I changed my workout time from lunch break to before work and don't feel as strong?

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peachvine29
peachvine29 Posts: 400 Member
edited September 2019 in Fitness and Exercise
I have been working out on my lunch break for over a year now. I recently had to switch up my work out time and now do my workout before work, starting at 6:30 to 7:30. I feel less enthusiastic and during my weight training my body just feels a bit stiff and I feel tired. My warm up is typically some jumping jacks, push-ups, and stretches. I haven't progressed on my lifts this week and actually took it a little lighter on some lifts than I was last week.

I have been getting about 7-7.5 hours sleep, although I aim to be in bed by 9pm and wake up at 5:30, which would be about 8 hours sleep. Does anyone have any ideas on how to have more energy in the morning to work out? Will I get used to it?
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  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
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    When I was working, I used to go to the gym at 4:30 am. I felt great for the rest of the day.

    I would say to give your body a chance to acclimate to the change.

    Good luck!
  • peachvine29
    peachvine29 Posts: 400 Member
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    LyndaBSS wrote: »
    When I was working, I used to go to the gym at 4:30 am. I felt great for the rest of the day.

    I would say to give your body a chance to acclimate to the change.

    Good luck!

    I do feel great the rest of the day. Nice to have a lunch break now and have my workout checked off my to-dos! Only downside is I like to shower after and have damp hair at work for a while lol.
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
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    I would literally get of bed, do the gym, go home, have breakfast, shower and go to work. I was lucky, the gym was so close to my house.
  • peachvine29
    peachvine29 Posts: 400 Member
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    LyndaBSS wrote: »
    I would literally get of bed, do the gym, go home, have breakfast, shower and go to work. I was lucky, the gym was so close to my house.

    That sounds nice! I have a nice gym at my work, which is nice and it is almost empty in the mornings save for 2-3 people, I leave early enough to avoid rush hour, but then I shower at work and go sit down at my desk lol. I've thought about going to a nearby gym too. Still considering!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    I used to lift in the morning, I think you do get used to it, but even then, if you workout later in the day you would probably be able to push more. I do much better at lunchtime, if I had to workout in the monring I would probably only hit the gym twice a week.
  • Simpleman_67
    Simpleman_67 Posts: 81 Member
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    I've tried the morning thing, I just can't. I'm sure you'll make it work
    You're doing well, keep it up
  • rhtexasgal
    rhtexasgal Posts: 572 Member
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    I have no time nor the facilities to work out during lunch break. Also, I discovered long ago that waiting to work out after a full day at the office was a crap shoot because half the time, I was mentally tired and had no energy to go.

    I switched to early mornings, waking at 5:00 a.m., stumbling around blindly to get dressed and drinking a coffee protein drink before getting into the gym usually around 5:30-5:45 a.m. for an hour workout. I was mixing my protein powder in iced coffee. The protein powder was supposedly giving me an energy boost and the caffeine from the cold coffee helped my muscles warm up faster. (I have constant inflammation due to past ulcerative colitis flares and the caffeine seems to help me.)

    Being in perimenopause, I discovered that my middle was coming back so I have been working on changing things around. Instead of the protein powder in my cold coffee, I just drink the cold coffee with a little monk fruit sweetener to keep to 0 calories as I wanted to re-institute intermittent fasting in my routine. I haven't truly done it in several years. I don't get hungry until about 11 am so that gives me plenty of fasting time from dinner the night before. I found no discernible difference in my warmups between the protein powder and lack of protein powder.

    To make my long story short, it may take a little time acclimating to a different routine. I am NOT a morning person at all ... more of a mid-day kind of gal so it has been a rude wakening every day for the past 5 years! LOL However, I do feel great all day with no sleepy issues or tiredness but it did take me a while to get to that level. Just make sure your eating plan is balanced and giving you all the nutrients you need!
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
    edited September 2019
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    Do you eat before you workout now? I'm assuming you at at least breakfast when you were working out at lunch.

    I was off work for 10 weeks (work at a school). My first 6am deadlift session was brutal after such a long change to schedule. Today was my 2nd 6am deadlift session. It was a bit rough, but not nearly as horrible as last week.

    You'll likely get used to the change.
  • peachvine29
    peachvine29 Posts: 400 Member
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    deputy_randolph wrote: »
    Do you eat before you workout now? I'm assuming you at at least breakfast when you were working out at lunch.

    I was off work for 10 weeks (work at a school). My first 6am deadlift session was brutal after such a long change to schedule. Today was my 2nd 6am deadlift session. It was a bit rough, but not nearly as horrible as last week.

    You'll likely get used to the change.

    I have been on a schedule of eating five times per day for a while now, BLD plus two snacks. I do eat a Jimmy Dean English muffin turkey sausage egg white sandwich in my car on the way to the gym lol. I have my coffee at my desk when I start work. Maybe I should have some coffee at home, that might help!

    I was just hoping it wasn't because I'm not a morning person, but I would like to be! I think I'll get used to it too, though. Each day has gotten a bit better, tomorrow will be day 4 :)
  • peachvine29
    peachvine29 Posts: 400 Member
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    rhtexasgal wrote: »
    I have no time nor the facilities to work out during lunch break. Also, I discovered long ago that waiting to work out after a full day at the office was a crap shoot because half the time, I was mentally tired and had no energy to go.

