Gonna attempt early morning workouts...

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mommabenefield
mommabenefield Posts: 1,329 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So i think my husband and I may finally have a schedule that would let me get in the gym 3-4 days a week. (my gym is open 5am-11pm during the week) It involves being there by 5 am and getting up around 4:30-4:45 and back at home by 6 am so he can leave for work. I have a super hard time getting up before 6:30 am that being said I really need to give this schedule a shot. Besides the fact that this would make for a very efficient schedule for us, he referees high school football 4 days a week and doesn't get home til late, since football season has started, afternoons have become super difficult to get to the gym.

Any suggestions from those who regularly workout early in the AM?

How to make the most of that one hour in the gym, i know cardio can be done in that time, but what about strength/resistance?
Anything to help prevent that early morning sick feeling/dizziness from working out on an empty stomach.
etc....



Thanks in advance :flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
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    Plenty of time. I strength train 3 times a week for only 30-40min at 6am and then do cardio 2 days a week on lunch. Do some research, go in with a game plan so you will be more efficient. Good luck!

    Edited to add - I eat a banana before I go.
  • mommabenefield
    mommabenefield Posts: 1,329 Member
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    Plenty of time. I strength train 3 times a week for only 30-40min at 6am and then do cardio 2 days a week on lunch. Do some research, go in with a game plan so you will be more efficient. Good luck!

    Edited to add - I eat a banana before I go.

    Thanks!

    If you dont mind me asking, what do your strength routines look like.
    I will be doing some research for some routines also.
  • babscan73
    babscan73 Posts: 18 Member
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    I go in for 6am and finish by 7am. Bike for 10, strength for 20 and elliptical for 30. Always eat something before you go...I didn't once and it was a BIG mistake. Just grab a peach, pear, banana (sadly higher in cals). You need something in your stomach.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
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    I get up at 4:50 every morning to workout. I do 3 days of cardio (65 minutes) and 3 days of weights (compound lifts) (90 mins). I workout at home which is why I can squeeze in longer sessions.

    You can alternate your cardio days and weight days like I do instead of trying to squeeze them both into one session.

    I use my iPhone to wakeup so when I first started the early mornings I would put my phone on the dresser across from my bed so I had to get up to shut it off (I am not a morning person). You do get used to it, just takes some time.

    I don't eat anything myself, can't stomach food that early in the morning.
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
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    Plenty of time. I strength train 3 times a week for only 30-40min at 6am and then do cardio 2 days a week on lunch. Do some research, go in with a game plan so you will be more efficient. Good luck!

    Edited to add - I eat a banana before I go.

    Thanks!

    If you dont mind me asking, what do your strength routines look like.
    I will be doing some research for some routines also.

    My workouts vary by the day but some of my leg stuff includes:
    squat rack (front and back)
    deadlifts
    RDLs
    deadlifts with a trap bar
    overhead squats
    plie squats
    overhead walking lunges
    one legged lunges
    kettlebell squats

    My upper body includes:
    overhead press
    upright rows
    bench press
    chest press with dumbbells
    bicep curls with barbell or dumbbells
    skull crushers with barbell
    pull-ups


    That's all I can think of right now off the top of my head. Google Jaime Eason's 12 week program - she has some great weight workouts to get your started.
  • krislshoe
    krislshoe Posts: 459 Member
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    I get up at 4:15 am or 4:30 am depending on which day it is....2 days a week I go to ripped class (strength training plus cardio) at 4:45 and then the other 4 days I run in the morning with a friend...Early morning is the only time I can do it as im a mom of 3 and hubby is the athletic director at our local high school...so our evenings are crazy busy! I don't eat before I workout but as soon as I get home I do a protein shake and then breakfast about an hour later....good luck on your new morning routine...just remember there are tons of people out there getting up the very same time as you and working out...that always helps me:)
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
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    I do about 45 minutes at the gym every morning. Usually about 30 of cardio (running or elliptical) every day and alternate between lower and upper body strength for 15 minutes each day. Strength is a combination of free weights and machines as well as pushups, sit ups, squats and lunges. I worked with a trainer at first to get a nice variety of things to do and now I just do them on my own and increase the weights regularly.
  • PamelaGailJacobucci
    PamelaGailJacobucci Posts: 39
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    Getting up early sucks more if you live somewhere cold like I do! lol. I set my alarm for 4:40, and allow one snooze before getting to the gym by 5. I don't eat before I go, but I don't feel nauseated or anything like that. Go to bed early so that it's easier to wake up. You've also got to really want to workout and make changes to your body or else it feels like a chore (which happens occasionally).

    I have more time to work out than you do, so someone else will have to offer advice on how to fit in strength training and cardio in one hour. But maybe you can do strength training in the morning, and then if you have a stationary bike or treadmill at home, then do cardio later in the evening.
  • Squamation
    Squamation Posts: 522 Member
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    I thought I would hate it but I actually loved my early morning workouts.

    The key is to get a GOOD nights sleep. I had to give some stuff up and go to bed by 9pm every night, other wise I was just too tired.

    I never had a problem exercising on an empty stomach. I would take a pre-workout before and then a shake right after and breakfast about an hour to an hour and a half after that.

