I’m going to start medical school this Autumn. I want to build healthy eating habits, lifting regimen etc to become holistically stronger to handle the physical/emotional toil of the next 4/5 years. I’m 30 years old and have no long term conditions and half decent cardio fitness. My diet is really good generally but I do pick up the odd biscuit, packet of crisps, can of Coke etc.
What are some solid meals for the gym that are high in protein/healthy (I eat meat)?
Also I need a basic/solid lifting regimen to get basic strength/gains with the three main lifts – and any other high yield exercises?
Thanks very much
3 comments
First congrats on getting into medical school.
There are many ways to go about what you are going for.
Personally, I’m a big advocate for people starting out with the “Strong Lifts 5×5” program. If you follow the program consistently for the entire duration, or even longer, you will get stronger.
This program uses 5 specific exercises: Barbell back squat, bent over barbell row, barbell bench press, overhead barbell press, and deadlift. These five exercises are great benchmarks of overall strength, and are the “power move” for the major muscle groups. Doing these, your body will recruit nearly every muscle in your body, so all your muscles will grow and get stronger.
The important part here is you need to do the 5 exercises correctly. Learning proper form and technique takes a little time. Wherever you work out, see if they have trainers available. Explain to them you specifically want to learn those 5 movements. Beyond that, there are many resources, such as the YouTube channel “Buff dudes” or even the Nike website which can show you the correct way to do this. Practice with a broomstick at home in the mirror.
Beyond that, don’t forget to stretch every day. This program has you lifting 3 times a week, stretcyh every day.
For your diet, it’s fairly simple. Calculate your TDE and calorie requirements. Get yourself a good kitchen scale. Eat whatever proteins you like (fish, chicken, beef) but make sure you eat 1 gram per pound of body weight. The goal is to be in a slight surplus above your maintenance calories, like 200-300 cals above maintenance.
Beyond that, try to stick to healthy fats like eggs (also protein and packed with lots of nutrients) olive oil, avocado oil, etc. Eat some carbs! The general carb recommended is rice, but any carbohydrates that take a while to digest (not bread or sweets) is best for keeping yourself fueled throughout the day. You definitely want to have food in your system before you work out, eating something with both carbs and protein 2 hours before you lift. You can indulge in a little treat (a few pieces of candy or something) about 45 minutes before you lift for a bump of short term fuel.
Keep doing cardio. On your off days from lifting, try to get 30 minutes of cardio in, nothing crazy, just get your heart treated up over 120bpm for 30 minutes continuously.
Beyond that the two biggest things you will need:
Hydration. You need to stay hydrated way above and beyond what you think you need.
Sleep. Without rest, not only will you not grow well, but you will increase the risk of injury.
I’m currently doing a legs/torso/arms workout split.
monday/thursday – legs
tuesday/friday – torso (chest/back/shoulders)
wednesday/saturday – arms (biceps/triceps)
Reps and sets are all dependant on your goals and how much you want to push yourself.
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Meals
Eating a lot of protein (chicken, ground beef, duck, pork). I cut out a lot of carbs (rice, pasta, bread). The only carb I consistently eat is potatoes. I cut out dairy too. Also eating a lot of veggies. Helps keep me full over a longer period of time.
If you’re going to school in the US, you don’t start doing those overnight rotations until 3rd year, and you usually only have a few of them.
Provided you don’t have any other responsibilities in your life, you will have plenty of time to regularly work out. Med school work obviously requires a lot of your time, but if you keep a regular schedule and stay disciplined, you’ll have spare time to go to the gym. Your school almost certainly will have a gym on the premises.
Things get a little more difficult 3rd and 4th year, because your schedule will vary from month to month and your rotations might not be anywhere near your school (my school is in Kansas City and I did most of my rotations in the Philadelphia area, for example). It comes down to time management and discipline.