Going to the gym really early

Alexstrasza

If you go to the gym really early in the morning do you eat before you go or not?

If you do eat before you go, what do you have?

I have two kids and my husband works 2nd shift. So I'm starting to think my only time to really get to the gym everday would be to go at like 5 in the morning before the kids wake up.
However I am not a breakfast person. I hate eating when I first wake up. I usually don't eat until 2-3 hours after waking up. I usually sit around drinking water and sipping a cup of coffee before I actually eat real food.

kdeaux1959

Most likely you will need to eat something to have energy to make the best of it. It does not have to be really heavy... Maybe a meal bar or something... something will enough energy to get you going but not so much as to cause you to get nausiated.

MsTanya77

I go to the gym at 6am and I do not eat beforehand. For me, it's alot easier to work out on an empty stomach. I drink protein at night before bed and I'm good to go. I drink protein when I'm done working out, and then I eat breakfast sometime later on..........

USMCConditioning

it's generally good to have something LIGHT to eat pre workout. For me, i usually will have a hard boiled egg with a slice of ham.

irisheyez718

On the days that I'm going to the gym early in the morning, I usually just have a Vitatop muffin, or something else really light, and then I eat a good meal when I get home. I'm usually starving by that point!

TheresaC928

I think it depends on the person. I am borderline diabetic and have found that if I don't eat and go work out that I get ill after. It is best I think to eat something small either way. Someone once told me to eat a fruit and/or protein. It does help.

AngieCook09

I don't eat anything before I go to the gym early. At the most I might have an apple. My trainer says to eat within 2 hours of waking up though so you can get your metabolism started.

PixelTreason

I go at 5:30 AM and do not eat beforehand. I eat when I get home.

Elleinnz

I grab a handfull (about 15 almonds), and half an banana or apple......protein shake right after - and then breakfast once I get to work...

Oh - and a coffee - trim milk late while I am working out (I know I know - but it is mine, and my trainers little indulgence for getting out of bed at 6!!)

Still_Fluffy

I get up at 5:30 and go the gym and usually don't eat before hand. If I do eat I usually will grab a banana.

Joneses17

I workout before work around 6 am. I don't eat anything because I'm usually rushing to get to the gym and not hungry. I do eat immediately after my workout once I get to work. On the weekends I have an open schedule and make sure to eat before my workouts. I think I'm going to either have a protein bar or shake before my workouts as I use to years ago.

honestlysweet

If I didn't eat before my gym classes, I would lose energy because I lift heavy and expend a lot of energy. I eat a protein bar and a glass of skim milk before I go and when I get back I make a protein shake with whey protein powder and fruit and milk.

mommymeg2

I go to the gym around 5 and I don't eat beforehand. If I do, I feel sick. I usually drink my protein shake when I get home and then eat breakfast a bit later. I'm usually lifting heavy if that makes a difference (as opposed to endurance cardio)

kristi_asco

i always eat a bowl of cereal and wait like a half hour to go, just so it digests a little bit first :P

ipsamet

I make a smoothie with a scoop of protein, drink some of it on my drive in so I have something in my stomach before I work out and then save the rest for afterwards. It works well for me!

Curt959

I'm at the gym most mornings at 5:00 a.m. and the majority of the time I do not eat anything. On a few occassions when I did eat, it is usually a banana and/or a few almonds. For what its worth; I usually eat a high protein breakfast usually within a hour after my workouts!

shivaslives

I work out in the morning at around 5am and always have a little something before I go, usually an apple or a banana. Otherwise, your body can go into a catabolic state and start to break down muscle for fuel rather than using blood sugar or burning fat. (at least, that's what my gym's nutritionist says.)



Advice is worth exactly what you pay for it!

eodvarka

If you're not hungry, you don't need to eat, though you'd probably have more energy if you ate IF you're doing something intense like cardio; if you're weight lifting, you don't necessarily have to have anything before if you eat something high in protein and enough carbs after.
I would suggest pairing a protein with a carbohydrate before working out. Perhaps a whole wheat English muffin with a tablespoon of peanut butter and even a piece of fruit.

