Convince me to workout in the morning

Sangre

Greetings all

This thread is to convince me to workout in the morning. I'm finding that working out 3/4 times a week in the evenings is very time consuming. By the time I get home from work, if I go to the gym I have no time for anything else. Working out in the evening is also vulnerable to work/social commitments. It also prevents me from properly fuelling myself after my work-outs. At the moment I'm doing solely resistance work (5/3/1); my log is here: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055796793 . I also want to add some tag rugby/cardio and I think my girlfriend will leave me if I spend anymore time in the gym.

I'd need to leave my house for work at 8 a.m. so I'd probably be up for my work-out in the gym at 6 a.m. Do people find this works for them? Are energy/fuel levels lower and do work-outs suffer? Last year briefly I tried to work-out in the morning before studying - I found myself very tired during these although I probably didn't get enough sleep/food.

Anyone want to help in convincing me?

Thanks.

p.s. comments on deadlift form welcome.

PeakOutput

plus side

you feel great for the whole day and have your evenings free

downside

you have to be willing to go to bed earlier to get up earlier

drdeadlift

some times i train in the mornings and guess what im fect tired for the rest of the day,so now i just train at night

shootermacg

I cannot workout in the morning, it takes me a coffee & 4 hours of work to just feel human. I AM WEAK!!!!

But if you are going to try it make sure you wake up 2 hours before-hand to scoff some carbs/protein drink a shake first.

I don't know if just a shake on it's own will fuel you thru a morning workout.
I workout around 8 and stay awake until 2am arsing about.

I may give it a go sometime in the future, as you said it'd be great to have a day between weights and cardio.

corkcomp

I always work out in the mornings. some people will say you wont have enough energy due to not having time to eat much etc but I dont find that at all, unles hung over or dehydrated or some other factor. I find it hard to work out after a hard day at work but it depends on the person.

having evenings free is a major bonus ..i can be home by 17.15 and free for the entire evening .. time between 6.30 and 8.30 in the morning would be wasted time for me if i didnt work out cos im generally awake anyway:D

mickmac

Train in the morning Sangre - it's a little sacrifice that pays you back in some really big ways.

I started doing mornings a few months ago out of sheer necessity. I either didn't have enough time after work or I got lazy when I finished and didn't bother.

I've found now that the sacrifice of going to bed a bit earlier and having to get my bag packed and all that other lark has made me more organised about both my food and my training and has improved the quality of my workouts. Basically all I have to do is wake up, shove some food into my mouth and get to the gym. By the time I've properly woken up I'm in work and I've already got my exercise out of the way for the day!

I'm still trying to get the balance right regarding having enough energy in the morning but I've found a bit of cottage cheese before bed and a banana or something in the morning is enough to sustain me till proper breakfast.

The bigger issue I've found is warming up before training. I find that even after a 20 minute cycle to the gym I still have to do a much more extensive warm-up than if I trained in the evening. That said, the extra focus on mobility and flexibility has been a bonus in itself for me.

Also I've found if you train in the morning consistantly for long enough (a week or two) you'll start to get tired at the right time and you won't feel like you're punishing yourself by going to bed early, you'll just be naturally knackered and looking forward to the bit of kip.

All the best with it. Hope this is helpful/convincing for you.

(Sorry if I come across a little over-enthusiastic and infomercial-y, I've just found the morning training to be instrumental in finally getting my **** together training-wise...)

brianthebard

shootermacg wrote: »

I cannot workout in the morning, it takes me a coffee & 4 hours of work to just feel human. I AM WEAK!!!!

But if you are going to try it make sure you wake up 2 hours before-hand to scoff some carbs/protein drink a shake first.

You don't need 2 hours, 30 mins will be fine.

