Working out in med school

[enjoydrywax]

As a premed I am not too worried about finding the 1-2 hours per day to get to the gym, but finding the time to keep up with a healthy diet. Honestly, I think the hardest part about working out isn't the actual work-out itself, but maintaining my macro ratios and consuming enough calories spread out over 4-6 meals. My goal is to not eat fast food or outside (i.e cook most of my meals), but it seems like this could be difficult. I am actually surprised that some of you (especially the ones who did bodybuilding or lifted somewhat seriously) haven't mentioned anything about balancing med school and diet. If anybody could touch upon this I would appreciate it.

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[Habeed]

Well, I haven't actually done this in real med school (masters program at a med school) but here's my rough idea :

Location. Try to live close to school so that you can easily get home for lunch and to study in the afternoon.

Cook up food in advance. Personally, I like to grill a bag of filet chicken breasts ($6 for a 2.5 lb bag) once a week. I put a McCormick spice pack on it. It takes about 20 minutes to do this, and I chop up the chicken and refrigerate it. I have some whole wheat tortillas, and chopped cheese and some romaine lettuce and salsa, and make myself mini-burritos for half my meals.

I also like to cook pasta the same way, a box at a time, and eat it with Alaskan salmon from those pouches ($1.75 a pouch, good for 2-3 meals)

Finally, good old protein shakes in skim milk are easy to bring along to campus. They sell these sealed flasks at walmart (stainless steel, are $10 each) that I just pour in the milk and a scoop of protein powder.

Keep the portion size small, and the ratio of protein : carbs relatively high (i.e. a lot of chicken in a small tortilla, ect) and you'll be pretty close to proper nutrition, so long as you eat another small meal when hungry (don't skip). If you are cutting for a contest or trying to win a powerlifting competition, maybe you should worry about counting calories and protein grams, but otherwise, don't bother.

All in all, food is not the problem. Motivation to go to the gym when I am buried alive in work is the problem...

For my first med school year, for this reason, I am going to hire a personal trainer to train me 3-5 times per week. At the place I am going, this will be relatively affordable (2.75k <-> 5k a year). The idea is, even when I am buried in work, if I don't to the gym I lose my money, so I am much more likely to show.

Also, a trainer can help you get about 90 minutes worth of lifting on your own crammed into an hour, by providing you a spot and racking the plates and encouraging you when you don't want to do that next set on the squats.

 

[Water011]

For my first med school year, for this reason, I am going to hire a personal trainer to train me 3-5 times per week. At the place I am going, this will be relatively affordable (2.75k <-> 5k a year). The idea is, even when I am buried in work, if I don't to the gym I lose my money, so I am much more likely to show.

Also, a trainer can help you get about 90 minutes worth of lifting on your own crammed into an hour, by providing you a spot and racking the plates and encouraging you when you don't want to do that next set on the squats.

$2,750-$5,000 a year?!?!? Affordable?!?! Is that a typo?

 

[Habeed]

By what I consider affordable, yes. Total living allowance budget is $22k a year, and I'm going to do the ASR program in the military if I can. ($50k a year for 3 years)

I'm going to a state school, so I still save $30k per year over what it would cost me at a private one. So increasing my loans by 2-5k a year isn't much by my standards.

I'm sick of being that skinny nerd who gets pushed around. Or being depressed because I can't see my abs and my triceps are all flabby. And I think that being in better physical shape will improve my confidence, and help me score more points during clinicals. And points with the ladies as well lol...

My car is fully paid for and has low mileage, and I'll live in a cheaper apartment to save $100-$200 a month on rent. (that makes up for most of the cost right there)

 

[masterofmonkeys]

As a premed I am not too worried about finding the 1-2 hours per day to get to the gym, but finding the time to keep up with a healthy diet. Honestly, I think the hardest part about working out isn't the actual work-out itself, but maintaining my macro ratios and consuming enough calories spread out over 4-6 meals. My goal is to not eat fast food or outside (i.e cook most of my meals), but it seems like this could be difficult. I am actually surprised that some of you (especially the ones who did bodybuilding or lifted somewhat seriously) haven't mentioned anything about balancing med school and diet. If anybody could touch upon this I would appreciate it.

As (probably) one of the more serious lifters here, I'll admit that my diet is garbage. I get a decent amount of protein, plenty of fruits/veggies, but also a ton of crap grains and SFAs. I get away with it because of 10+ hours in the gym. No six-pack, but I still wear 32" pants.

