Switiching to morning workouts, who does mornings, any advice?

[digismash]

I am switching from 5pm workouts to 830am workouts. M-W-F will be weights followed by cardio and T-Th will be cardio.

So any advice from you guys? also would I just do my preworkout shake on weight days, and nothing at all on cardio days? I am assuming so.

for those of you familiar with my other threads my main goal as is fat loss while maintaining or increasing LBM.

Thanks!

Eric

[UberSteroids]

Well, let me tell you the way I look at it.

I like to lift afternoon and evening for a simple reason and that is because I had a chance to eat through out the day and have plenty of energy to do a nice workout. If you go to sleep, say at 10pm and wake up at 7am, that means that you had zero food intake for about 9 hours or so. Then, you wake up in the morning and you start with weight lifting followed by a cardio. To me that sounds crazy from a physiological point of view.

I have tried working out in the morning and it just does not work for me. I prefer my body to be fully "loaded" and ready before engaging heavy lifting.

That's all I got.

[BigBuck6]

I used to lift early and learner a few things. Eat everything in site as soon as you wake up and continue to until you hit the weights, drink as much water as humanly possible, and wake up 2-3 hours before a given weight training session.

Okay the reasoning for eating or drinking as much as possible is simple, a fat hydrated cell is a happy cell and will be more efficient. Make sure that what you ingest in clean in terms of lean protein such as a shake and some complex carbohydrates such as oats. Now when it comes to training 2-3 hours after waking I suggest this for two reasons one being to let your body absorb the nutrients your giving it before training and prepare itself for the iron. The other reason is that I have read for a few years now that testosterone levels peak 2-3 hours after waking up and then again around 5-6pm.

[digismash]

great info, thank you! working out in the afternoon isnt an option for me anymore, so this helps alot

[HawaiianPride.]

Studies have shown more work out put during the later day. In fact I posted a great read on Circadian Rhythms here somewhere but the search deal is all screwed up so I can't link you.

Transitioning from pm to am is a little rough at first but I liked it for a while. But to be truthful I saw more gains during PM training and will stick with this unless my schedule doesn't allow me.

Search Circadian Rhythms in I believe the training section or AR lounge and you'll find the article I'm talking about.

I have to run I'll be back and try and help you find it.

[scotty51312]

here's a good picture diagram of circadian rythm in humans.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bi...lock_human.svg

[LBSOMEIRON]

I do and have trained first thing in the morning for a little over a year with far better results than I did at 5pm.

I canno tell you the science behind it nor do I really care. I wake up, dress, pound some aminos and amy Jack3d and rock it.

I have the entire gym to myself - I can take up 3-4-5 stations, my energy kicks in by the time I get there and I am ravishing all day.

I read a one on one with Dennis Wolf that says he does the same thing, albeit more drastic. He wakes and trains, eats then sleeps, trains again at 2pm, eats and sleeps, and does cardio before bed. Toss in a few more meals and that's his day.

I've increased my lifts and my weight and my bf% is the same - I just feel better all day.

Just my $02. It may take a couple three weeks, but I will never go back.

[digismash]

I have to say today was my first day, I got up at 6 and was at the gym by 9, had a pre workout shake with whey,waxy maize and Udos.

Also I've been sick and havent been to the gym in 2 weeks, and had a GREAT workout, and was hungry all day which made it easy to eat, although I dont usually have a problem with that.

I will have to see how the gains are, but so far its working well. also there was hardly anyone there!

[digismash]

here's a good picture diagram of circadian rythm in humans.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bi...lock_human.svg

extremely interesting! i workout right when testosterone is highest, very nice!!

thanks for this

[MuscleScience]

Studies have shown more work out put during the later day. In fact I posted a great read on Circadian Rhythms here somewhere but the search deal is all screwed up so I can't link you.

Transitioning from pm to am is a little rough at first but I liked it for a while. But to be truthful I saw more gains during PM training and will stick with this unless my schedule doesn't allow me.

Search Circadian Rhythms in I believe the training section or AR lounge and you'll find the article I'm talking about.

I have to run I'll be back and try and help you find it.

Your correct, there is a lot of evidence that the body does not hit its physiological peak until mid to late afternoon.