    I did it 5 times a week, cardio twice a week and strength training 3 times a week.
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
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    woof. good luck, not for me. would just emphasize, with others, the need to get your 6-8 hours, regardless, and consider another plan if that doesn't happen, or you'll work against yourself (in terms of strength gains, weight loss, etc).

    for things to do in an hour, try an upper/lower split finishing with a short bout of cardio.

    eg: http://www.stumptuous.com/workout-2 or http://www.stumptuous.com/workout-4
  • cjohn2278
    cjohn2278 Posts: 65 Member
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    I also work out at 5am and usually only have about an hour to do so. I usually rotate my days...one day elliptical for 65 minutes and the next strength training for 20 and tredmill for 35-40 minutes...it works for me!! 5 am came really early the first few days but then after the first week I was able to hop out of bed and get it done cuz I knew if it didn't happen in the morning it wasn't going to!
  • mommabenefield
    mommabenefield Posts: 1,329 Member
    Options
    Plenty of time. I strength train 3 times a week for only 30-40min at 6am and then do cardio 2 days a week on lunch. Do some research, go in with a game plan so you will be more efficient. Good luck!

    Edited to add - I eat a banana before I go.

    Thanks!

    If you dont mind me asking, what do your strength routines look like.
    I will be doing some research for some routines also.

    My workouts vary by the day but some of my leg stuff includes:
    squat rack (front and back)
    deadlifts
    RDLs
    deadlifts with a trap bar
    overhead squats
    plie squats
    overhead walking lunges
    one legged lunges
    kettlebell squats

    My upper body includes:
    overhead press
    upright rows
    bench press
    chest press with dumbbells
    bicep curls with barbell or dumbbells
    skull crushers with barbell
    pull-ups


    That's all I can think of right now off the top of my head. Google Jaime Eason's 12 week program - she has some great weight workouts to get your started.

    Insane! that you mentioned that program, I JUST went to bb.com to look at programs and found that one, even wrote down week 1 (helps the different moves stick in my head better) ..... Did you do that program? I'm a little nervous about the zero cardio part?
  • mommabenefield
    mommabenefield Posts: 1,329 Member
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    Thank you everybody!! For all the tips and encouraging words this is really helpful!

    Keep them coming!
    I love the point about other people being up and in the gym that early too that really helps to think about!
    I was even considering dedicating the morning workout to strictly strength and then walking with baby and dog in the afternoons but worried that I will chicken out in the evening from being tired from such an early wake up.
    Worried about burning out in the first week!
  • jessspurr
    jessspurr Posts: 258 Member
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    I've been working out in the morning now for about 5 months and I adore it. Which is incredibly weird for me...a.) because I'm actually waking up early and b.) because I'm waking up early to...exercise... creepy. I think once you start it will become routine in no time. I wake up at 5:30 and leave the house at 6:15 (def. not as early as you, but still pretty early!) One thing that has helped me is being totally ready to go the night before. Gym clothes and shoes laid out and work outfit ready to grab and head out the door. Also, having a locker at the gym has been majorly helpful. What helps me get going in the morning isn't necessarily being excited to go to the gym its excitement for my morning routine. I sit down for a few minutes and drink coffee and snuggle my dogs- its our thing and I love it! So, maybe find something you enjoy doing for a few minutes before you head out the door to give you an extra reason to wake up early. Also, I only have an hour in the gym each morning and I do both strength and cardio. Some days I do splits, some days its just cardio. I would also suggest maybe going to the gym on a Saturday or another day when you have more time to really explore and develop some strength routines so you don't have to waste any of your weekday hour figuring stuff out and not burning calories or building muscle! Ah geez. I want to go to the gym again now. :love:
  • Wantingslim
    Wantingslim Posts: 37
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    Bump
  • IowaJen1979
    IowaJen1979 Posts: 406 Member
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    Good for you! It might be a tough adjustment but it's worth it. A year ago I could never ever fathom working out before work, now it's my preference! I love the energy it gives me and I'm much less likely to skip a workout if I do it first thing in the morning. My gym offers early morning Spinning classes which I go to once a week, I run twice a week, and lift weights once a week (I lift weights again on Sunday after my Zumba class).

    The key to sticking with morning workouts (in my opinion) is to set out all of your clothes the night before and make sure you go to bed early enough so you feel like you got a good night's sleep. And you may want to work up to the early wake up time. I used to get up at 7:15 for work, so I started getting up at 6:30 a few times a week, then 6:15, and now I get up at 5:20 for my Spinning class. Now that I'm used to getting up early it doesn't feel so bad. AND WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT USE YOUR SNOOZE BUTTON!!!! It makes getting up early a million times harder.

    I would try a few different things and see what works for you. Switch it up, too, so that you don't get bored. Some gyms offer programs to help you get motivated - keep an eye out for those!

    Good luck and keep us posted!
  • InForBacon
    InForBacon Posts: 1,508 Member
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    I like a good wrestling in the sheets for my early morning workout.
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
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    Thank you everybody!! For all the tips and encouraging words this is really helpful!

    Keep them coming!
    I love the point about other people being up and in the gym that early too that really helps to think about!
    I was even considering dedicating the morning workout to strictly strength and then walking with baby and dog in the afternoons but worried that I will chicken out in the evening from being tired from such an early wake up.
    Worried about burning out in the first week!

    The first day I walked into the gym at 6am, I was so surprised at how many people were in there. I was like "wow, people really do this." I walk to the gym and people were outside running, walking dogs, etc. all at 5:50am. It was like a whole other world I was missing while I was sleeping. :)

    Plus it's the best feeling in the afternoon knowing I can just go home and relax and cook dinner with a glass of wine rather than have to go to the gym.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    No reason for strength training to ever take more than an hour. Keep it simple. Find a program like Starting Strength or Stronglifts, they generally only take about 30 minutes.

    As for getting up early, I work overnights, so that I can't help with. :laugh:
  • absmith_
    absmith_ Posts: 63 Member
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    Have you thought about getting a DVD and doing it in the morning? Sometimes i hit the gym, but I do insanity in my basement at 4AM in order to be in the shower at 5, to leave at 6 for work. But it's so worth it, and I actually look forward to it and am used to it now

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