How Much do you Workout?

[IH8ColdWeath3r]

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With the process of getting in to med school getting more and more competitive along with all of the loops that one has to jump through now just to even have a shot at getting in, how does one stay balance, and devote enough time to staying health and fit. 😎

I know for me, I used to be in the gym 6 out of 7 days a week, at least two hours a day. Sadly, I used to even be a personal trainer, and people PAID ME TO HELP THEM LOSE WEIGHT (had one of my clients even lose 50 lbs)!😀 But now, as a junior getting ready to take the MCAT, along with a full load and all the other stuff, I barely have time to even go to the gym. Every time that I do go, its just a reminder of how much of a fat slob i've become. And if I do go and workout hard like i used to, i find that I am way to dead to even try to study

How much time do you guys devote each week to working out? please be specific and also clarify if this is during a regular school year, summer, or during the duration of studying for the mcat or other extracurricular activities.

 

[ucfknight407]

I workout 6 days a week and follow a completely healthy diet.

im doing p90x lol. With the stress and time constraints of a pre-med course load. I stopped wanting to go to the gym and ate a lot of fast food. the thought of even planning a new workout and diet gave me a headache. so i decided to keep it simple and do p90x. the work outs, schedule, and nutrition are laid out for you. So i have to spend minimal time thinking about it. I just do it. The workouts are 1 hr a day and very extreme. you probably only be able to complete them after 2 weeks to a month of doing it but you get in great shape. I went from no stamina and abs to a visible 6-pac and great stamina and increasing definition in 6 weeks.

 

[BJJ]

not enough, I used to to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 5x a week and was in tremendous shape. Then school started and it went down to 3x a week. Hurt my knee and have been out for a long time.

 

[WildEMDoc]

I used to be able to hit the gym everyday my freshman year. But as I moved into upper division courses, and up to 4 labs a semester I just go 2-3 days (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). But I try to ride my bike everyday, so I do not get too out of shape (there is a hilly and undeveloped area near where I live).

 

[YoungGregory]

I lift 4 days a week and do cardio on my off days. I used to be big into power lifting and had a big three total above 1200, but now I'm really just into being fit. In the summer I usually go to the boxing gym 3 days a week.

My life is pretty much going to the gym and studying lol.


Edit: and I take a full course load in the fall/spring/summer

 

[drizzt3117]

I spend an hour or so a day 6 days a week in the gym, I'll usually go around 10 pm after I've finished reading then work on boards stuff after I get hm. It's all about time management.

 

[mouthwash4hobo]

Not as much as I'd like. School, work, and volunteering takes up a lot of time. BUT I successfully rolled out of bed at 5AM yesterday and hit the gym and got so much accomplished! If only I could do this 4-5x/wk life would be grrrrreat. Basically since I started school up again it's more like twice a week 🙁

 

[orphn]

bjj 4-5x a week and usually do small workouts on top of that 4-5 times a week (taking 17 units on qtr system+volunteering)

gotta love waking up early 😛

 

[CyclistOK]

I guess it helps that exercise was essentially one of my major extracurricular activities on my application (team sport)

Workout 6-7 days a week @ ~300miles cycling + races during the race season

 

[MiniMoo]

Ever since finishing up a marathon in February, I've been a huge lazy bum. Work out maybe 3-4 times a week for like 30 minutes. To make matters worse, now that interview season is over, I've had so much more time to go out eating/drinking with friends. I'm hoping summer and beach season will give me some motivation to hit the gym more. I'm just getting really sick of the monotony of it all.

 

[Hope0913]

I workout 6 days a week and follow a completely healthy diet.

im doing p90x lol. With the stress and time constraints of a pre-med course load. I stopped wanting to go to the gym and ate a lot of fast food. the thought of even planning a new workout and diet gave me a headache. so i decided to keep it simple and do p90x. the work outs, schedule, and nutrition are laid out for you. So i have to spend minimal time thinking about it. I just do it. The workouts are 1 hr a day and very extreme. you probably only be able to complete them after 2 weeks to a month of doing it but you get in great shape. I went from no stamina and abs to a visible 6-pac and great stamina and increasing definition in 6 weeks.

first of all I'm so jealous, I've been trying to get abs for a while now. I'm the skinny fat person and I've been trying so hard to go to the gym and eat healthier but it never works out. plus we have this "clique" of hardcore workout guys that intimidate the heck outta everybody else at the gym and they just love gloat about how much they can lift etc . And not a lot of girls go there so i'm usually the odd person there, hopefully things will change this summer and i can finally get the abs that i want!

