crazycanuck
Level 9 Valued Member
I've been a rotating shift worker (healthcare, 12h D, 12h N, now in last 5-6 yrs 8h D-to 1600h, 8h E-to 2400 or later) for more years (29) than I have ever been training (15-ish) . I am calling on all my fellow shift workers here. What are your personal tips and tricks? How do you find your schedule and the type of work you do affects your training, and vice versa, how do you typically train (I have been kettlebell, bodyweight primarily over the years), and how do you find maintaining the habit of exercise affects the work you do?
I'll start us off...what I have found for myself personally:
-things that have a huge effect---a) schedule and way it is rotated eg: # days off going from later/overnite to day shift greatly affects sleep. Some of my employers have been more sensible, some schedule creators have never obviously worked a day of shiftwork in thier lives LOL
and b) type of work. Some settings I have been in have been more exhausting mentally (change/pace/acuity and multitasking) vs physically oddly enough.
-when I did do nights, or when now on evenings, stay on like hours (as best you can) on days off. Easier said than done when you have little kids, or another shiftworker or even 9-5er in the house. Guard your sleep with your life (blackout curtains, white noise, flip off the neighbours for mowing the lawn at 9am lol etc) and hope you have an understanding family. My spouse is a shiftworker, so relates quite well and my kids are old enough to be quiet.
-go right to bed when I come home if I can after a winding down routine, no screens (woke me up way too much), even wear sunglasses on the way home.
-don't intake caffeine past a certain point in the shift. Found that point with much experimentation.
-if your workplace allows (mine's does), have a "cat-nap" provided with your type of work it is acceptable policy/safe to do so and your fellow employees can cover for you. Did that often at 0300 ish on nights, for just 20 min or so, got me a second wind.
Training:
-when on night shifts/evenings, tried to get a little bit in before I went to work, depending on how well I slept. When getting up from the last night shifts in particular, and having for example only 3 days off before days, first sleep day was "Zombie mode" after allowing myself to have only 4-ish hrs sleep, so that I could sleep the majority of that first nightoff. Training took a BIG back seat those days due to how awful I felt and would just do some mobility, and the first session or two or three after that with weights took a while to get into gear and feel like my strength was fully back.....note to self....maybe lighten the weight/lengthen rest periods.
-find that on day shifts, I need to train before work, because my job is unpredictable as far as leaving at the end of the day on time, getting breaks during the day, and too often would be exhausted when coming home and if I don't take advantage of a small burst of energy I may have once home, it leaves. HOWEVER....the older I get, and the heavier weight used, the harder I find it to train heavy in the mornings first thing and need to allow a LOT of time for a good warmup. Some mornings I gamble on sleeping in instead of taking that time, depending on how my shift the day before was, and train in the evening instead anyways. On a day off, training is mid morning or early afternoon when I feel my best.
Training affecting work...
-not extremely heavy labor (lifting like jobs like construction for example) as often have devices and techniques on the job to aid that, however with any muscle power used find it way easier especially with heavier patients/clientele, and muscle endurance to keep up at it. Work in some areas in an old hospital facility, as well as times in people's homes, that are not very ergonomically friendly, so find training aids greatly in being flexible, to reach into odd areas, be able to squat for long periods, turn heavy equipment around tight corners, etc. I see coworkers younger than me that are complaining about backs and knees, and people in my line of work typically retire in late 50's to early 60's (if the pocketbook allows) for this very reason among others, so I am grateful for the gift of fitness that keeps on giving.
Also I am guessing there may (?) be a difference between weights centric workouts vs. endurance (eg: cycling, running) that one may be feeling more capable of doing when they are a bit more tired, maybe not. Sometimes I think it is about an equal combination of my age (50) and just by virtue that it is shiftwork in general that I can't exercise the way I did when I started 15 yrs younger, vs anything purely physical in my job vs a desk job.
-
I am really curious about everyone else's experiences....
I'll start us off...what I have found for myself personally:
-things that have a huge effect---a) schedule and way it is rotated eg: # days off going from later/overnite to day shift greatly affects sleep. Some of my employers have been more sensible, some schedule creators have never obviously worked a day of shiftwork in thier lives LOL
and b) type of work. Some settings I have been in have been more exhausting mentally (change/pace/acuity and multitasking) vs physically oddly enough.-when I did do nights, or when now on evenings, stay on like hours (as best you can) on days off. Easier said than done when you have little kids, or another shiftworker or even 9-5er in the house. Guard your sleep with your life (blackout curtains, white noise, flip off the neighbours for mowing the lawn at 9am lol etc) and hope you have an understanding family. My spouse is a shiftworker, so relates quite well and my kids are old enough to be quiet.
-go right to bed when I come home if I can after a winding down routine, no screens (woke me up way too much), even wear sunglasses on the way home.
-don't intake caffeine past a certain point in the shift. Found that point with much experimentation.
-if your workplace allows (mine's does), have a "cat-nap" provided with your type of work it is acceptable policy/safe to do so and your fellow employees can cover for you. Did that often at 0300 ish on nights, for just 20 min or so, got me a second wind.
Training:
-when on night shifts/evenings, tried to get a little bit in before I went to work, depending on how well I slept. When getting up from the last night shifts in particular, and having for example only 3 days off before days, first sleep day was "Zombie mode" after allowing myself to have only 4-ish hrs sleep, so that I could sleep the majority of that first nightoff. Training took a BIG back seat those days due to how awful I felt and would just do some mobility, and the first session or two or three after that with weights took a while to get into gear and feel like my strength was fully back.....note to self....maybe lighten the weight/lengthen rest periods.
-find that on day shifts, I need to train before work, because my job is unpredictable as far as leaving at the end of the day on time, getting breaks during the day, and too often would be exhausted when coming home and if I don't take advantage of a small burst of energy I may have once home, it leaves. HOWEVER....the older I get, and the heavier weight used, the harder I find it to train heavy in the mornings first thing and need to allow a LOT of time for a good warmup. Some mornings I gamble on sleeping in instead of taking that time, depending on how my shift the day before was, and train in the evening instead anyways. On a day off, training is mid morning or early afternoon when I feel my best.
Training affecting work...
-not extremely heavy labor (lifting like jobs like construction for example) as often have devices and techniques on the job to aid that, however with any muscle power used find it way easier especially with heavier patients/clientele, and muscle endurance to keep up at it. Work in some areas in an old hospital facility, as well as times in people's homes, that are not very ergonomically friendly, so find training aids greatly in being flexible, to reach into odd areas, be able to squat for long periods, turn heavy equipment around tight corners, etc. I see coworkers younger than me that are complaining about backs and knees, and people in my line of work typically retire in late 50's to early 60's (if the pocketbook allows) for this very reason among others, so I am grateful for the gift of fitness that keeps on giving.
Also I am guessing there may (?) be a difference between weights centric workouts vs. endurance (eg: cycling, running) that one may be feeling more capable of doing when they are a bit more tired, maybe not. Sometimes I think it is about an equal combination of my age (50) and just by virtue that it is shiftwork in general that I can't exercise the way I did when I started 15 yrs younger, vs anything purely physical in my job vs a desk job.
-
I am really curious about everyone else's experiences....