Secondly, in the morning after rising. The intervertebral discs are at their maximum hydration levels from being unloaded all night. The disk suck in water at night and fill up like a air back. Since they are at their most hydrated level, they are also at their highest potential to be injured. As we know from physics, a liquid can not be compressed. It will simply find the weak point. I personally see nothing wrong with doing cardio or even light upper body exercises. Basically any exercise that doesn't overly load the spinal column.

[LBSOMEIRON]

At the end of the day, it comes down to when can you train the hardest. Period. I've transformed my body 5x over training first thing. I'm alert, focused and my intensity is high much mire than it ever was training in the afternoon.

I attribute my gains to the fact that my next six meals are repairing and saturating the muscles I trained in the am.

I'll never go back.

After a full day of work, I know all of you have had days where you do not feel like being in the gym. It's part of life.

First thing in the am, you don't have time to have that feeling.

You just need to be one that can get up and bring it.

[LBSOMEIRON]

One of the most frequently asked bodybuilding questions involves the best time to train, with many wondering if morning weight lifting sessions are superior for muscle growth. In fact, numerous bodybuilders make the effort to wake up early in the morning to perform their weight lifting sessions, feeling that doing so is the best method for consistent muscle building. Yet, is this truly the case? The answer is not as clear as some may believe.

One of the most important bodybuilding concepts for achieving maximum muscle growth is intensity, which simply means that full effort must take place throughout every weight lifting set (except warm ups), and this concept involves a certain mental focus that will dictate the type of overall muscle gain produced. In order for a weight lifting session to provide a brutal level of focus and output, the bodybuilder must mentally and physically feel energized to engage in the given weight lifting session, and this very factor will greatly influence when a bodybuilder best schedules a weight lifting session for maximum muscle gain.

Many are correct in scheduling weight lifting workout sessions for the early morning hours, as they either experience their greatest energy surge upon awakening, and feel the most motivated to engage in a weight lifting session at that time, or, due to very busy work and family schedules, cannot realistically schedule a weight training session at a time other than very early in the morning, prior to pursuing numerous additional obligations, therefore they are forced into such an undertaking. But some who attempt to pursue early weight lifting sessions despite having the time to train in the afternoon or evening must analyze their own biological response to stress, and if they sense that early morning weight lifting allows them to provide the same level of mental focus and physical effort as an afternoon or evening weight training workout, then they are free to continue such a practice, but if a bodybuilder senses a surge in energy during afternoon or evening hours, far beyond what is experienced earlier in the day, then clearly, if schedule allows, the best time for that particular individual to perform a weight lifting workout is later in the day, when he or she is able to focus maximum physical and mental effort towards intense weight lifting.

One other factor that must be considered is whether a specific weight lifting time allows for superior consistency, as some who pursue early morning weight lifting sessions might find that on certain days, due to fatigue, they sleep later, and begin skipping workouts due to lack of motivation. The bodybuilder should then decide if moving the weight lifting workout later in the day is possible given potential scheduling conflicts, and if doing so is realistic, then this will be the best choice to aid in consistency. Although weight lifting at different times of the day is valid, and can work very well if a bodybuilder is disciplined, most weight lifters will find that performing their sessions at approximately the same time each day increases the chance of long term dedication, as scheduling, a very important aspect in keeping humans on task, is helpful to force a bodybuilder into the gym through eventual habit, while to the contrary, constantly modifying weight lifting workout times each day can easily allow a bodybuilder to begin skipping workouts without feeling any sense of loss.

Although scheduling weight lifting sessions at the same time each day is preferred, those with changing work shifts will have no choice but to perform workouts at a variety of times based on their specific work hours, yet it's best to try and plan ahead as far as possible to determine when those times should be so that, mentally, there is a level of accountability towards meeting weight training obligations. This is far superior to the haphazard approach that many bodybuilders adopt, which eventually results in excuses and missed workout sessions.

The key in achieving maximum muscle building is to choose a time in the day when both mental and physical energy is at high levels, and I recommend consistently staying with this same weight training schedule if work and family commitments permit. Although there is no best time to perform a weight training workout that fits every individual, as this will depend upon personal circumstances and obligations, there is no doubt that the best time for us all will be when we are able to devote maximum mental and physical effort towards an intense, productive weight lifting experience.

Harry Rambod - MD February 2010