working out, morning or night?

**omoplatypus** · Posted On: 2/23/2009 4:21pm

this morning i did a weight session right after i woke up. my warm up run was sluggish, and all the weights felt a lot heavier than normal. it was a more strenuous workout where i pushed less iron and jogged slower.

but, i have heard from people that the morning is the best time to work out. i do feel tons better today than normal. i have way more energy and my performance at work is loads better. my boss wants me to start doing gym time every morning. but, i keep thinking about how sluggish i felt working out first thing.

is this something that can be overcome, or should i keep training at night when i can perform better?

**Kentucky Fried Chokin** · Posted On: 2/23/2009 4:25pm

Take some cafeine or something. I suggest Redline. I guarentee you won't feel sluggish.

**BaronVonDingDong** · Posted On: 2/23/2009 4:55pm

Did you eat breakfast first, or literally hit the weights "right after I woke up"?

**fightclubfreak7** · Posted On: 2/23/2009 5:27pm

I would ask the same question as above. I have tried working out right after I get up with no breakfast and had similar results. But a good breakfast really made the difference. A combination of simple and complex carbs made me feel great. Like some oatmeal with some fruit mixed in, sweetened with a little honey. Sometime a couple eggs as well.

**omoplatypus** · Posted On: 2/23/2009 5:33pm

i had a powerbar and a single serving of orange juice on my way there. that's my normal breakfast. when i got home, i was starving, so i microwaved a beef sausage biscut and had some more juice. by the time i got to work i felt great and wanted to go back to the gym.

i have been told before, that it's best to do cardio before breakfast, but i don't know if it's true or not.

**Phrost** · Posted On: 2/23/2009 5:39pm

According to what I've read, you get more benefit by doing it in the morning because it stimulates your metabolism. Besides, I'm always pumped after working out and couldn't see myself going to sleep within a few hours of it.

**killwill** · Posted On: 2/23/2009 5:49pm

Once your body gets used to working out in the morning it gets easier. I love working out early but I do it late usually. Tonight I'll hit the gym after 9 probably :(

**omoplatypus** · Posted On: 2/23/2009 5:52pm

yeah, i love the idea of morning workouts. especially doing it on days that i close at the bank because i don't have to be in until 9:30. so, this way i can have way more time to myself at night to do whatever. i'm going to try again tomorrow and see how i feel.

**Zaii** · Posted On: 2/23/2009 7:18pm

I generally prefer to work out in the morning. It was kind of touch and go for a while but figuring out the nutrient timing aspect is what really pulls it together.

Best thing I've found to perform well and to not feel like roadkill is to make a shake when you get up, have a bit before you start in on your routine, take tiny sips during, and then finish the rest of it once you've wrapped everything up. Then like 30 mins to 1 hour later, eat your normal sized breakfast.

I generally use:
1/2 banana
1/2 apple
2 scoops protein powder
Oats to preference
Pumpkin pie spice mix (it's pretty much just ginger, allspice, and cinnamon)
1 serving greens+ (a lot of people say it tastes like death, I use the berry flavor with no complaints)
A little salt
Almond milk to preference
2 1/2 - 3 cups water

**Kid Miracleman** · Posted On: 2/23/2009 7:24pm

I really feel like I ought to start doing morning workouts myself. I generally work from 9 to 6, although I've started coming in at 8:00 more often so I can get off at 5-ish and make the 6:00 BJJ class at my club. I also live within 10 minutes of my workplace, so I can leave the KM Estate less than 15 minutes before work starts and make it to my desk with time to spare. Given these conditions, I SHOULD be able to get up around 6:00 or 7:00 for a morning jog or what-have you...

Unfortunately, I'm just not what one would consider a "morning person." This is compounded by the fact that I generally go to Muay Thai class two to three nights during the work week at 8:00 and also work late one to two nights; because of this schedule, I'm wired when I get home and usually go to bed after midnight. Even with a good seven hours of sleep, I feel pretty crappy in the morning. I'm just having trouble getting motivated to wake up 30-45 minutes earlier for a jog around the block.

So uh... yeah. I guess I'm not necessarily looking for suggestions on how to get motivated, as I'm sure there are already plenty of threads offering such information that can be found using the search function. Just wanted to, uh... just wanted to put that out there. It's, it's out there. Me, Kid Miracleman, not a morning person.

Yup.