Early Morning Workouts

thistimereally

Joining the dreaded Planet Fitness tomorrow. Frankly not willing to spend more until I'm sure I'll stick with the routine. My workouts will primarily be at 4 AM. Tell me all about how you drag yourself out of bed in the mornings! Anyone come to love their early morning clock ins??

Neckita

Yes, I love the early morning workouts! The gym is not super packed at that time, so you are able to use any and all weights or machines.

ABabilonia

I used to work out early in the morning and I used to sleep with my gym clothes on. That way I just woke up and went straight to the gym. Good luck...

GrayRider61

I've done those in the past but really doesn't work for me. I would recommend having a backup plan for those days you don't make it at 4 such as a bodyweight circuit u can do at home.

ParanormaLauren

I tried the early morning workout routine, but it wasn't for me. If you get honest with yourself and you come to realize you're just not a morning person and never going to be (*raises hand*), finding a routine that works for you is key. I re-prioritized my schedule so that I go 2-3 times a week after work and whenever I'm good and ready on the weekend days is really working for me.

distinctlybeautiful

Usually I'm obligated to get up early to take the hubby to work, but now that I've gotten into the habit of working out in the morning, I get up and do it most weekdays even when I don't have to take him to work. I just feel more properly awake afterward, so I think about that. I also hear it can make you more tired if you wake up and go back to sleep, so I just get up when the alarm goes off. I really like that I can get cardio out of the way in the morning. That way, it's just weights when I get off work, and it's way easier to get myself to the gym after work for that since I enjoy it more.

Lizzy622

My gym doesn't open until 6 (no 24/7 gyms near me). I get in there at least 4 days a week before work. It gets the blood flowing and really gets me ready for the day. Moving early in the morning sets me up for more movement during the day.

Ironandwine69

I love my early morning workouts. It's the only way to get a workout in, for me, before busy days starts. Many times I've said "Eh, I'll do it later" and it hasn't happened. So I stick with early morning.

BaddS4

When I was on the early shift m y workouts started at 4am.. I loved it due to the fact the gym was a ghost town and was able to get in a good workout before work.. Now I'm on afternoons and the gym is packed.. So I stopped going to the gym now have equipment at home. So now I only have to go downstairs to get my workout in..

questionfear

I love early morning workouts. I work out at home now, but when I went to the gym I would motivate myself by remembering that at 5am the weight room was empty, but by 6am it would be crowded-wanting to get ahead of the crowd propelled me out of bed.

It also helps to plan out your morning and determine what time you need to be home/on your way to work, and work backwards from there. Also pack lunch, breakfast, etc the night before so you have less excuses for skipping the gym.

Rusty740

Ugh, I don't like morning workouts (or mornings). But I find that you might be able to enjoy it if you make it a habit.

I'd say plan on at least 6-8 weeks of honest-to-goodness on schedule morning workouts to be able to know for sure if it will work for you.

LearningToFly13

Mornings are the work of the devil

WandaVaughn

I like my early morning runs. I never feel like it after work. Also, I tell myself that the run will be the hardest thing that I do all day. Better to get it done and over with-- the rest is a cake walk. LOL!

SFarris829

I workout at 4:30 every morning and it helps wake me up and get some energy for the day. I set my alarm on my phone and keep it far away from me so I have to get up to shut it off. So then I'm already up so I just stay up

CaladriaNapea

I love early morning workouts! I am a morning person, while my husband is most definitely not, but we still hit the gym together every morning before work. I genuinely enjoy working out early in the morning while my husband more just gets through it. However, both of us constantly used to say "we'll work out after work!" but it almost never happened (maybe once every two weeks? Maybe?). By the time you get home, take off your shoes, and start talking about your day . . . the motivation is just gone. Now, we work out together at 6:00 AM six times a week. It works.