 

[fatty19]

D1 athlete here. August-March is 2 hour practice in the morning before class, 2.5 in the afternoon after class 5 days a week, plus either a 3 hour workout on Saturday or competition and travel on the weekends. Not much time for EC's (except athletics) during the season. But it's all about priorities. If you have to workout 4-5 hours a day to get school paid for, you make it work.

Took the MCAT during the off-season so I was only practicing 2-3 hours a day and no weekends. Needless to say that much exercise is completely excessive.

 

[Hamiltonian]

The real question is:

how much do you bronze?

 

[Van Chowder]

I typically workout 2x about 5-6 days/week. And for me, the working out a bunch really was starting to wear me down and wasn't allowing me to study much more than 1-2hr/night ( I only do cardio which is about 5 miles at a moderate pace on a rather steep incline, and walking to and from campus which ends up being about 4 miles/day) but now, to save some time. I will slow down a bit on the treadmill or even try the elliptical, bring some print outs/notes from class and study WHILE im working out. Time management baby😀

 

[VTBuc]

I lift 3 times a week, and usually go for 2 long jogs(>5k) every week as well. I'm about to start increasing the amount of running, though.

 

[JoshUNCW]

I do strength straining 3 days a week (1 hour each). Then 3 days a week I run (2-3 miles) and do really light core strengthening. Then I take off a day.

I understand not having time. With being premed, having an internship, holding officer positions, taking advanced classics, etc etc, it becomes extremely hard to find the time. But I realized I really didn't like how I looked after 6 months of not hitting the gym. So I _made_ the time. Even if it means I get an A- on an exam instead of an A or if it means I wake up extra early. I found that my personal health and having a nice body was extremely important to me.

You can always find time for the things you really want. And of course, regardless of if you hit the gym. A healthy diet will help you stay in shape regardless.

 

[MossPoh]

I'm a med student and I can still get in 3 times a week for a good hour and half. The half is usually just warmup/prehab stuff with the rest being lifting. I used to go 6 or so times a week forever. Now that I stopped that my gains have actually been better. I jumped up 60 pounds in my deadlift since med school started....by doing less.

 

[lcr2108]

i go everyday, but i'm a second semester senior taking easy courses haha

 

[ucfknight407]

first of all I'm so jealous, I've been trying to get abs for a while now. I'm the skinny fat person and I've been trying so hard to go to the gym and eat healthier but it never works out. plus we have this "clique" of hardcore workout guys that intimidate the heck outta everybody else at the gym and they just love gloat about how much they can lift etc . And not a lot of girls go there so i'm usually the odd person there, hopefully things will change this summer and i can finally get the abs that i want!

maybe you should try p90x. you can always download it and if you like it and really want to support the makers, buy the real thing. I have tendency to be skinny fat too if i dont workout and I started p90x coming off the swine flu and a few months of not lifting so I was in pretty bad shape. Overall its leaned me up and made me feel stronger real quick. Im in great enough shape that I feel completely confident with my clothes off now.

 

[TakeMe]

I run 5 miles twice a week, 8 miles once a week, and go to the gym twice a week (40 minutes of cardio and lifting). I also have been on a calorie restricted diet for about 5 weeks, and have lost 5 pounds. I am hoping to drop 10 before med school, so I can gain them back when I am doing nothing but studying- LOL.

I am lowering my 8 mile day to a 5 mile day because it is way too hot and humid here in So. Florida in the summer. I usually up my long runs in the winter to anywhere from 8-11 miles. I also like to add swimming in the summer 🙂

If you want to do it, make time for it! I wake up at 5 am 3 days a week because I have to be at work at 7:15. Self-discipline is key!

 

[Hamiltonian]

Another, more serious question:

how do you plan to sustain working out once you get into the work force?

 

[Jrsharp70]

Time management is a skill. There is time in the week to stay fit, if you can just evaluate your schedule and stick to it. P90x is awesome. My friend uses it 45 min a day and he is getting in very good shape.