M1chelles5

I like to eat Kellogs Nutrigrain cereal bars...usually have before my workout and half later. Or I'll eat a banana, sometimes two whole eggs.

It just depends on how I'm feeling. If I need energy for cardio I go for the cereal bar or banana. If is strenth training half a banana and protein power (w/almond-coconut milk). If I'm hungry I'll eat eggs.

The point is I dont like a full stomach when working out, so I eat just enough to workout then eat a large brunch.

jess__bat

Generally no.. If it's a week day I normally go to the gym around 6:30 7, and I will only have a cup of coffee before hand and eat breakfast at work, normally around 9, 9:30. If i'm running a race on the weekend, it's normally a little later, either 9am or 11 and I still try to avoid solid foods, I cramp if I eat before hand. If I wake up hungry I'll do a banana and half an energy bar and just tough it out until after.

Grandysl

I am in the gym before 0500 M-F and I dont eat. I dont drink much either. Right now I do about 2.5 hours of either all cardio or cardio and a core/total body workout which is done at a pace to be a cardio workout. My gym is in the building where I work. I shower and drink a powerade zero or two as soon as I get to my desk. Breakfast shortly after, which is usually greek yogurt.
I can not eat prior to working out or I will get sick to my stomach, plus I feel that not eating forces the body to go to stored energy (fat) for fuel.

Just my opinion, but I think it really is a personal matter.

plumnbagel

I've been going to the gym at 5 a.m. when it opens, just to make sure I can get one of the elliptical machines I like using before the morning crowd comes, and I've been doing well keeping a little bag of almonds or something in the car for after I work out (another friend said she drinks a bit of chocolate milk just to provide protein after a workout). But I've been reading up on weight training, and it seems like you should wait an hour after waking up before you do any serious lifting or stretching (your spinal discs fill with fluid overnight, according to Stuart McGill in Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance).

M1chelles5

But I've been reading up on weight training, and it seems like you should wait an hour after waking up before you do any serious lifting or stretching (your spinal discs fill with fluid overnight, according to Stuart McGill in Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance).

That makes me feel better about hitting the snooze button!

jrmav

What type of workout are you doing? Cardio or weights. If just doing cardio, an empty stomach is fine and some people actually swear by fasted cardio. If hitting the weights on the other hand, you should have a high quality meal with protein and carbs about an hour beforehand. I have egg whites and oatmeal which helps fuel a strenuous workout.

DenverKos

I'm another one who doesn't eat if I work out first thing in the morning. I take medication that has to be taken on an empty stomach first thing, too, so if I ate, I would have to get up early to eat and go back to bed, or not work out until later which I can't do. When it's early, my workouts are usually only an hour long, though. On weekend when I have long rides or hard workouts, I do eat about 2 hours beforehand.

GroupXZ

I usually wake up early enough to eat and allow my food to digest before I go to the gym.

Sabine_Stroehm

I make a smoothie with a scoop of protein, drink some of it on my drive in so I have something in my stomach before I work out and then save the rest for afterwards. It works well for me!

This. I get something protein-y and eat/drink half on my way there, and half on my way home, and then the "rest" of my breakfast after my morning shower.

myak623

This is a matter of personal preference. Some people feel nauseous if they don't eat, others are just fine. Many people who follow an Intermittent Fasting protocol do not eat before an early workout.

I workout at 5:30 AM and I don't eat before. It is really up to you. Either way is just fine.

Elizabeth_C34

I usually eat a very small something (just a snack really) about an hour before whenever possible. I then come home and shower and eat a full breakfast before heading out.

kludgood

I go at 4am so I don't eat before I go. I wait until I get back home before work

BazAbroad

Protein drink and 1Mr pre-training supplement.