I work 12 hour shifts. I’m curious to know how many shift workers get up really early, say 3 or 3:30am, to do a training session before work? I have to be out of the house at 6:30 to get to work by 7:15. I’m usually home by 8:15pm but I’m really tired after a day at work. How do you motivate yourself to get up out of bed to do a workout? I don’t think I’d be getting more than 5 hours of sleep on these days. I’m in my mid 40s and it isn’t getting any easier! Thanks for any tips!
That’s a tough one. I once had a nurse girl friend who worked rotational 12 hr shifts, 7 to 7. It was tough switching from day shift to night shift. The only good thing was that she got plenty of days off. She would work four days and have three off and then work three days and have four off.
Yeah, some people do have to do both days and nights, but I’m on straight days. I used to do nights only and that made it easier to get in workouts, but my body started to rebel after years of doing that! The days off are great, but it’s terrible in that you tend to pile on the workouts on those days only to be wrecked for days after. I’m trying to follow a more balanced appraoch with hard/easy days so I don’t miss so many workouts. The shifts, however, make this hard to do.
I don’t work 12 hour days all the time, but I do work some crazy hours. I’m in retail and work over 60 hours a week, but without the benefit of the same hours everyday for my body to get used to a set pattern. Just be happy you have your workouts figured out. As far as motivation, I have IMWI posters from raceday framed and on the wall in my workout area at home and keep tri mag’s out in plain sight in my bedroom and so on… That’s how I remind myself of my committment to what I’ve started and how I stay motivated. Somedays are easier then others. It also doesnt’ hurt that I started dating a tri-girl who is a big help in staying on track! Maybe you need a tri-partner???
I don’t work full time but when I worked 12’s I got up at 3:30 am. I was only able to get in a short workout like an hour. I would drink 2 cups of coffee to get going then get at it. I had everything else done the night before like my lunch made, my uniform ready to go and breakfast. If I was working two shifts in a row I would have 2 days worth of meals made. I didn’t get anything else done on those days. I’d come home from work and fall into bed shortly after. If I tried to stay up later like past 9 forget about training the next day. The second day was hard esp after working the 12 the day before.
I’m in my mid40’s also and I had to go back to 8’s. 12 hours on my feet is just too much. I don’t work full time either so that helps. I think it would be really hard to work full time on 12 hour shifts and train. I know you get 4 days off a week but you have 3 days of very little training. Hang in there!
good heavens! you must really love your job, or are getting paid a ton, to make 12 hour shifts worth it…
I assume you are not working 12hr 7d a week? Do you rotate working week-ends? I usually got up early enough to get an easy run or spin completed before heading to work. Someone else made a good post about getting everything ready the day before. My motivation has always been the extra days off when you work 12’s. Easy hour of training on work days either before or after your shift. Just get up and get it done. I think about all the fat lazy unhealthy people who are just sleeping in. Forcing your self to get-up every AM early is an excellent mental training tool. Gives you the gumption to keep going during a hard training session or race. In the military, you train in miserable conditions to prepare you for the miserable conditions of war. Training with that focus gets you better conditioning and race results. Then you can get some excellent intense training sessions in on your days off. Plan easy time on your work days, then really hit the run and bike on those other days.
+++ of working 12hr is the extra nap time on your days off!!! Work-out, re-fuel, nap and start the next session with those extra days off…
Good advice, thanks.
I am a anaesthesia resident (6 months from finishing thank god) and I have regularly worked 15 hr days as part of 60-70hr weeks. If its an option for you I would suggest trying to combine training with your commute to work. I can get in an hr of running (or riding depending on which hospital I am on shift at) before my shift - and then dont need to feel guilty about it at the end of the shift. I either get my wife to pick me up or get public transport home at the end of the shift. Occasionally when I do 12 hr shifts I will ride both ways to get in 2 hrs, but I find I get better value for the time with running and then use my days off for long rides etc.
I’ve been strugling with this one for a while now, as I have recently begun 12 hour shifts (for school) and still have to work on the side to pay the rent. I’ve decided that I can sleep when I’m dead.
Dude, i feel you pain man…I’m up in the oil patch, and have enjoyed two years of 14hr days, 6-7 days a year…worked 1200 hrs of OT last year…
BUT! that said, life goes on, and i’m still a cat 1 racer, and inorder not to get my ass dropped like a bad habit i need to train. Considering i start at 5:30 am, there’s less than zero chance of working out in the AM, however i make a point of riding home from the job sites wherever possible, my game plan is to get one of my men to pick me up in the morning with a bike in the back of a truck, then just ride home, (generally 100km’s plus)
the real trick is to race LOTS! do the tuesday/wensday.thursday nighters for both running and riding, when you don’t have the time, you better do the intensity!