 

[JoshUNCW]

Another, more serious question:

how do you plan to sustain working out once you get into the work force?

You can always find an hour a day to workout. Even if its only 2-3 days a week. Its not impossible.

As for the girl that wanted abs, the biggest reason people don't have abs is belly fat. Most people actually ALREADY have a small six pack. It's just buried under 1/4 inch of fat. The only fat you're gonna see it is by eating healthier and cardio. Crunches will make them a little bigger if you just want to work out from home, but you still won't see them clearly until you cardio+eat right to get body fat percentage down.

 

[dw2158]

I spend an hour or so a day 6 days a week in the gym, I'll usually go around 10 pm after I've finished reading then work on boards stuff after I get hm. It's all about time management.

ditto. i have never understood people who say they don't have time... obviously there are *days* where i have too much other stuff to do, but on average i'm at the gym 6 days/week. for me, it's not even about time management; i've just made it a mandatory part of my life. like eating. or sleeping.

Another, more serious question:

how do you plan to sustain working out once you get into the work force?

granted, i only work about 45 or 50 (max) hours per week, but i'm finding it is very easy to sustain a workout schedule while in the work force. again, if you just make it a mandatory part of your life, it stops feeling like this huuuuge, annoying time drain. i think people are way too melodramatic about the time investment involved in working out. just do it. even if you can't complete the perfect 2 hour workout every single day, just suck it up and do something. not that hard.

 

[marele86]

I'll second the P90X praise - I'm on a round right now - LOVE it. It's nice having everything pre-planned out for you by a legit trainer, and it's even better to have a good mix of workouts so you don't get bored (plyometrics, yoga, weight training, martial arts). Plus, the Yoga DVD is killer - I started off not being able to do half of the stuff they did, and now I can do things I haven't done since I was a 7 year old in gymnastics. Love P90X.

So yeah, 6 days a week, about 60-90 minutes a day. Thinking about keeping it up this summer.

 

[DrYoda]

I do do between 30min and an hour of working out most days of the week. Sometimes I skip on weekends. I could make time for more, but I'm not much of a workout nut I just want to stay in shape.

 

[fatty19]

ditto. i have never understood people who say they don't have time... obviously there are *days* where i have too much other stuff to do, but on average i'm at the gym 6 days/week. for me, it's not even about time management; i've just made it a mandatory part of my life. like eating. or sleeping.

This. Once you get into a routine it just becomes part of life.

 

[Trogghunter]

P90X....gay. anyone see people doing the workout videos? it looks like updated richard simmons. that stuff is like lifting tinker tots compared to how jacked and swol i get when im at the gym.
i bet that 3/4 of you all dont actually work out 1/2 as much as you say that you do.

 

[RedSHIFT]

i play hoops at the gym everyday for 30 mins...then lift. I'm always sore though which sucks.

 

[medat101]

Cardio 4-5 days a week, plus 3 times a week of kettlebells and 3 times a week of pilates/yoga.

Hope I can keep this up when I start in the fall! 👍

 

[combatwombat]

I try to squeeze in a modest 20 min of cardio in the mornings. If I'm lucky I'll get to hit the weights for maybe 10 min after that. There's so little spare time I try to consistently fit in short workouts rather than do longer ones like I used to.

 

[BWSTW]

P90X....gay. anyone see people doing the workout videos? it looks like updated richard simmons. that stuff is like lifting tinker tots compared to how jacked and swol i get when im at the gym.
i bet that 3/4 of you all dont actually work out 1/2 as much as you say that you do.

Whatever. It's obvious you have never tried a P90X workout.

 

[BWSTW]

I was typically working out about 3x a week with a variation of the P90x dvds, but I decided to start the P90X Lean program this week. (The p90x program is designed for 6 days of workouts and rest or stretch on the 7th day) My goal is to exercise in the mornings before work, so I can focus more on studying in the evenings when I get home. Gotta look good in my swimsuit this summer!

 

[lstone13]

Another, more serious question:

how do you plan to sustain working out once you get into the work force?

Definitely time management. What's also helpful is if you can find a gym near your workplace. Going to the gym right before/after work helps me to avoid rush hour traffic.

Personally, I workout 5-6 times per week from 1-1.5 hours at a time. Usually, this involves a combination of cardio and strength training.