OP you might need the first week or two to adjust and after that it will be fine. A shake with some glucose/carbs once you get up, pack your bag, maybe have a cup of tea and head to the gym. Gyms almost always quieter in the morning too. Only thing I would caution about is maybe give yourself a little extra time between getting up and attempting a max squat/deadlift, but you'll figure out fairly quickly how your back feels and how long you need to wait.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

I found that working out before work made me absolutely exhausted around lunchtime.

I did commute for about 1 hour and 15 minutes before hitting the gym, then the same if not more on the way home. I rather work out in the evenings anyway, I find I have more energy in the evenings.

FTA69

I couldn't countenance not working out in the morning, as Brian said, the gym is always much quieter, nothing puts me off more than pandemonium in the weights room or having a queue of people behind you on a bench or a squat rack. As people have said, it takes time to get used to it but you will after a couple of weeks. It's also a great start to the day, if you're wrecked after work you're continually battling the temptation to say "f*ck it" and just go home.

Cork24

By Working out in the morning, is the best thing that you can do. I gets up 5.30 on Mondays, Weds, Thursday, Fridays to work out,

Here is why you should work out in the mornings..

Your Energy Release is faster you feel more awake
by working out in the mornings you body can burn an extra 500 cals, Same goes for having a Cold Shower in the Mornings burns an extra 200 cals. as our body has Brown fat which when you feel cold you body burns this brown fat to keep us warm..
metabolism is working faster during the whole day by working out in the mornings
you will have a more intensely exercise from working out in the mornings, if your doing weights, you have a build up of Energy which will allow you to pack on the weights,

next questions is what should i eat?

Number one, is it Cardio training or Weight training. if its Cardio you should have, Brain flakes Pint of Milk and a black coffee at 5.30 yes one hour before Training. and 15 before hand have a Banana also take with you to the gym 300ml of Orange juice and 200 ml of Water mixed in while training so your allow your body to store any Vitamin C its losing and after you training have a Smooth, of your choice,

Weight Training.

Corn Flakes 500ml protein Shake with Milk not water and a cup of Coffee at 5.30, and after training have a Smooth with Protein, also dont add milk or water in the smooth add Apple juice

why milk in your Protein, Milk in protein shakes, slows down the Release of Protein intake into the body so, while your training on the weights the body is breaking down Muscle fiber but is also getting Protein into the muscles at the same time, lowering the amount of muscle that is being broken down..

if your weight training, break each body part into different days,

Eg. Monday- Arms, Shoulders,Neck,back Notice im not working out the Triceps just the biceps.

Wednesday- Chest and Triceps

Friday- Legs and Core.

accensi0n

Work out in the mornings because now that everyone knows you want to, if you don't, everyone will think your a big wuss with no will power.

shootermacg

Hey it's me the night owl again!!!
I only drink bistro coffee, the instant ****e gives me heartburn!
As I said earlier I do everything slow in the mornings, I've often stood there with absolutely nothing going through my head for 20 minutes before I actually realise I'm running late.
organisation and morning are two ends of the spectrum for me! call me a wuss ^ ^ I probably am ^ ^.

The sheer mental effort of putting on my socks is quite enough for me.
I often feel more awake at 3am than at 9 or 10, kids'll do that to you ^ ^.

Just back from the gym doing Dougs 4 day split and I'm gonna go for a jog at 10:30 lol, the sun? what's that?

Seriously I'd love to try it but I AM WEAK! but at night I AM STRONG!

Sangre

Just back from the gym! This is the time I'm usually in at.

My main worry was with the early rise affecting my performance - I guess that depends on my sleeping/eating. I would have hoped to be lifting 20 minutes after I get up so not much time to pre-fuel. Unfortunately it takes me an hour to commute in everyday so I don't have much time to spare in the mornings.

I think this could be doable. I am not one of those people who stays up late and is wrecked everyday. I usually get at minimum7 hours. I would hope I could adjust to earlier hours. It would be brilliant for freeing up my evenings. I do love the quiet gyms too - can't work in a packed one.