    I switched to early mornings, waking at 5:00 a.m., stumbling around blindly to get dressed and drinking a coffee protein drink before getting into the gym usually around 5:30-5:45 a.m. for an hour workout. I was mixing my protein powder in iced coffee. The protein powder was supposedly giving me an energy boost and the caffeine from the cold coffee helped my muscles warm up faster. (I have constant inflammation due to past ulcerative colitis flares and the caffeine seems to help me.)

    Being in perimenopause, I discovered that my middle was coming back so I have been working on changing things around. Instead of the protein powder in my cold coffee, I just drink the cold coffee with a little monk fruit sweetener to keep to 0 calories as I wanted to re-institute intermittent fasting in my routine. I haven't truly done it in several years. I don't get hungry until about 11 am so that gives me plenty of fasting time from dinner the night before. I found no discernible difference in my warmups between the protein powder and lack of protein powder.

    To make my long story short, it may take a little time acclimating to a different routine. I am NOT a morning person at all ... more of a mid-day kind of gal so it has been a rude wakening every day for the past 5 years! LOL However, I do feel great all day with no sleepy issues or tiredness but it did take me a while to get to that level. Just make sure your eating plan is balanced and giving you all the nutrients you need!

    I'm lucky to have a gym at work. It's big and they even just remodeled it. It's even more awesome because our new HR director got a trainer to come give fitness classes during lunch and there's yoga after work. But my boss did not like my longer lunch I was taking, even though I came in early to make up for it. I stopped going to the classes anyway since I wanted more strength training and less cardio.

    I already like working out in the mornings better though, the only issue is feeling stiff and tired! I may need to warm up more, I've also wanted to start meditating first thing, maybe that would help too with some stretching. I think I will try having my coffee before my work out, I think that will help! I drink it black too. Monk fruit sweetener may be something to try!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Is this the first time you've ever experienced that? Some weeks are just like that, in my experience. Otherwise, I would say keep at it and give your body a chance to adjust to the new schedule.
  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
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    I have always found I could lift heavier and feel better during my workouts when I work out later into the day.

    I found part of it was not being hydrated. You don't drink all night, then if you wake up and don't drink much before a workout...where in the afternoon I'd been drinking fluids all day. I could eat the same breakfast and still feel that way, but if I hydrated purposefully in the morning it really helped.
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
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    I suck at early morning workouts. I like my lunchtime ones. I don't feel quite awake enough in my body. As in, i'm a morning person and I wake up early - my head is awake at 5am - but my body I don't know, it can't handle more than just brisk walking until later in the day.

    I don't know why.

    But maybe if you do drink your coffee at home prior to the gym it will help?
  • cupcakesandproteinshakes
    cupcakesandproteinshakes Posts: 1,092 Member
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    I don’t mind cardio first thing after I wake up but I hate lifting. Warming up takes ages and I feel weak. I prefer lifting in the afternoon a couple of hours after lunch. That way I have got 2 meals and plenty of liquid inside me
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Early morning is my least favourite time to train and when I perform the worst.

    I did it when it was the only option available to me but I never adapted. I've got more energy from late morning to late evening than I do earlier and that's not changed in 40 years. I've got a lot of respect for people that train very early to fit it into a busy lifestyle but it would result in having poor sleep and poor exercise performance for me.

    You might adapt, you might not, you might find a way to perform better by tinkering with eating etc...


  • jnomadica
    jnomadica Posts: 280 Member
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    I have the opposite issue- I’m very much a morning person, but the martial art classes I take are only in the evening (for one I don’t get home until my usual bedtime). At first I had some trouble adjusting, especially settling down to sleep. 6 months later and it feels totally fine, just my schedule. I think you’ll adjust! Make sleep a priority.
  • PennyP312
    PennyP312 Posts: 161 Member
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    My only option during the week is lifting at 530 am (SAHM to 4). My body has gotten used to it but I do take caffeine pills before I go (can not drink enough coffee that early 🤣)
    I would say try some coffee and give your body a few weeks to adjust.

    Mayb aim for one lifting session on the weekends too if you can go a bit later?

    My Saturday morning workouts are around 830 after actual coffee and eggs or a protein shake and it does seem a bit easier to get those big lifts :)
  • peachvine29
    peachvine29 Posts: 400 Member
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    Today I drank more water than usual and had coffee on the drive, it was better! I did LISS cardio and then meditated and felt awesome. I have mostly felt like doing cardio or yoga every morning and not weight training. We'll see how lifting goes next week. So far I am loving the morning time for myself!! There's only one other person in the gym, I have the whole place to myself. I hope I will adapt to the weight training, I'll find a way to make it work.
  • Simpleman_67
    Simpleman_67 Posts: 81 Member
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    peachvine29 wrote: »
    Today I drank more water than usual and had coffee on the drive, it was better! I did LISS cardio and then meditated and felt awesome. I have mostly felt like doing cardio or yoga every morning and not weight training. We'll see how lifting goes next week. So far I am loving the morning time for myself!! There's only one other person in the gym, I have the whole place to myself. I hope I will adapt to the weight training, I'll find a way to make it work.

    Good job, have a good day
  • peachvine29
    peachvine29 Posts: 400 Member
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    Simpleman_67 wrote: »
    peachvine29 wrote: »
    Today I drank more water than usual and had coffee on the drive, it was better! I did LISS cardio and then meditated and felt awesome. I have mostly felt like doing cardio or yoga every morning and not weight training. We'll see how lifting goes next week. So far I am loving the morning time for myself!! There's only one other person in the gym, I have the whole place to myself. I hope I will adapt to the weight training, I'll find a way to make it work.

    Good job, have a good day

    Thank you! I hope everyone has a good day too!
    :)

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