5 am workout people

skill133
skill133 Posts: 161
edited November 7 in Motivation and Support
Who are the 5 am workout people out there? I've decided that I just have to bite the bullet and get out of bed at 5 am to get my workouts in. I used to workout at night around 9 pm, but it has been hit or miss with that lately with more misses! I'm an ok morning person and usually don't mind getting out of bed to get up, but that is a little early then normal. 6 am is normal time and the fact that to get up and have a coffee is one thing, to get up and workout is another.

So any advice from morning workout peeps would be appreciated!
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Replies

  • Tab122377
    Tab122377 Posts: 81 Member
    I'm 5:30 am work out time. i have about 5 alarms that go off. lay everything out the night before. it can be done sucks try to get to bed earlier.
  • reddz12
    reddz12 Posts: 350 Member
    Good Morning! lol.. although for me it seems like afternoon at this point. I wake up at 530, do my routine, burshing teeth, and I drink a bottle of water... Just to kind of wake me up and get my organs started. Once I'm feeling like my motor skills kick in I do some dynamic stretching, it helps to get the heart rate up a bit. Things like arm crosses, wind mills mixed in with light cardio like jump rope or jumping jacks. After about 10 minutes I'm ready to go!

    Welcome to the morning club! I wish you the best of luck!
  • lh1990
    lh1990 Posts: 25 Member
    It takes some time for your body to get used to the am "torture" but once you push past the 10 day mark, it eventually becomes part of you. It helps to have someone to work out with at the beginning. Now I don't even know how to sleep in anymore.
  • rassha01
    rassha01 Posts: 534 Member
    4:30 or 5:00 am here. I can't say it is easy but definitely the way to get the day rolling!!!:drinker:
  • fitfabforties
    fitfabforties Posts: 370 Member
    I try to get up at 5:30 and be working out by 5:45....it helps that I only live a three minute drive from work and don't start till 8....but it's still hard to get out of the bed sometimes....especially in winter when it's cold and dark.....:(
  • jpapp13
    jpapp13 Posts: 73 Member
    I get up around 4:15 / 4:30 am to be at the gym by 5/5:30 am ... it's not the best thing in the world but I've found that for me it works better than trying to go after work especially on those mentally exhausting days ..

    Try it out for a month, it takes about two weeks or so for your body and sleep schedule to adjust but it's doable.
  • dswolverine
    dswolverine Posts: 246 Member
    I personally have never "gotten used to" getting up so damn early. Every morning at 4:42am I would love to hit snooze for 2 more hours, but at this point it's just force of habit that gets my butt out of bed. Also because I know I don't want to save my workout for after work since I'm always tired and feeling lazy by the time i get home from work. You just have to force yourself if you're not really a morning person. Though I will add that i feel much more awake and alert when i get to work!
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    6:00 AM is sleeping in!

    I've always been a morning person (no alarm clock needed) but for normal people it's just a matter of developing the routine. Give it a honest shot, you'll probably be dragging your butt for the first little while but once you're used to it you'll probably find you have more energy throughout the day.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I'm actually a 4:30 workout person but I figure close enough. I make the coffee pot up the night before and make sure I've got clean workout clothes. I look over my schedule for the week so I know what I'm doing. In the morning I get up and have my coffee and half of my breakfast (usually I bake on the weekends and then eat that all week, so I don't have to worry about making breakfast), and I browse MFP for a few minutes before I get to it.

    It helps that I'm a chronic insomniac and I rarely sleep late even when I don't set an alarm.
  • tifftaffy
    tifftaffy Posts: 141 Member
    This is my third week in for waking at or about 5am, and I'm definitely noticing over the last few days that I really tend to successfully workout then and there at 5 am, than if I woke up at my normal 6:30am, and intended to work out after work. I just don't do it, I'm tired, I've been sitting at a desk all day for work, and I just don't have the "energy" to do a workout session.

    I'm loving the 5am workout!

    I realize that I have to get to bed about 9 or 10pm, if I want to have an easier time waking up. And watch out for caffeinated drinks after 5 pm, for me it made going to bed last night a real nightmare... It took me forever to go to sleep.
  • RHSheetz
    RHSheetz Posts: 268 Member
    I roll out of bed between 4:15 and 4:30, have breakfast and get myself ready for the day. Then head off to meet my trainer at 6:00 am at the gym. Been doing this for several years. Once you get into the habit, I find it is normal. Unfortunitly, I find I can not sleep in when I do not go to the gym cause that messes up my schedule so I get up between 4 and 5 every morning, even when I don't "need" to.
  • KombuchaCat
    KombuchaCat Posts: 834 Member
    I aspire to be one of you but it's just too much against my nature :tongue:
  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
    I am up at 4:05am M-F to be at the gym right around 4:55am. Doing your wo first thing means that nothing will come up during the day to derail your wo plans. I have found that pre-planning is essential. For example, I meal prep my weekly snacks/lunches on Sunday and have my "feed bag" all packed and ready to go Sunday night. I always lay out my wo clothes and work outfit the night before. Of course, I also go to bed way earlier than almost everyone I know.