I worked on a site before and started work at half seven everyday so I know I can get up that early (I also cycled there and then to the gym - insane!). I do need a new bike first though to get me to the gym before work. I'm hoping to get a half decent one so I can cycle into work too and half my commute time. Any suggestions where to get a second hand bike?

Thanks for replies so far.

PeakOutput

apprently it takes 3 weeks to get into the habit of something so that how long it will probably suck for if your really changing your getting up time if your only getting up an hour or so earlier it shouldnt be that hard

Sangre

Its definitely doable so its only a matter of manning up. Back to college very briefy in April so would love to try it until then.

rubadub

I can only do 80-90% of my usual reps/weight in the morning, so I would do negatives to make up for this. I workout at home though which is a huge advantage. I use to sometimes do just a few exercises in the morning and more in the evening.

brianthebard

Sangre wrote: »

Any suggestions where to get a second hand bike?

Dunno what you do but do they have the bike to work scheme in your workplace?

JonnyF

i started this morning workout malarkey about a year ago and haven't looked back. I train Monday, Tueday take a 'lie in' Wednesday then another morning session on Thursday and on Friday evening I go for a max weight session in the evenings and then I have the weekend to recover.
After about two weeks I got into the routine of it. It's no big deal really, all you're missing is s***e telly in the evenings. I go to bed around 10pm most nights and get up at 6am. I have eggs (poached or scambled) and a slice of toast for breakfast with a pint of water then off to the gym before 7. Train till 8am then head on for work. I shower in the office and find i'm always at my desk by quarter to 9.
I don't find myself that tired as a result of the morning training but one major word of warning is you're going to eat like a futhamucka when you start this.

I now eat my eggs in the morning, shake in the car on the way to work
Then at work it's:
Porridge around 11am
Decent lunch around 2pm
Afternoon snack (cottage cheese on toast or something) 430pm
Then home for dinner at around half 6 or 7 and something with a good bit of casein before bed.

I'm bringing in shedloads of food to work but it's cheaper than running off to the shop when I get hungry.

The big advantage is you get all studly and buff but can still have your evenings free to see friends or see how impressed the ladies are with your bulging biceps

shootermacg

JonnyF wrote: »

The big advantage is you get all studly and buff but can still have your evenings free to see friends or see how impressed the ladies are with your bulging biceps

That's a nice side effect I guess, still the wife is getting worried, she said i'm on the way to becoming freakish and she doesn't like freaks!
Complaining when you're fat, complaining that you're getting too buff! Still if I was interested in my wifes opinion I wouldna got married!:cool::D:confused:

Cork24

JonnyF wrote: »

i started this morning workout malarkey about a year ago and haven't looked back. I train Monday, Tueday take a 'lie in' Wednesday then another morning session on Thursday and on Friday evening I go for a max weight session in the evenings and then I have the weekend to recover.
After about two weeks I got into the routine of it. It's no big deal really, all you're missing is s***e telly in the evenings. I go to bed around 10pm most nights and get up at 6am. I have eggs (poached or scambled) and a slice of toast for breakfast with a pint of water then off to the gym before 7. Train till 8am then head on for work. I shower in the office and find i'm always at my desk by quarter to 9.
I don't find myself that tired as a result of the morning training but one major word of warning is you're going to eat like a futhamucka when you start this.

I now eat my eggs in the morning, shake in the car on the way to work
Then at work it's:

Porridge around 11am
Decent lunch around 2pm
Afternoon snack (cottage cheese on toast or something) 430pm
Then home for dinner at around half 6 or 7 and something with a good bit of casein before bed.

I'm bringing in shedloads of food to work but it's cheaper than running off to the shop when I get hungry.

The big advantage is you get all studly and buff but can still have your evenings free to see friends or see how impressed the ladies are with your bulging biceps

what the hell is this is that what you eat! Were is you greens? Fruit

Right first off do not have a gap of no food more then 2 hours. Eat fruit between this gap with you normal diet.

