I’ll preface the Dad Bod Workout and Diet below by saying that it’s not just for Dads. This approach is great for all busy guys. If you’ve got very limited time and need to get in shape, give it a shot.
If you live on planet Earth then you know that the Dad Boscd was all the craze last year. While some people say it’s the next big thing, I’m not buying it. Can’t we all agree that Chris Pratt looked better in Guardians Of The Galaxy than he did on Parks and Recreation?
For me personally, the Dad Bod was something I never had to think about. But this past May as I welcomed my baby girl into this world, I also said goodbye to much of my free time… and that’s okay, because helping my wife take care of the baby throughout the night and giving her a bath when I get home from work are more important than the gym.
With that being said, the gym is still a priority to me, and while I’ve had to make some adjustments I can honestly say that I’ve been able to stay in good shape during one of the busiest years of my life.
- Full-time job at a successful software company.
- My own small business.
- Recently bought our first home.
- And of course, became a Dad.
So with a full time job, clients counting on me, a house to take care of and a new baby girl, how did I manage to avoid the Dad Bod? It’s all about priorities.
Too many people use the excuse that they just don’t have enough time. Everyone has the same 24 hours to work with, so the first thing you need to do is prioritize. Is going to the gym a priority? It might not be and that’s ok.
Now you’ve got to figure out how to fit the gym into your busy schedule. Being a Dad is demanding, so you’re really left with just a few options:
- Wake up earlier and workout.
- Workout on your lunch break.
- Go to the gym at night once your wife and baby are fast asleep.
You’re likely to find yourself in one of two possible situations. You’ll either be able to get to the gym regularly, but not be able to stay very long or you’ll find it hard to get to the gym so you need to make each workout really count.
The Dad Bod Workout: Scenario 1
You can get to the gym frequently, you just can’t stay very long.
- Modified Push Pull Legs (Arms on leg day)
- Push Day (Chest and Shoulders)
- Pull Day (Back and Traps)
- Leg and Arm Day
- Take a rest day or two and repeat.
- High volume.
- 4 sets of 10-12 for every exercise.
- 15-20 total sets for large muscles.
- 8-12 total sets for smaller muscles.
- Superset everything.
- Supersetting will help you get through your workouts faster.
- It’s also going to increase your heart-rate, essentially turning your weight training session into a cardio workout.
- Little to no cardio
- If you’re doing high volume, you’re probably not going to have much time for cardio outside of a light warmup.
- That’s okay, because the supersets will get your heart-rate going, and the clean diet will mitigate the need for cardio.
The Dad Bod Workout: Scenario 2
You can only get to the gym 2-3x per week, so you need to make it count.
- Full body workout.
- 1-2 exercises per muscle.
- 3-5 sets per exercise. Larger muscles get more sets.
- Burns more calories to keep the fat off.
- Train heavy.
- 3-5 reps for big exercises (Squats, bench presses, etc.)
- 6-10 reps for other exercises.
- Cardio before or after lifting.
- Full body workouts burn more calories, but since you’re only working out 2-3x per week you may want to add cardio.
The Dad Bod Diet: No room for error.
When you’re working out under less than ideal conditions you’re diet becomes that much more important.
- Determine your maintenance calories.
- Eating too many calories, especially when you’re not as active as you used to be, is going to lead to gaining weight.
- Calculate your macros.
- All calories are not created equal. Make sure you’re calories are coming from the right places.
- Bulking? It at slightly above your maintenance.
- If you’d ordinarily bulk at a 500 calorie surplus, try 250 calories instead.
- Cutting? Eat at a slightly more drastic deficit than you usual (Since you wont be doing much cardio).
- If you’d ordinary cut on a 500 calorie deficit with cardio 3-4x per week, increase your deficit to compensate for the lack of cardio.
- Track everything religiously in My Fitness Pal.
Being a Dad comes with many benefits, but a newfound gut is definitely not one of them! Give the Dad Bod Workout and Diet a shot and get ready to look more like a Super Hero than a Dad.