 

[YoungGregory]

Another, more serious question:

how do you plan to sustain working out once you get into the work force?

The way I see it is there are 24 hours in a day. Working out takes an hour, maybe a hour and thirty minutes. Doesn't seem that hard to me to hit the gym daily.

 

[YoungGregory]

Whatever. It's obvious you have never tried a P90X workout.

P90x is great for staying decently fit, but if you wanna put on serious muscle you better start pushing that iron in the gym. lol

 

[acegsm]

I typically workout five to six times a week, for about an hour to an hour & a half. I usually start with a ten minute jog. I alternate days between legs and abs to arms and abs.

 

[wzrlygd]

I'll add another vote for p90x it's nice to not have to think about what excercises you need to do on a specific day. Just stick to the plan and you get a well rounded workout every week in about an hour every day, in your own house. Just need to get a pullup bar, a yoga mat, and some dumbells for the arm workouts and download the videos of course. Add an after-shower and a high protein meal for after and you'll probably still end up spending a total of one and a half to two hours a day on your workout but at least there's no commuting time to the gym or whatever.

It works for me so far, but I admit I'm still and undergrad so times going to tell on that one. I sure hope that I'll still have time to work out because I have trouble enough staying not-fat while working out.

 

[Hamiltonian]

The way I see it is there are 24 hours in a day. Working out takes an hour, maybe a hour and thirty minutes. Doesn't seem that hard to me to hit the gym daily.

This is hypothetical:

you work 9-10 hours a day, 60-70 hours a week. You're a doctor, so work is not easy. Do you summon the power to work out after you leave work? That doesn't seem like it would stick with everybody.

 

[tlaloc87]

This is hypothetical:

you work 9-10 hours a day, 60-70 hours a week. You're a doctor, so work is not easy. Do you summon the power to work out after you leave work? That doesn't seem like it would stick with everybody.

Being the morning person that I am, I will probably get up early and work out before heading to work. Heck I've been waking up well before 5 a.m. for the past year so it won't be that hard. Plus, who needs sleep?

 

[DrArete]

.

 

[jvesco22]

P90X....gay. anyone see people doing the workout videos? it looks like updated richard simmons. that stuff is like lifting tinker tots compared to how jacked and swol i get when im at the gym.
i bet that 3/4 of you all dont actually work out 1/2 as much as you say that you do.

lol x2

Check out my jacked fibras.

 

[Hamiltonian]

P90X....gay. anyone see people doing the workout videos? it looks like updated richard simmons. that stuff is like lifting tinker tots compared to how jacked and swol i get when im at the gym.
i bet that 3/4 of you all dont actually work out 1/2 as much as you say that you do.

You. Me. Jaegerbombs!



Jaegerbombs!




Jaegerbombs!

 

[sonofva]

I do 1.5 hours/day * 4 days a week...

usually do max effort monday and tuesday and speed work on thurs. and fri.

nothing helps to blow off steam and make you sleep like a baby like pulling 400 lbs.!

although i'm looking forward to when time gets tighter in med school and all my muscle is replaced by sweet, sweet fat.

 

[jvesco22]

I do 1.5 hours/day * 4 days a week...

usually do max effort monday and tuesday and speed work on thurs. and fri.

nothing helps to blow off steam and make you sleep like a baby like pulling 400 lbs.!

although i'm looking forward to when time gets tighter in med school and all my muscle is replaced by sweet, sweet fat.

I can think of something and it's much more enjoyable!😀

 

[MiniMoo]

Dude you all make me feel like a huge lazy bum.

Dammit, I gotta work out now. Thanks a lot guys. 🙄

 

[Dr Pennypacker]

I do karate, Olympic style lifts, and fight at my local high school on weekends as a cage fighter. I've been offered steroids but because to my immense knowledge of the body, I have refrained from using them.

 

[theWUbear]

I've been offered steroids

 

[Dr Pennypacker]

@ theWUbear, is that all you do man? Keep being a hater and keep posting pictures with phrases that stopped being funny 2 years ago.

 

[ucfknight407]

While you can get bigger in the gym. you can still put on muscle doing p90x if you increase the weight each week just like you would in the gym. I bet none of you talking crap about p90x have tried it or could complete a signal workout fully in your current condition lol. Then again people are always capable of surprising you.