As for success tips: make it a habit. A habit you do not miss. In college I also worked out early in the morning, but I would frequently hit the snooze button and tell myself that I was going to go later in the day (that never happened). Because that became an option for me, I started going to the gym less and less often until I completely stopped going after a couple months. This time around I have worked hard to make morning work outs a habit, thus they require a lot less motivation to get my butt out of bed to do them. I never hit the snooze, I just go. It is what I do now, and I am not going to let that sleepy voice in the back of my head decide otherwise.

ehimass

I use a pre workout supplement called Mr. Hyde. It is the equivalent of 10 ~ish cups of coffee in one 8 oz serving. I never have a problem with early morning workouts.

k8mcminn

I go at 5AM with my hubby 3 days a week. It helps to organize yourself the night before. Set out gym wear, water bottle, music, gym card plus what you will wear to work, and breakfast and lunch. We like that the gym is less crowded and it gives us a good start to the day. After work never worked for us due to schedules.

kclaar11

I tend to agree with everyone else. Working out in the morning gives me a jumpstart in to the day, but then again, I have always been a morning person

katepauul26

I go for 5:30!
Everything is packed the night before and I sleep in my workout clothes. I take maybe 5 minutes to get out of the house (put in my contacts and brush my teeth) and then walk to the gym, about 15 minutes. I find the walk always wakes me up!
I feel more focused at work and i can enjoy relaxing in the evenings!

Rusty740

lonestarwings wrote: »

I use a pre workout supplement called Mr. Hyde. It is the equivalent of 10 ~ish cups of coffee in one 8 oz serving. I never have a problem with early morning workouts.

That's a lot of caffeine! lol

I also find an espresso an hour before a workout really kicks it into high gear.

wellthenwhat

I typically work out at 5am. I am a single mom with a full time job, and this gives me time to spend with my son in the evening. I hate getting up early, and sometimes it's super difficult. I tell myself I can get up to go to work, so I can do this, too.

ams2221985

Early mornings are better in my opinion. But that also means you need to adjust to early nights as well.

thistimereally

Welp I did it. My first 4 AM workout lol. It wasn't so bad then but I'm really tired now. Guess I'll sleep well tonight! Looking forward to doing it again tomorrow!

GemstoneofHeart

ParanormaLauren wrote: »

I tried the early morning workout routine, but it wasn't for me. If you get honest with yourself and you come to realize you're just not a morning person and never going to be (*raises hand*), finding a routine that works for you is key. I re-prioritized my schedule so that I go 2-3 times a week after work and whenever I'm good and ready on the weekend days is really working for me.

I second all of this. I can't do morning workouts, even on the weekends. I'm just too sluggish until at least noon. I always do evening workouts and I love it!

danielle_swei

I absolutely love morning workouts. While I don't want to get out of bed, once I do I have so much more energy then I do for workouts at night. I get it done early and have the whole day ahead of me. At first I used a preworkout powder to get my energy up but after about a week of that I realized I didn't need it. My body adjusted to 5am workouts relatively easily. Some people just aren't morning people though!

CMenendez

katepauul26 wrote: »

I go for 5:30!
Everything is packed the night before and I sleep in my workout clothes. I take maybe 5 minutes to get out of the house (put in my contacts and brush my teeth) and then walk to the gym, about 15 minutes. I find the walk always wakes me up!
I feel more focused at work and i can enjoy relaxing in the evenings!

Do you eat/drink anything before your workout? I found in my previous morning workouts i would really struggle with not eating and feeling really sluggish

wellthenwhat

My hardest part is I don't feel my best, or like exerting myself directly out of bed. But I don't wanna do it later, either, lol

jayv85

4am is when I get up for work. And getting paid motivates me. Lol.

In all seriousness, I tried 3am workouts and I found myself not motivated at all, so I have to go after work.

If I was waking at 4am or a little later if be fine and I've motivated myself in the past by knowing the gym is empty then and I hate trying to compete for equipment.

mebelfanti

I am not a morning person at all, I will happily and easily sleep until noon given the opportunity. But for the past few weeks my husband and I have been waking up at 5:15 for 6AM workouts and I love it. I pack my bag and get everything ready the night before and I'll sleep in my workout pants. It's been really helpful to go with my husband, so if you can find an early morning buddy for accountability it might help get you out of bed. We listen to peppy music in the car and split a protein bar on the way to the gym and so far it's been working out great for us. We're exhausted by 9PM, but it's been great to have my evenings free. It makes it feel like working out isn't taking over my life, which is great for my motivation.

jillk93

I've been doing early morning workouts for the last three weeks just so I can accommodate work/school in the evenings. I find it's hit & miss with my energy levels. I gotta say it's nice to have it done first thing and not have to fight for a parking spot at the gym!

EmbeeKay

Two things motivate me:
1. For me, working out is my least pleasant task (though I feel amazing afterward), so if I can do it first thing in the morning, I feel like my whole day is going to be a breeze.
2. I never ever ever want to do it in the evening when the day is winding down! That's when I want to relax!