Second have 6 small meals a day 3 big meals a day no good. Remember you belly is the size of you hand so for dinner one pam of protein one pam of carbo.

So 5.30, 7(fruit), 8.30, 10.30, 12(fruit),2,4.30,5.30(fruit),7(dinner),9.30(protein shake) 10 (bed)

some thing like that you should have out as a meal plan between lunch break at 2 have a power nap for 30 mins if needed

shootermacg

Cork24 wrote: »

what the hell is this is that what you eat! Were is you greens? Fruit

Right first off do not have a gap of no food more then 2 hours. Eat fruit between this gap with you normal diet.

Second have 6 small meals a day 3 big meals a day no good. Remember you belly is the size of you hand so for dinner one pam of protein one pam of carbo.

So 5.30, 7(fruit), 8.30, 10.30, 12(fruit),2,4.30,5.30(fruit),7(dinner),9.30(protein shake) 10 (bed)

some thing like that you should have out as a meal plan between lunch break at 2 have a power nap for 30 mins if needed

What he said! You actually can get by without fruit, veg has everything you need, but you can't get by without either! Fruit is great to ensure your metabolism is topped up and handy, oranges are great, good fibre there lad!

I also read somewhere the pros eat an orange before and sometimes during a workout.

JonnyF

shootermacg wrote: »

What he said! You actually can get by without fruit, veg has everything you need, but you can't get by without either! Fruit is great to ensure your metabolism is topped up and handy, oranges are great, good fibre there lad!

I also read somewhere the pros eat an orange before and sometimes during a workout.

not to get off topic here but i never said i don't eat fruit and veg. my morning shake is a blender mix of frozen fruits, whey and milk
lunch and dinner have heaps of veg too. not a big man for just eating fruit on it's own so i always cram as much veg into those meals as possible.

Cork24

ok you can get by day to day without eating fruit but your only foolng yourself if you think your body be working in top gear without fruit. With today's fruit not like the 80s you need about 10 fruit and no 7 strawberrys don't count as your 5 a day 2 kiwi count as one hand full of berrys count as one appl count as one

d-gal

Cork24 wrote: »

ok you can get by day to day without eating fruit but your only foolng yourself if you think your body be working in top gear without fruit. With today's fruit not like the 80s you need about 10 fruit and no 7 strawberrys don't count as your 5 a day 2 kiwi count as one hand full of berrys count as one appl count as one

Hate going off topic so apologies Sangre but to the above...*facepalm*

corkcomp

d-gal wrote: »

Hate going off topic so apologies Sangre but to the above...*facepalm*

+1 fruit is great, but the above is a load of ******

Sangre

brianthebard wrote: »

Dunno what you do but do they have the bike to work scheme in your workplace?

Annoyingly not - big enough company. Even indoor bike racks/showers and lockers.

Currently looking into getting a bike for a number of reason. Thanks for all the tips. Friend read this thread and gave me her experiences which has helped with the motivation too.

shootermacg

Bikes are dangerous things! I got one from the work scheme thingy, nice bike and all. Was having a good time cycling the 3 miles to work until some lorry decided to share the cycle lane with me, oh well I'm still here but tbh I don't know how I didn't go under his rear wheels.

I cycle from goatstown to hardcourt street and the amount of near misses by cars that don't even see you in the morning is sick, at least one near miss a week. By all means if you got nerves of steel go for it. I'll be back cycling soon, but I definately get more bang for my buck jogging AND it's a lot less stressfull.

I'm doing 5K runs at the moment when i get it up to 6/7K I'll chance running to work some days

Eircom_Sucks

shootermacg wrote: »

Bikes are dangerous things! I got one from the work scheme thingy, nice bike and all. Was having a good time cycling the 3 miles to work until some lorry decided to share the cycle lane with me, oh well I'm still here but tbh I don't know how I didn't go under his rear wheels.

