Work Full Time and Train?

Mon- Fri 9-5 job, train 6 days a week. No kids and a very supportive missus! Phone Post 3.0

I'm a lawyer working 9-eventually M-F. My school has 7:00am classes M-Th, so I can easily get in four days a week, barring the occasional traffic jam that makes me miss class. I think more schools should do morning classes, as they are great for the guys who may frequently work late or work exhausting jobs.

I'm very lucky I have a forgiving wife. I train judo three times a week (1.5-2hrs) which is a 60 mile round trip and BJJ twice a week (which is 3 minutes from home), for about the same. On an perfect week, I'm out of home from around 10hrs (~8 for training and 2 or 3 for driving).

That still leaves me a few nights at home etc. I'm 36 with no kids and work part time. I had the same schedule when I worked 40hrs a week.


Right now, I really like my life :)

Full-time job that I commute ~90 miles. 180 mile round trip every day.
Roughly 4-4.5 hours a sleep a night.
Training 5-6 days a week.

SlapUsilly - Full time work. Married, No kids. 34. BJJ 1x-2x a week, Judo 1x.
Pretty far drive from my job (60 miles) and from home 37 miles.

Lots of energy to do BJJ, no energy to drive that much after work and then drive a shorter but still long drive to go home. I wish i could train every day, but i'm not putting myself, my wallet, and my wife through that torture. Some of us don't have the luxury of having their school in the same town.

After 15 years and a black belt in BJJ, i'm burnt out from the drive. It literally pains me to think to drive that much after work. I used to train 3-4x a week 3 hours at a time.

I love my team though and my friends are there, so leaving for a closer team is not an option.

I also have MS, which doesn't really help anything.

I'm content with this schedule i have now.


Black belt here as well. I get it, I drive past three or four schools to make it to mine but I only have a 15-30 minute drive from work depending on traffic.

With that being said, I think that in your situation I would have to make the switch. You are litterally wasting 2HOURS! every time you go train. That's too much time wasted. Maybe switch to the best option close to you and visit once or twice a month.

I work full-time and train hard 4x per week. Phone Post 3.0

If be curious to know how many people that work full time and train regularly compete, and if so, how often. Seems like a majority of competitors train full time and work at the gym they train at. Phone Post 3.0

I should change my name to ThreadKiller Phone Post 3.0

How many tournaments is considered regularly?

This year, I've compete at the Pans, American Nationals, Old Man Worlds, and am going to compete this weekend. Does that count as regular?

I lost my job a month ago but before that I did. Added a little girl in the mix in May and it became VERY tough. But Ive always made a priority of training and its not gonna stop. Luckily my wife accepted this years ago. Plus she knows I get crabby as fuck when I dont train.

Id say three or more is regular. Can get a little tricky because for example where I live there are 3 to 4 tournaments in driving distance all if which occur in a 2 month span and nothing for the rest of the year. So it'd seem like you were an active competitor during those 2 months and nothing for the rest of the year Phone Post 3.0

The Handsome One - If be curious to know how many people that work full time and train regularly compete, and if so, how often. Seems like a majority of competitors train full time and work at the gym they train at. Phone Post 3.0
I compete at nearly every tournament within 100 miles! In the last year I've competed in 6. Phone Post 3.0

reading this thread at work with a sick two year old at home and a four month old doing four month old things. i'm happy that i got in one training session this week.

Work full-time as a lawyer, train 4-6 days a week, sometimes 2-a-days, and teach one class on saturdays. I don't compete anymore, but I used to, about once a month, always having to travel to compete. (quit due to injury - not work). Also do S&C (at home) 3x per week. I don't train like a professional athlete anymore, but still train like a serious recreational player.

That being said, I'm not married and don't have kids. A lot of my disposable income, travel, and leisure are focused on BJJ, but it's not the only thing in my life anymore since my competition retirement.

All I have to say is - you gotta love it, and you can't burn the candle at both ends all the time. Find the balance that's right for you. You can't be a mundial champ (at adult), a full-time professional and a devoted husband/wife/mom/dad at the same time/perpetually. But you can have a pretty good go at all of them in moderation, alternating states, - or just pick 1 or 2!

Work full time and run a school. I train 3-5 x a week. Phone Post 3.0

MTH -


I'm a 34-year-old lawyer with a wife and three kids five-years-old and down.



I usually train Monday evenings, Thursday evenings, and Friday during a mid-day open mat.  The academy I train at has classes every night, so if for some reason one of those nights isn't goint to work I can switch to another night pretty easily. 



If I can get in an extra day (so I get 4 per week) I will, but that's pretty rare.  On the other hand, it's rare I don't get in all three days.



It can be done.  But you've got to want to do it, you've got to have your family's support, and you've got to accept that you'll often be tired even before you step on the mat.  It helps that my wife participates in a number of triathlons every year, so we both kind of understand that we've got to be willing to sacrifice a bit for the other to pursue their hobby. 



Three classes a week really isn't that much of an inconvenience to your family, especially if you can do one in the morning or mid-day when you won't be missed. 

Nice. 26 yr old newly barred attorney.

I have only been going twice a week because I am tired as shit but fuck after reading your post I have no excuses. Phone Post 3.0

It can be done easily imo.

The Gimp - I work 40 hours a week in the dungeon and another 20 hours cleaning the video booths at Ted's Smoke & DVD, and I manage to train plenty.

Man up.
Lol Phone Post 3.0

Full time school and full time work...it sucks doooe Phone Post 3.0

Programmer 7 days a week and I train 3 times a week for 4 hours every time. The rest of the time is with my wife Phone Post 3.0