    I won't lie - my other essential is caffeine. :happy:
  • alphabull
    alphabull Posts: 45 Member
    I get up at 4:20 every morning to be ready for my 4:30 workout. Give yourself time to use restroom and brush your teeth.

    Then kill it!

    Once you make a routine of morning workouts, then you'll enjoy them. I know I feel sluggish at work if I miss a morning.
  • skill133
    skill133 Posts: 161
    Wow...thanks a lot for the comments and suggestions! I'm hoping it will fall into routine/habit and I will like it. I can say that I felt good afterwards and still feel great at work now. Wonder if i'll be dead to the world by 8 pm though. I wish I had someone to work out with me at that time like someone suggested, but no one in my house is getting up that early and I'm just going to be working out in the basement...not going to a gym.
  • Julesbait
    Julesbait Posts: 190 Member
    3:30am here. Does that count?

    Routine, routine, routine. You will hate your life for about a month. But eventually, you'll feel like your day just is not complete without that morning workout. Just give it some time and be consistent.
  • dawnkent0626
    dawnkent0626 Posts: 14 Member
    Up at 4:10 and at the gym by 4:30 Monday through Friday. I have no choice because the only time I have to myself is when everyone else in my family is still sleeping. I'm definitely NOT what you would call a morning person, so if I can do it, you can do it too. I do find that when I work out in the morning, the energy lasts all day. I don't usually feel tired until about 8:00 p.m. which is good, because it helps me get to bed by 9:30 or so and get enough rest for the next day.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    Wow...thanks a lot for the comments and suggestions! I'm hoping it will fall into routine/habit and I will like it. I can say that I felt good afterwards and still feel great at work now. Wonder if i'll be dead to the world by 8 pm though. I wish I had someone to work out with me at that time like someone suggested, but no one in my house is getting up that early and I'm just going to be working out in the basement...not going to a gym.

    I work out at home too, but I still schedule it as if I were going somewhere. I also kinda like the quiet in the morning. It's my alone time before the day starts.

    Besides nothing makes for a kickass day at work like hitting a deadlift PR right before you go. :drinker:
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    I'm up at 3:45 and like to be at the gym at about 4:50-4:55 (they open at 5:00). I feel so much better once it's out of the way and if I start to talk myself out of it, I pre-log my exercise.
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
    My alarm goes off at 4:55 and I'm usually out the door (for a run) or in the living room (for strength) by 5:10 or so. I don't do gyms so it's easier to do a morning workout when there's no driving involved. I second the comment that you should prep everything possible the night before: coffeemaker, workout clothes, what the workout of the day will be, even logging the next day's food if you can. After that it's just a matter of willpower (for the first few weeks) and routine (every day after that).

    I love getting up around 6:30 on Saturday morning feeling like I've "slept in," then have the house to myself for a few hours while the lazybutts lie in bed!
  • patrickblo13
    patrickblo13 Posts: 831 Member
    4:50am here! The first week or so is pretty rough but once you get through that it's not too bad. You really have to fight some days to get out of bed but it's worth it. Like others have said, I get all my stuff together the night before so when my alarm goes off I get going right away.
  • Bry_Fitness70
    Bry_Fitness70 Posts: 2,480 Member
    I usually do a 5am workout 1-2 times a week, doing lunch workouts on other days.

    -I love the semi-empty gym in the morning – the people that are there are serious and courteous, which is nice, as there are no half-assers up at 5am working out.
    -I get everything set up the night before, so I just get up, dressed, and walk out the door without thinking about it.
    -I also drink more water the night before and throughout the night (if I wake up).
    -I eat a small breakfast of oatmeal and a protein bar so my stomach isn't growling!
    -I have found that my days are generally more pleasant after I've had a morning workout, despite the little bit of sleep deprivation.
  • skill133
    skill133 Posts: 161
    Wow...thanks a lot for the comments and suggestions! I'm hoping it will fall into routine/habit and I will like it. I can say that I felt good afterwards and still feel great at work now. Wonder if i'll be dead to the world by 8 pm though. I wish I had someone to work out with me at that time like someone suggested, but no one in my house is getting up that early and I'm just going to be working out in the basement...not going to a gym.

