From what I read, this seems to be a common question and worry, “How do I fit training in”. Most people are going to have work, and probably a family to fit in with the training plan, so how can you please your boss and family, yet still fit a decent amount of training in?

I can only say how I manage, and I’m quite lucky in that work isn’t really an issue for me. Having said that, 5 kids is, so I try my best to work around family life, and Manchester City. 🙂

I have 3 sessions with a PT each week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9.30-10.30. These are set in stone and I’m generally doing core and weights to build up my strength. On a Wednesday and a Friday, my wife is also at the gym, and as we don’t pick our youngest up from Nursery until 12.30, we tend to stay there and pick her up straight from the gym, so that leaves me another 90 minutes after my sessions. I would prefer to do my swimming drills both days but there is now a swimming lesson going on that involves the whole pool for some reason, so that takes that session out. So I have two spare 90 minute sessions. One I use for my swimming, the other I usually do a gym based brick session, with the bike usually having some kind of interval session. On the day I don’t do my swimming, my daughter has a swimming lesson at the gym, so we pick her up from nursery, and she has her swimming lesson in the afternoon. This has now given me a 45 minute slot where I can fit another swimming session in.

At home, my wife always watches the soaps. These are pretty much on every night, but twice a week they’re on for 90 minutes an evening, so during this time, I’ll either go for a run or more likely, go on the turbo. I don’t have any interest in watching them, so I’m not missed.

Weekends are a little bit more difficult, but at least one morning, I’ll try and get up early and go for a run. Whilst its not too light early on, and the weather is like it is, then I’ll leave the bike but when the mornings start to get lighter, then I’ll try to introduce more and longer bike rides into my weekends. Ideally, I’m back for about 9.30 so I’ve not eaten into anyone else’s day and we have time to do something as a family if we choose.

Some of the training does have to be reactive. If you spot a gap and you can do something, then go for it. I’m sure even half an hour of something is better than nothing at all. I once had 20 minutes to kill so I just sat on the turbo practicing clipping in and out of the pedals. Might not be a huge benefit in the long run but I had the time and managed to do something constructive, every little helps I’m sure.

You also need an understanding family as you will be out at daft o’clock in the morning, you will come back covered in shit and you will be absent for some time, so make sure they buy into what you’re doing, it’ll make it so much easier, though I have been told if you’re not arguing about how much time you’ve spent training with your partner, then you’re not going enough training.