Originally written in November 2019 on Pinoy Fit Buddy, when I was an amateur physique competitor with a full-time digital marketing job. Lightly edited, with notes on what I would tell a client today.
Bodybuilding is a game of discipline, sacrifice and self-awareness. It means giving up some of the small luxuries most people take for granted: sleeping in, fast food, lying in bed for hours scrolling. It takes mental and emotional strength as much as physical strength.
Here is what a typical day looked like for me back then: my meals, my training, and how I fit it around a 7-to-4 work-from-home job.
6:25 AM: Wake Up and Meal 1
Alarm, log in to work, then breakfast: either prepped the night before or tracked in my meal app.
7:00 AM: Shower and Work
My shift ran from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., so everything else had to fit around it.
9:00 AM: Pack the Gym Bag and Prep Meal 2
Every meal had enough protein for recovery and enough carbs to keep me going through a busy day. The vegetables covered vitamins, minerals and fiber.
10:50 AM: Protein Shake
Two scoops of my shake mix with water.
12:00 NN: Meal 3
I often chose boiled potatoes over rice. A medium potato has roughly 110 calories, no fat, potassium, vitamin C and fiber, and it kept me full longer. Potatoes are not fattening on their own. It is usually the butter, cheese and frying that pile on the calories.
1:00 PM: Back to Work, Another Shake
3:00 PM: Meal 4 (Pre-Workout)
Same as Meal 2. I ate this about an hour before training so it could settle. Repeating meals was a practical choice: I cooked two protein sources and a batch of carbs and vegetables, which gave me 10 meals for two days. Variety is nice; consistency is what gets results.
4:00 PM: Log Off, Head to the Gym
Pre-workout at 4:15, training at 4:30. I trained almost every day, hitting chest, back and legs twice a week with different exercises on each day.
5:45 PM: Post-Workout
A scoop of protein before changing, then the post-workout meal at 6 p.m.
6:00 PM: Meal 5
Same as Meal 3: beef, potatoes and broccoli.
7:30 PM: Free Time
Wash the meal tubs, then mobile games or catching up with friends.
9:00 PM: Meal 6
I slept late, so my last meal was late too. Adjust meal timing to your own schedule. There is no magic hour.
9:30 PM to Midnight: Wind Down
Set up my desk for the next day, check emails, plan tomorrow’s tasks, then bed around 11 p.m. to midnight.
What I Would Tell a Client Today
Looking back with years of coaching behind me, the fundamentals of that day still hold: planned meals, enough protein at every meal, training scheduled like a meeting, and prep done in batches. A few things I would adjust for most people:
- Sleep more. Getting to bed at midnight with a 6:25 alarm is under seven hours. Sleep is where recovery happens. See why sleeping less than 7 hours costs you.
- You do not need six meals. Three or four protein-rich meals work just as well if they hit your daily targets.
- Daily training is not required. Three to five well-planned sessions a week are enough for most people to build muscle.
- Use real Filipino food. Rice is fine. Read is white rice bad for weight loss?
If you want a routine like this built around your own job, schedule and food, start with an online fitness coach in the Philippines.
The original 2019 article was written in partnership with Potatoes USA-Philippines.