    I work out at home too, but I still schedule it as if I were going somewhere. I also kinda like the quiet in the morning. It's my alone time before the day starts.

    Besides nothing makes for a kickass day at work like hitting a deadlift PR right before you go. :drinker:

    Yeah it was quiet except the dog sneering at me like WTF ? LOL Oh I can do a deadlift PR tomorrow cos I don't have one. :)
  • tjohnoconnor
    tjohnoconnor Posts: 58 Member
    I'm up at 0445 every morning. I guess it all started at that time because I wanted to maximize my time with the family. So morning workouts fit in perfectly for me. Now my evenings are freed up to spend with that which matters most to me. At first I felt like a square peg being shoved into a round hole with am workouts. After a few weeks it became so normal that I don't even set an alarm. Now after 3 years of this the local cops don't get suspicious of the guy running at 0515 wearing BDU's and a sweatshirt.
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
    I am up at 4:30 AM on weekdays and at the gym by 5:00. It has become such a habit now that there are some mornings I am awake before the alarm goes off. For me it feels really good getting the workout done for the day. Especially if I have a really good one. Draw back is, my *kitten* needs to be in bed by 8:30PM. If not I can usually still get up, but don't have the best workout.
  • lh1990
    lh1990 Posts: 25 Member
    Keep in mind to listen to your body. Waking is neurologically and physiologically a very stressful task on the body. So for some that early AM work out wakes the body up, for others it's more detrimental than anything. If you naturally have heart problems, then any physician would not recommended that added stress. Also, if waking up early impacts your natural sleep cycle, then in fact it is more bad than good in the long run.

    With all the personal blogs out there, I try to base my research on published journals for validity and reliability. Attached are a couple for reference. If you need a translation into lay term for anything let me know! :)

    Again it comes down to personal preference. good luck!

    http://jap.physiology.org/content/91/1/91
    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/nur.4770080310/abstract
    http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/19461550
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
    I'm up at 4:30, pulling into the gym parking lot at 5:00 AM

    Just do it, like nike. It becomes a habit that can't be broken.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    I work out at 5AM five days per week without fail. I thought it would be a lot harder than it was, because I love my sleep. What helped was doing a workout routine that I really enjoy, so dragging my butt out of bed is easy. There are days when I just want to go back to sleep, but I know I'll regret skipping a workout (I haven't skipped one in 6 months), and that's enough to get me up. These days, I'm usually awake before my alarm goes off. On weekends, I can't even sleep past 7 because I'm so used to getting up early. As mentioned, you'll probably need to go to bed earlier in order to get in enough hours of sleep, which is really important. I'm in bed by 9, asleep before 10, every night. Usually, by Friday night, I'm so exhausted that I go to bed at 8:30 even though I don't have to get up early the next day.

    The best part about early morning workouts is that you feel so great afterward and you can go about your day knowing you got your workout in and you can go home after work and relax instead of trying to squeeze in exercise.
  • skill133
    skill133 Posts: 161
    I usually do a 5am workout 1-2 times a week, doing lunch workouts on other days.

    -I love the semi-empty gym in the morning – the people that are there are serious and courteous, which is nice, as there are no half-assers up at 5am working out.
    -I get everything set up the night before, so I just get up, dressed, and walk out the door without thinking about it.
    -I also drink more water the night before and throughout the night (if I wake up).
    -I eat a small breakfast of oatmeal and a protein bar so my stomach isn't growling!
    -I have found that my days are generally more pleasant after I've had a morning workout, despite the little bit of sleep deprivation.

    thanks great tips!! I'll try drinking more water at night and definitely have to set out some workout clothes. I'm going try eating after at least at this point as my workouts aren't too serious right now.
  • skill133
    skill133 Posts: 161
    I'm up at 0445 every morning. I guess it all started at that time because I wanted to maximize my time with the family. So morning workouts fit in perfectly for me. Now my evenings are freed up to spend with that which matters most to me. At first I felt like a square peg being shoved into a round hole with am workouts. After a few weeks it became so normal that I don't even set an alarm. Now after 3 years of this the local cops don't get suspicious of the guy running at 0515 wearing BDU's and a sweatshirt.

    HAHA awesome!! Yes family time is part of my thinking in making this change as well. Even though when I worked out at 9 pm or later they were basically starting to go to bed, I can enjoy my evenings more with them knowoing I don't have to workout.
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