There are some things you can do to make getting the good stuff easier.

One of the things i did was pre-arrange my protein/creatine/BCAAs. I have four empty gatorade bottles that I reuse every day (wide mouth means the powder is easier to get in). Every night I'll dump a scoop of whatever into each labeled bottle (morning, pre-workout, post-workout, bedtime). I'll add water and shake it up just before I take it though. You don't need a pre-workout or bedtime shake unless you're spending a lot of time in the gym (longer than one hour) and/or have BIG mass goals though.

I also taped single-serving pill-boxes to the tops of the morning and bedtime bottles (for vitamins/fish oil).

I still suck though, so I added a calendar/checklist to the front of the fridge.

As far as foods, bulk preparation is an absolute must. Boil all the eggs you're going to use for a week. Grill all your chicken for a week. Buy pre-mixed salad in bulk. Single-serving carrots and clementine oranges are also pretty convenient.

It is very doable to eat healthy in med school, but it's not gonna happen without efficiency and organization.

 

[Dedikated2liftn]

As a premed I am not too worried about finding the 1-2 hours per day to get to the gym, but finding the time to keep up with a healthy diet. Honestly, I think the hardest part about working out isn't the actual work-out itself, but maintaining my macro ratios and consuming enough calories spread out over 4-6 meals. My goal is to not eat fast food or outside (i.e cook most of my meals), but it seems like this could be difficult. I am actually surprised that some of you (especially the ones who did bodybuilding or lifted somewhat seriously) haven't mentioned anything about balancing med school and diet. If anybody could touch upon this I would appreciate it. .

Bro, MasterofMonkeys hit the nail on the head...you just gotta be efficient about the how you prepare your food, and you'll be fine. Since most people on this forum aren't needing to cut down enough to step on stage or eat a **** ton to become a competitive powerlifter, a normal, healthy diet will suffice. More specifically, if you're eating between 2,000-2,500 calories a day of balanced foods, chances are your diet is just fine. If someone on this forum is looking to go into competitive bodybuilding (can't really comment on competitive powerlifting) and wants more specific advice about diet, shoot me a PM.

 

[Habeed]

Plus, these days 'competitive' bodybuilding must include a diet of more than just food....

 

[Jolie South]

As a premed I am not too worried about finding the 1-2 hours per day to get to the gym, but finding the time to keep up with a healthy diet. Honestly, I think the hardest part about working out isn't the actual work-out itself, but maintaining my macro ratios and consuming enough calories spread out over 4-6 meals. My goal is to not eat fast food or outside (i.e cook most of my meals), but it seems like this could be difficult. I am actually surprised that some of you (especially the ones who did bodybuilding or lifted somewhat seriously) haven't mentioned anything about balancing med school and diet. If anybody could touch upon this I would appreciate it.

It's not hard to cook all your own food and still have time for school. I do it. I eat out at most once a week. I eat breakfast at home and bring lunch to school.

You just have to be prepared with your grocery shopping and get into the routine. Once you start cooking/preparing food all the time, it's not really a big deal. It takes less than 30 minutes to cook most meals if you're organized. If you're never home, it's probably harder to do. I study at home a lot, so I just take a break to cook. I don't do the "cook a pack of chicken breasts" thing either. I cook different foods every day and always from scratch.

 

[Dedikated2liftn]

Plus, these days 'competitive' bodybuilding must include a diet of more than just food....

Potentially....but there are many natural shows out there as well.

 

[masterofmonkeys]

I don't do the "cook a pack of chicken breasts" thing either. I cook different foods every day and always from scratch.

The bulk food prep is for filling things in, not for your main meals, per se. It's one thing to cook every meal each day when you're getting about 2000 calories a day. But when it's 3000-3500, you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[masterofmonkeys]

If someone on this forum is looking to go into competitive bodybuilding (can't really comment on competitive powerlifting) and wants more specific advice about diet, shoot me a PM.

More carbs for PLers (especially if you have ridiculously long workouts like I do). Other than that, not a whole lot of difference. And of course, you can be less strict in general lol (getting ready to eat a little caesar's pizza).

 

[Jolie South]

The bulk food prep is for filling things in, not for your main meals, per se. It's one thing to cook every meal each day when you're getting about 2000 calories a day. But when it's 3000-3500, you gotta do what you gotta do.

ah, i see. i thought that those were your meals.