Good luck man, needless to say i’m looking for other work!
I let the mess and chores pile up so high that I can’t stand to be home. I work 10s from 2p till 12:30a. I am home by 1a. I drink 2 or 3 beers to fall a sleep by 2a. I wake up anatural at 9:30 to pee (38 y.o. prostate). I lay in bed and ponder the morning workout till 10. I get up and look at my filthy house. I am to lazy to clean because the job is to big so I leave. I run, ride or go to the gym 11:30. I return home long enough to get my swim stuff then ride to masters. I swim till 1p, ride home, change than go to work. I spend the rest of the day at work lazy and recovering 
So my advice is to let become really depressing at home and training is no problem.
First my current work is 4 by 11 hour shifts, but leave home at 5am and get back at 4.30pm. Have a 5 week rotation of days then nights. And only work my choice of 5-7 months a year. I get paid well as a professional in my role(and because they have difficult getting people to take this position).
Have to be careful what i write here in case someone from my work reads it. My job is very restrictive in that it is a pre-requisite to be there at fixed times. Fortunately I can get a 1 hour break in the middle of the shift. Went for an extended run the other day, so have to be careful on that one(some higher shorter intensity is in order).
When switching between shifts and at certain other times a jet lag effect will hit. For instance couldn’t even run 3 steps(oneday) several weeks before my first ironman event, so I went for an easy 1 hour ride. You have to listen to your body very carefully as the strange hours alone will get you.
The mid shift run is the best thing ever. If I am doing the long night shift I will train for up to 2 hours before no problems. With dayshift I have done up to 3hours after it.
Also I only work 4 days so can do more training than ever before. At home I waste absolutely no time, no couch or TV and limited sitting around. A long quiet bike ride by myself is the most relaxing thing in the world.
Some of the advice on Slowtwitch is motivated if you can 'sort the wheat from the chaff '.
The more experienced you are at your job the better(as it should get easier). If not get a better job I reckon. Don’t slave yourself for anyone else!
More specifically for your hours. I am always nervous about doing a hard workout before the dayshifts start as it is hard to know what the day holds. On an easy day I will do 3 hours + training after work and a tough day will be drained(1 hour easy on the bike).
So I would do the running and cycling in the middle or at the end of the day only.
A swim at about 5.30am would be manageable, but yes I would be nervous about going hard in the early morning before work.
Many people say and I find the following to be true. That is you get home and feel tired. But is it mental or physical fatigue?. **Try going for a run or on the windtrainer for an hour after work. You might be surprised how good you feel afterwards. **
I am in my mid 30’s and can get away with pushing pretty hard still, but am told the strength tapers off in men when they get to there 50’s/60’s.
You are doing the right thing in looking for solutions I would say.
Basically I won’t be getting out of bed in the dark and running/cycling, but that is just me. When working I like to be awake for a few hours to see how the body is going. Know yourself and your own patterns of what works.
I’m a nurse. I work three 12hr shifts a week. I leave the house at 7:15 and get home at 10. I don’t train on work days. BTW: I’ll be 56 in May(:
My training schedule
Fri: Run speed work, swim, nap
Sat: Bike, nap, wts/core
Sun: Long run, nap, swim
Tues: Brick, nap, wts/core
I work 12’s, and my shift runs from 3p-3am. I try and plan my hard workouts obviously on my days off or on in the evening on my first day off. My first day back I will do a long workout or similar and attempt a nap prior to going to work. As to motivation, try to do more races whether there 5k’s, tri’s, open water swims, whatever. That will put juice in the tank. It does for me
I’m an ER doc and have been working shifts for 12 years. Randomly placed in days, eves, nights and 10-12 hours at a time. Often staying late, after having run around at full speed for the wholes shift. Training has always been a challenge because it’s impossible to get on a regular schedule. However, on my days off, I always do 2 and sometimes 3 workouts. On days that I work 12 hours, I keep it short. 30 min run or 30 min on the bike trainer. I always plan a rest day on the day of a 12 hour shift (particularly if I work 2 12’s in a row, I take the rest day on the 2nd day). You have to be flexible with your workouts (I’m jealous of people who can plan a long ride on Sat and long run on Sun). I don’t know how may days a week you work and how many days off you have, but the key is flexibilty and listening to your body. I need 8 hours sleep, so I always choose sleep as the first option…