I cycle from goatstown to hardcourt street and the amount of near misses by cars that don't even see you in the morning is sick, at least one near miss a week. By all means if you got nerves of steel go for it. I'll be back cycling soon, but I definately get more bang for my buck jogging AND it's a lot less stressfull.

I'm doing 5K runs at the moment when i get it up to 6/7K I'll chance running to work some days

im sorry but thats total bs

bad drivers are dangerious and bad cyclists also , the bike is an object you control

shootermacg

Eircom_Sucks wrote: »

im sorry but thats total bs

bad drivers are dangerious and bad cyclists also , the bike is an object you control

says who??

I'd love if you were cycling along in an indicated cycle lane and upcomes a lorry doing 30mph, he sees a car turning ahead and drives in on top of you then while you're frantically breaking; you then fall up against the lorry and slide down it's side, thinking you're going to get my head crushed like a melon!

I have good road manners, always allow lorries take the lead, stop at the lights etc.

The best thing you can do is STFU eejit and stop calling people bull****ters! When all I see from you is exactly that! Save your trolling for a kiddies forum!

What danger does a cyclist pose for a car?

Do you even own a bike?????!!!

rubadub

I cycled to work pretty much everyday for the last 6 years or so. I simply presume every other person, on foot, bike, car, truck is a homicidal maniac with no knowledge of the rules and is out to kill me. It works quite well, have only had a few falls and knew it was prepared since I had slowed down for the lunatics. You see some right nutters on bikes, fully obeying the lay, helmets and high viz etc, but nutters in the sense they think other drivers see them or recognise that they have a right of way. They do everything correctly, signalling and then going out in front of cars etc, but it is like they are trying to bite their nose off to spite their face, get run over to have the satisfaction of saying the car was in the wrong.

shootermacg

Man I'm seething after seeing that ****e!

shootermacg

rubadub wrote: »

I simply presume every other person, on foot, bike, bike is a homicidal maniac with no knowledge of the rules and is out to kill me.

That's how I ride too! I always try to look at the driver's face if possible, saying that I've lost count of the amount of cars coming from a side road that are looking right in my direction and then just pull out as I'm going to pass. Some people just don't even see you, when their looking right at you.

I've had people speed up and then turn in right infront of me, into a drive, one red golf GTI comes to mind!
As far as that BS post goes (which I am still seething about btw), it takes one driver zoned out to kill a cyclist. News flash: Cyclist kills 4 in suv after collision! <--haven't seen that one yet!
If we were all good drivers how come our insurance premiums are soo high.
You can do everything in your power ti minimize risk but it just takes one twatt with fogged up windows to mow you down! + the driving licence exam is a joke and a disgrace!

Mornings are worst!

By the way I also drive.

Penny Dreadful

I'd like to get my running done in the morning. Currently I go for a 25 - 50 minute run in the evening after work and while I enjoy it there are times I'm so wrecked its a real push to get out there. Then I'm really wrecked afterward and useless. I thought that if I got a run in first thing it might be better.
What would you wise wise people suggest I eat before a run in the morning?

shootermacg

Depends on how long you wait after to run. As much water as you want, I like to drink a bottle of yop if I'm running empty before a run or game of footie, I find it doesn't make me cramp or give me issues.

Penny Dreadful

shootermacg wrote: »

Depends on how long you wait after to run. As much water as you want, I like to drink a bottle of yop if I'm running empty before a run or game of footie, I find it doesn't make me cramp or give me issues.

I suppose I want to have enough energy to do the run but I don't want to be getting up at 5.30am to eat then wait an hour before running. So lets say I give myself 20 -30 mins after eating before running. Would a banana and yoghurt be ok? The water is never an issue I am always hydrated.
I work out a few evenings per week too which is also why I'd like to get my run in first thing. I do bootcamp, boxercise, body conditioning and box fit during the week and then the running a few evenings too but as I said earlier would like to switch the running to mornings before work.

shootermacg

Personally I'd keep it light, you can always eat later, a banana sounds fine but tbh, I feel heavy if I've eaten just before hand, even a banana, guess that might just be me, if you have previous experience of doing that go ahead ^ ^.