 

[eforest]

First and second year, I worked out almost every day, although I missed days here and there during exam weeks. I even ran a marathon first year. Second year I took up cycling which is more time intensive, but a great stress reliever. So second year I'd run when I had less time, and cycle when I had more time, sort of as a treat, maybe after an exam.

Third year I started having less time and stopped making working out a priority- "I'll work out tomorrow..." and I reached a new low in terms of being out of shape, so now I try to run at least 20 minutes even when I'm busy, just so I'm out moving my legs.

I'm a female, so I'm not into heavy lifting- but I do my little bit on the machines at the gym. About 1-2x per week I run to the gym (two miles away), lift some weights, and then run back.

 

[riceman04]

wow...this is awesome guys...thanks for the posts

I'm super amped about next year even though I do not yet know where I will be attending!

Regardless, it seems as if I can make it work. I am just going to have to make sure I don't indulge in "comfort" (read: fatty) foods when I get stressed.

 

[lukgirl]

During the first 2 years worked out 5-6 days a week with cardio after weights on 3 of those days. Went to the gym around 9 pm after starting to get sleepy from studying, this would wake me up so I could so I could bo back home and squeeze out another 2 hours of studying. While at the gym listened to class lectures on mp3 during year 1 and goljan path lectures during year 2, didn't feel so guilty about not studying when I did this. .

What do other people think about this? Anyone else advocate for listening to lectures while working out? Or is it better to use work-outs as a time to crank up your favorite music and get your mind OFF of school?

 

[Perrotfish]

Originally Posted by enjoydrywax
As a premed I am not too worried about finding the 1-2 hours per day to get to the gym, but finding the time to keep up with a healthy diet. Honestly, I think the hardest part about working out isn't the actual work-out itself, but maintaining my macro ratios and consuming enough calories spread out over 4-6 meals. My goal is to not eat fast food or outside (i.e cook most of my meals), but it seems like this could be difficult. I am actually surprised that some of you (especially the ones who did bodybuilding or lifted somewhat seriously) haven't mentioned anything about balancing med school and diet. If anybody could touch upon this I would appreciate it.

I know several students that switched to a system where they preped EVERYTHING on Sunday, put iit in tuperware, bagged the stuff that was going in lunches, and in generally just had their food for the week preped and ready to zap in the microwave. It means a couple of hours of very intensive work every week, but ultimately you end up saving a lot of time.

You can also just do what I do during intense exam times and cook in bulk. Vats of meatballs or stew, that sort of thing. Basically you cook one meal that lasts for 10. Not a lot of variety, but it tastes good and gets the job done.

 

[qmcat]

Does anyone use the pools at their school for lap swimming? I was wondering if swimmers found that they had to cut back on swimming vs. land cardio?

I'm a swimmer, and I'm planning to find or make time to keep on swimming during med school. I'm sure it will be harder when we get to clinical years, but the first two years should be fine.

Plus, it probably doesn't take up that much time if you just rinse under the shower quickly or not shower after swimming. I swam all 4 years of college and the time it takes to get changed and stuff hasn't really been that big of a deal.

 

[lildave2586]

I second whats already been said. At my school, most people I know who want to work out find the time for it. If you're not exercising in med school its probably for the same reasons someone wouldn't exercise who's not in med school.

This is very true.

It helps if you have a gym on campus. Luckily I do, so that has helped a lot. I listen to recordings of class on my ipod when I run, it takes my focus off the pain , and plus I'm able to pick up some info while working out. It's definitely not a high yield thing where I get a ton of info, but it can solidify what you already know.

I work out more, not less during block test weeks. It's the only way to get out stress after you have been studying for eight hours straight.

I cook my own food. Fast food is so nasty I refuse to eat it. I'll usually cook at least 4 times a week and take left overs for lunch, sometimes eat left overs for dinner the next night. I'm married so my wife cooks sometimes when she gets home from work in time. I'm usually home first and I like cooking so I just go ahead and make something. Honestly if you can cut out the fast food it's going to help you in the long run.

It's funny though, I've dropped 5 lbs since school has been out with virtually the same work out routine and diet (must be cortisol levels, eh?)

 

[dienekes88]

What do other people think about this? Anyone else advocate for listening to lectures while working out? Or is it better to use work-outs as a time to crank up your favorite music and get your mind OFF of school?

Maybe if it's the second time through the lecture... I don't think working out is a good time to try to pick up new information. If I really want to think about school when I'm out on the bike, I'll just run through stuff I've already learned. Repetition is your friend.

