr days of manual labor, i have managed to adapt and get a good 1hr-1.5hr workout in AFTER my days work. Just make sure u eat some about 1-2hrs prior to gym(2-4peices of toast-ryes good and cottage cheese or something) then have some apple juice, protein shake and maybe a few eggs 30min before workout. I've noticed if I keep my calories up throughout the day(as best i can) i get much more out of my workout. Try it, be a bit patient at first, but u'll definately have to push yourself. SOmetimes I feel pretty shitty, but after I push myself in the gym for 10-15 min. i snap out of it. Good luck.
Manual labor might be more taxing, but i've never got real big off manual labor alone, more toned and endurance. Keep lifting.

 

[huskyguy]

Actually mental labor is far more taxing than manual labor. Our work environment is incredibly challenging and we are expected to be creative, and innovative all day long. At the end of the day you still take your work home with you and it is common to wake up in the middle of the night because of some idea that won't leave your brain. Regardless of stress, working out in the gym actually gives me more energy. When I fail to go to the gym, is when I feel worn out. Diet is the most difficult part when it comes to work. I am constantly eating and my colleagues tease me about it. and

 

[Starkraven]

i would quit but thats me. i will never do the manual labor job. its bad enough i did roadwork community service and that was labor, couldnt work out. its not for me, i really dont think its for anyone who works out to be honest, or anyone who wants to put on size. it taxes the recovery way too much. thats from my experience though. working out gives me energy but too much work wears me out quick.

 

[Injectyourspinach]

3 weeks ago started working for FedEx... Its all heavy work... 6 hr shifts of lifting boxes and objects weighing in the upwards of 100 pounds... my application stated that the limit that i would lift would be 150 pounds...

however since i have to bend at my lower back and knees picking up these things, with no break for 6 hrs, it puts a pretty good strain on me.

today is the 2nd day in a row i have thrown my back out, im considering scheduling an appointment with a local chiropractor (sp??).

My workouts have begin to SUCK. Seriously im so sore and tired by the time i finish a few sets, my intensity goes way down, and i feel as though i am overtraining.

I have gotten weaker, and have lost weight... thankfully i am losing fat too

What should i do? Should my workouts consist of less volume? (they are 15-18 sets usually) Should i hop on cycle that will allow me to recover better and continue to work out hard? Or should i quit my new job that gets me $14/hr and benefits (not a bad job for a student who is out of school for the summer) so that i can pursue the body i have been sculpting for 5+ years?

the whole situation is shitty

I think you will adjust. I had worked in a door shop warehouse a number of years ago that involved moving around a lot of solid core doors. For the first week and a half or two, I kept getting sorer and sorer and would workout every two to three days afterwards. After about a week and half or two, I had adjusted. Muscle soreness went away and the doors started feeling a lot lighter and the endurance in the involved muscles had adapted a great deal. Of course, I was training lowish volume back then, and that's probably a necessity (at least for the main muscles involved in Deadlifts and Squats). Supplementation with Nootropics and L-Theanine might help with CNS recovery too.

One thing you really have to learn if you keep throwing your back out is how to lift safely. It's very important that you activate the tourniquet function of the transverse abdominis and obliques for spinal stability by sucking air into your stomach and tightening up before and throughout lifting. And focus on getting LOW to spread the lifting stresses to the involved muscles evenly (including the quads). Less likely to injure yourself this way, and you don't wear yourself out as quickly as leaving the brunt of the work to be completed by only a couple of muscles (repeatedly).

 

[Lombi22]

Donot sweat it man, im also do masonry up at 7 and its brick block, stonework, scaffold moving, cement mixing and caring and movie bags and buckets in genereal, home at 6 in the gym at 8, got a part time job on weekend as a waiter in a catering hall. 5 day splits and i make it fit, just gotta make sure u get the nutrients ure body needs and SLEEP is your bestfriend, vitaminas help also. and i still party (sometimes).


Hardest part of my day is waking up, and on some days, nothign a red bull cant help do. hope it motivates.

 

[ssmla123]

If you threw your back out twice...Don't try to be a hero...14 an hour is nothing if it means having to go to a chiropractor for years to come. Try wearing a belt and see if it gets better over the next couple days. If not, go get a job that pays less. Jobs like the one your working should pay more. Your busting up your body for average pay, and getting no experience that will be valuable if you ever decide to do something else with your life. When you get a degree, you'll want a job with a company in your field on your resume. An assistant manager at Fedx with a degree is less likely to get a job for company X than a guy who spent a summer filing papers for company X's competitor. That is...unless company X is a shipping company

 

[{R}a{G}e]

I used to have to throw shit around all day like you did. I was a box bitch and had to load them all day , move heavy stuff and i was a 150lber. Basically i started monday-Friday at 1:30 and got off at like 9 or so.
I would hit the gym at around 12 or so and then head straight to work, i felt like a jacked up son of a gun becuase of the pumps and was tired at work because of the work i just got in, but i saw good gains.

Most of my boxes i was lifting were 40-70lbs, not very much but 7 hours of that gets old and hard.

 

[Vinni]

Bro make sure you wear your lifting belt. I do the same sorta work...you may look silly but who gives a shit. Practice good form when lifting the heavy shit and keep hydrated. Bring your protein shakes with you!

 

[daan69]

Most of my boxes i was lifting were 40-70lbs, not very much but 7 hours of that gets old and hard.

your right man... im there an hour less and it still sucks big time

i wore my belt under my shirt today... it made me sweat alot in my midsection but all in all i think it helped

oh well, gotta pay bills

thanks for the help fellas

 

[GET-THICK-QUICK]

i would quit but thats me. i will never do the manual labor job. its bad enough i did roadwork community service and that was labor, couldnt work out. its not for me, i really dont think its for anyone who works out to be honest, or anyone who wants to put on size. it taxes the recovery way too much. thats from my experience though. working out gives me energy but too much work wears me out quick.

Amen to that!! I'm throwing freight like an idiot while being skinny with a fast metabolism and expecting to gain mass. It does no good to eat 5000 calories a day if you're burning 5000 calories a day. You are so right. I'm finding me a lazy ass job. lol

 

[ecko04]

bro im in the same boat, working for summer making a decent wage to bring money back to school. i work the ground for a roofing contractor at least 5 days a week 6am-2 and it is hell, but im young and wouldn't do it any other way right now. crazy calories like joshbeam said and at least 8 hrs of sleep every night keep me goin. now my latest thing is to do all this with very little coffee/caffine

 

[Bimmer]

i recently switched to a physcial job and was in the same situation. I started going in the mornings but I hated waking up that much earlier and my workouts still suffered since it takes me a few hours to really wake up. So I went back to goin at night around 9. One thing that really helps is taking a good 1-2 hour nap before you go. Nap, get a good meal in and youll see a world of a differance. Oh and maybe a redbull or some coffee once you wake up to give you an extra kick.