I'd actually like to do my jogging in the morning too, plenty of time between that and the evening workout would be ideal. May try running to work soon, although it's all uphill on the way home.

Penny Dreadful

shootermacg wrote: »

Personally I'd keep it light, you can always eat later, a banana sounds fine but tbh, I feel heavy if I've eaten just before hand, even a banana, guess that might just be me, if you have previous experience of doing that go ahead ^ ^.

I'd actually like to do my jogging in the morning too, plenty of time between that and the evening workout would be ideal. May try running to work soon, although it's all uphill on the way home.

Up hill on the way home is just mean:) I think I'll give it a go with just water and maybe a Berocca and see how that goes. If I'm light headed or feeling weak then I'll give a banana a shot and see how that goes.
I've started running recently enough as I'm going to do a few 10k runs over the next few months and think about a marathon or half marathon. I'm finding it difficult enough to get my food intake right for the extra exercise on top of the stuff I'm doing in the evening. I want to make sure I get it right as I'm certainly not interested in loosing weight (am 5' 8" and weigh 60 kilos) and have pretty good muscle tone but need to get the right amount of the right foods into my body. I'm also stunned at how the extra exercise is making me need so much more sleep.

Naos

shootermacg wrote: »

says who??

I'd love if you were cycling along in an indicated cycle lane and upcomes a lorry doing 30mph, he sees a car turning ahead and drives in on top of you then while you're frantically breaking; you then fall up against the lorry and slide down it's side, thinking you're going to get my head crushed like a melon!

I have good road manners, always allow lorries take the lead, stop at the lights etc.

The best thing you can do is STFU eejit and stop calling people bull****ters! When all I see from you is exactly that! Save your trolling for a kiddies forum!

What danger does a cyclist pose for a car?

Do you even own a bike?????!!!

Wow, calm down.

Bikes are not dangerous. It's either the cyclist or the driver that is dangerous as they are in control of both vehicles.

I've tried jogging recently in the morning but it's absolutley freezing - I find it's hindering me big time. I'm not going on far jogs, around 3km, so I just had a bit of uisce and was on my way.

itsallaboutheL

shootermacg wrote: »

What he said! You actually can get by without fruit, veg has everything you need, but you can't get by without either! Fruit is great to ensure your metabolism is topped up and handy, oranges are great, good fibre there lad!

I also read somewhere the pros eat an orange before and sometimes during a workout.

shootermacg

itsallaboutheL wrote: »

Fruit is handy and a convenient snack that keeps your metabolism topped up,

Lil' Smiler

Some good advice here guys, thanks. I need to do the same myself. Currently using the excuse of too tired to exercise but it's the circle of if i exercise i'll be tired but in the long run I'll end up feeling better.

Must force myself to get up earlier next week and make a start!

shootermacg

Naos wrote: »

Wow, calm down.

Bikes are not dangerous. It's either the cyclist or the driver that is dangerous as they are in control of both vehicles.

I've tried jogging recently in the morning but it's absolutley freezing - I find it's hindering me big time. I'm not going on far jogs, around 3km, so I just had a bit of uisce and was on my way.

Everyones entitled to their opinion, but to call someone a bull****ter in public!
That's just rude!
I was not suggesting bikes have a mind of their own throw you in front of a car, my bad for not using the word 'cycling' instead.

It's hard to warm up in 3K, I actually have to do 2K before I start to sweat.
I use a cantabury cold long sleeve top and a wind resistant sleeveless bikers top I got from lidl(pockkets for nano and house keys), body armor shorts (great to stop chapping of the thighs when you are around the 4K mark) under a cotton tracksuit bottom. Been out in freezing weather with them on and wasn't too cold or hot.

Nothing worse than having heavy clothing when you start to heat up.