Advice Needed 12 hour shift worker

[dominatetheiron]

I have been lifting and trainning for a long time. I recently took a job out of college that requires me to work 36 hours one week and 48 another in the form of 12 hour shifts. i work 4 pm to 4 am EST.

I need help on when i should time my supplements and meals and such. I usually wake up at 3 pm shower go to work. Get out of work at 4 am be at the gym when it opens at 5 am do my workout go home eat go to bed and do it again. On my days off i try to get up by noon because i have a lot of things to do.

My typical schedule is work mon tue fri sat sun one week and then just work wed thurs the next week.

I am having issues with being sore. i am currently not on a stack trying to bulk in prep for a comp in a little over a year. Any supplement suggestions, meal timings or workout timings/splits would be helpful what i am doing right now isnt working and i need the knowledge of the brotherhood.

thanks in adavance.

[Bigun]

Im a shift worker as well. The good old Dupont schedule 4:30 to 4:30. Im now starting to put some muscle on after loosing wieght ( 75lbs yea me). What I did during the wieght loss is treat my night shift the same as days except train before work and moved my pre and post supps to right after breakfast. Worked well for wieght loss and seems to be ok for bulking. I see you go to workout after the nightsift. So just treat your nights the same as a days. It can be done on shift work but can be exhausting. Sleep comes at a premium. I commonly run on 3hrs sleep a night when on days. At the end of my days im ready to collapse. I know I should get more sleep but between work, gym, wife, 5 yr old it just doesnt happen.

As far as splits I run a 4 day split and i like it.

[dominatetheiron]

Im a shift worker as well. The good old Dupont schedule 4:30 to 4:30. Im now starting to put some muscle on after loosing wieght ( 75lbs yea me). What I did during the wieght loss is treat my night shift the same as days except train before work and moved my pre and post supps to right after breakfast. Worked well for wieght loss and seems to be ok for bulking. I see you go to workout after the nightsift. So just treat your nights the same as a days. It can be done on shift work but can be exhausting. Sleep comes at a premium. I commonly run on 3hrs sleep a night when on days. At the end of my days im ready to collapse. I know I should get more sleep but between work, gym, wife, 5 yr old it just doesnt happen.

As far as splits I run a 4 day split and i like it.

Thanks for speaking up i dont think many shift workers are out there and it blows. I first want to thank you for being a real american working hero. our shifts blow but its work someone has to do to keep america running.

Right now i workout on my off days but its not working because my days off come in blocks. I try to get to the gym everyday for a little cardio at the moment im only using the bike because i dont want to lose leg muscle.

Right now my appetite is shit because of my crazy schedule. Right now i usually sleep 4 hours get up for two or 3 then go back to sleep for six hours which i know sounds crazy but people that arent on shifts dont understand.

I am currently building a stack as we speak and trying to clean up my diet. Any thing in particular you bring to work for food? all i have at work is a fridge a freezer, hot water from a coffee machine and a microwave. Healthy/well balanced suggestions are welcome.

[Bigun]

Where i work Im a Plant Operator and we are fortunate enough to have a full kitchen. But I will normally cook a couple packs of chicken breast and brown rice and veggies. Package them up in the cheap tupper ware just in case it gets tosed. I also keep a spare set of all my supps in my locker in case they are forgotten at home. Right now im on my last night this week and in the fridge I have 2 chicken brest 1 sweet potato 2 cups brown rice and container of veggies in there all cooked ready to go to the microwave. Plus I keep lots of apples because I love them.

[dominatetheiron]

thanks for the advice man i will be starting a new journey after my workout this morning feel free to stop by check my progress give me advice with a split or food and stuff. thanks again man.

[Jay]

Gotta love over night shifts... i've been on them since 2001. They suck but its important to not let it get the best of you, and try to get as much sleep as you can. I know too many people who stay up all day and 'nap' before work. Your body needs sleep (6 to 8hrs) not a small nap.
Anyway the way I do it is when I get out at 7, got right to bed. I wake anywhere from the 2p to 5p range, get 1 or 2 meals in then go to the gym (thank god for shock therapy) I am at the gym till close. Get home, and then work.
I try to get in 3 meals before work, and then 3, even 4 at work. I make it work. Also I dont have any kids so sleeping is easier for me. I know that can be tough. I tried working out right after I worked, and I was shot. Limited strength,etc.
Maybe you can schedule the long days for rest? If not i suggest hitting the gym before work, even if its for one bodypart. You'l notice some more energy while you at work as it kind of 'wakes you up'
I have soreness all the time too. Maybe becuase our body should be repairing and sleeping but we are up and working. I got a water jug thats reusable and take bcaa stack in it and just bring that to work.
hope some of this helps. you can message me if you have direct questions.