 

[riceman04]

Sooooo update: It is looking like I will be attending UCSD in the fall...It was a hard chose but cost ended up being the deciding factor since I like both schools equally. I am keeping myself on one waitlist....but that is besides the point.

So UCSD is notorious for having long lecture days...till like around 3 -4pm 3 days out of the week. Right now I am more of in a weight loss phase...so I do engage in intense cardio after an intense weightlifting session. And since I am limiting my intake to lose weight, I obviously do not expect to gain muscle mass....so right now I have these 2.5 hr long workouts that I know for sure I will not be able to continue 5 days a week (especially with that lecture schedule...and yeah I will probably be going to class at least in the beginning b/c it has been a long time since I have taken a hardcore science class).

My plan was to break up my workouts...so I am switching between abs and cardio days and lifting days.

Cardio and abdominal days: 1hr
Lfiting days: 1hr - 1.5hrs

I have been following the same lifting routines (and many of the same exercises for a really long time now...like 7months+) and I do not plan to change them until I officially meet my target weight. Once I do that I will begin bulking and cutting cycles

Does anyone have anymore advice?

thanks guys a bunch!

Does that sound feasible

 

[Jolie South]

Yah but then you smell like chlorine. that's equally as bad as smelling of sweat. Plus at least for me, I used to get itchy when I didn't shower after going in a pool.

no, it's really not.

 

[angiogenesis]

An hour of cardio on weekday, two hours on the weekend.

I'm thinking of recording notes and listening to it while I exercise but I really can't be bothered, and it's not as if the actual workout isn't tiring enough to begin with...don't want to add studying to that.

It's great for stress relieve though and really helps in sorting out your thoughts.

 

[gujuDoc]

no, it's really not.

maybe in your eyes, but I think my opinion still stands as I wouldn't want someone smelling of either sweat or chlorine near me. I think you can take a quick 10 min. shower with real soap being used if you really try. But one should still take a shower and not just rinse.

 

[gujuDoc]

Does anyone use the pools at their school for lap swimming? I was wondering if swimmers found that they had to cut back on swimming vs. land cardio?

I don't know too many swimmers at my school's medical school. Most do typical gym stuff. They use the med gym which doesn't have a pool cuz its meant just for weight training and the typical cardio machines and a yoga ball for the squats/crunches, etc.

Otherwise, they'd have to go to the over crowded main campus gym which already has schedules for the pool for classes or go in their neighborhoods if there are pools for the whole neighborhod to use.

 

[scholj]

There's always time to workout! And in fact, I find it absolutely necessary to maintain an adequate workout schedule to achieve maximal academic performance... I just go nutty when I'm all couped up studying. Also, I know quite a few people in my class who have run and are training for marathons during first and second year. Myself, I'm working at a triathlon.

First year was tricky. I would wake up at 5:45am and get an hour of workout in before classes started maybe 3-5 times a week, depending on the schedule. Second year, that was a lot harder to do, and my workouts became more erratic, but definitely still there. During our heme/cards block, I think I worked out more during the exam week than any other week, simply because I had to give my brain a rest. And I haven't flunked a single test (yet... knock on wood!!!).

Anyway, best of luck to you. I'm sure you'll figure it out.

 

[endofevangelion]

hey guys. im an endorphin addict and i must have at least 2-3 hours a day to work out, no matter what.

do you think thats possible in medical school if i exclude sleep and friendship from my schedule?

 

[MossPoh]

hey guys. im an endorphin addict and i must have at least 2-3 hours a day to work out, no matter what.

do you think thats possible in medical school if i exclude sleep and friendship from my schedule?

2-3 hours is a long friggin time. If you can go that long without dying then you need to go harder or change things to interval training and non-stop circuits. I guarantee that you won't be able to go 2-3 hours then.

But no, I really don't see how that is feasible on a consistent basis. I'm pretty serious and am having a tough time time right now. The biggest issue is my diet aspect. I have to try really hard to hit my calories, but I'm having a really difficult time. I have to plan out pretty much every meal every day and when I'm in a hurry I simply forget. Of course, this is coming from the guy that has excel spreadsheets mapped out with every weight for each month, so I also go in with very specific goals. I used to hit 2 hours and I found I actually got in MUCH better shape when I cut the time in half. I recently read an article (with true citations) that talked about extended cardio being counter productive to most people's fitness goals as well. Go find a big hill and run up it and walk down. Repeat till vomit. You'll build muscle, be in the best cardiovascular shape of your life and be done in 45 minutes or less....or buy a prowler for the same effect.

I dont' work out at the school gym. I pay my 20 bucks a month and go to a private one that lets me store my stuff and I never have to wait. It is also next to a grocery store so I usually kill two birds with one stone. We also have showers in our learning communities, so I don't HAVE to go home to clean up if I don't want to.

 

[gujuDoc]

2-3 hours is a long friggin time. If you can go that long without dying then you need to go harder or change things to interval training and non-stop circuits. I guarantee that you won't be able to go 2-3 hours then.

But no, I really don't see how that is feasible on a consistent basis. I'm pretty serious and am having a tough time time right now. The biggest issue is my diet aspect. I have to try really hard to hit my calories, but I'm having a really difficult time. I have to plan out pretty much every meal every day and when I'm in a hurry I simply forget. Of course, this is coming from the guy that has excel spreadsheets mapped out with every weight for each month, so I also go in with very specific goals. I used to hit 2 hours and I found I actually got in MUCH better shape when I cut the time in half. I recently read an article (with true citations) that talked about extended cardio being counter productive to most people's fitness goals as well. Go find a big hill and run up it and walk down. Repeat till vomit. You'll build muscle, be in the best cardiovascular shape of your life and be done in 45 minutes or less....or buy a prowler for the same effect.

I dont' work out at the school gym. I pay my 20 bucks a month and go to a private one that lets me store my stuff and I never have to wait. It is also next to a grocery store so I usually kill two birds with one stone. We also have showers in our learning communities, so I don't HAVE to go home to clean up if I don't want to.

I agree with this. I can only do that if I take frequent breaks in between. And mostly its when doing dance practice. Otherwise, I can't go more then 30 minutes if it is a treadmill and I'm running. And maybe another 30 minutes to do either crunches and squats or weights. Though as a weak girly girl I only lift 6 pounds free weight.

 

[gujuDoc]

That's kind of sad. When I stopped swimming for a few months I lost a lot of my form and time and it was a pain to get back in shape. I wish there were more pools/better pools in a lot of places. People don't seem to swim that much anymore, even though it puts a lot less stress on the body than lots of other sports.

Yah I know what you mean. I think a lot of people find it more inconvenient too then going on a treadmill so they don't do such.

 

[beavis]

2-3 hours is a long friggin time. If you can go that long without dying then you need to go harder or change things to interval training and non-stop circuits. I guarantee that you won't be able to go 2-3 hours then.

But no, I really don't see how that is feasible on a consistent basis. I'm pretty serious and am having a tough time time right now. The biggest issue is my diet aspect. I have to try really hard to hit my calories, but I'm having a really difficult time. I have to plan out pretty much every meal every day and when I'm in a hurry I simply forget. Of course, this is coming from the guy that has excel spreadsheets mapped out with every weight for each month, so I also go in with very specific goals. I used to hit 2 hours and I found I actually got in MUCH better shape when I cut the time in half. I recently read an article (with true citations) that talked about extended cardio being counter productive to most people's fitness goals as well. Go find a big hill and run up it and walk down. Repeat till vomit. You'll build muscle, be in the best cardiovascular shape of your life and be done in 45 minutes or less....or buy a prowler for the same effect.

I dont' work out at the school gym. I pay my 20 bucks a month and go to a private one that lets me store my stuff and I never have to wait. It is also next to a grocery store so I usually kill two birds with one stone. We also have showers in our learning communities, so I don't HAVE to go home to clean up if I don't want to.

I must disagree with the bolded text. Go find any elite endurance athlete who spends 45 mins or less per day on cardiovascular. You will not find it. The top marathoners, 10k, 5k, 1500, and hell, even 800 meter runners run more than this daily (800 may be a stretch, depending on if its a 1500 runner playing down or a 400 meter runner playing up). So the BEST cardiovascular shape of your life will not be attained in 45 mins of intense work.

That being said, 2 days per week, with proper warm up and cool down, 45 mins of intense work is great. But this has to come with >45 mins of easier running throughout the week. As a sole means to endurance training, 45 mins per day of intense work will NOT get you in the best cardiovascular shape of your life. For the general public, sure, it is fine. But again, not the BEST for endurance cardiovascular shape.

I also would argue that this thread is backwards...

We should be working our studies in around our exercise, NOT vice versa.

BEAV