Early AM workouts

[bluntman]

Hey what up everyone!

Anyone here do early morning workouts? ive been getting up around 5:30AM and working out my usual 4/5 day split for about an hour or so. I kinda feel like im my head is more clear, and im feeling all around pretty good. I find that it really relaxes me for the rest of the day, free of stress (most of it anyway) and all!

Anybody do this type of AM workout? Do u get similar feelings as i do?

Oh and what do you eat before u workout? ive been trying to just eat a clif bar or something. i tried a protien shake, but then lost it half way through my workout

Feedback would be great!

thanks,
Bluntman.

 

[Aplunk1]

Hi,
actually, I don't do the morning workout (afternoon), but I do get the same feelings of clearheadedness and well-being directly after a long workout.

I was wondering the same thing-- I usually don't eat before I work out, like anything. I wonder if this, in any way, affects the workout.

Anyway, bluntman, do you do mostly cardio, lifting, or both?

 

[bluntman]

aplunk1-

what up man? yea i usually do an hour workout or so then followed by 15 min of cardio. my split looks like this:

Mon- Chest, abs, a little cardio
Tue- Legs, cardio
wed- Bi's/Tri's, cardio
TH- Back/Shoulder, cardio
Fri- Legs (if i can fit it)

Hey bro, you should definitley be eating before you workout. When you dont eat, it is more posssible for your body to start burning muscle for fuel. For those afternoon workouts usually food is digested pretty well, but i run into prob early in the AM when im pressed for time and force myself to eat.
But yea, dont workout on an empty stomach. You can do more weights and workout harder when you have food in your system.

what kind of workouts you do?

-Bluntman

 

[jumpedthegun]

bluntman, do you work out at your house? i couldn't imagine waking up that early everyday, driving to the gym, and only doing two muscle groups. I used to work out every other day, and even that got tiring after a while. Now I'm in the gym twice a week. It doesn't take too much time from my schedule, and I have more engery and motivation when I go.

And how much cardio do you do after your workouts? I usually walk quickly or jog slowly for about 10-15 minutes, just to get my blood flowing and warm me down. I heard excessive cardio after a workout can take some of your gains away, so i save my more intense cardio for my off days.

And Aplunk, definitely eat man. I usually eat a zone bar, chocolate mint flavor, just before a workout. Its got a good mix of carbs, fat, and protein, and it tastes like a thin mint girl scout cookie. Then I follow my workout with a protein shake.

Me:
Sunday: chest, tris, legs.
Wed: back, shoulders, biceps.

Then I try to jog twice a week, and I follow that with abs.

 

[bluntman]

bluntman, do you work out at your house? i couldn't imagine waking up that early everyday, driving to the gym, and only doing two muscle groups. I used to work out every other day, and even that got tiring after a while. Now I'm in the gym twice a week. It doesn't take too much time from my schedule, and I have more engery and motivation when I go.

And how much cardio do you do after your workouts? I usually walk quickly or jog slowly for about 10-15 minutes, just to get my blood flowing and warm me down. I heard excessive cardio after a workout can take some of your gains away, so i save my more intense cardio for my off days.

Hey whats up jumpthegun, i work out at the 24hr fitnesss a few blocks away from my house. Everytime i go im there for usually an hour at the least, maybe average like an hour and 15. It was kinda a b**ch to get up early in the AM and get my *** down there, but i think it is well worth it. you get ur workout out of the way, and you also feel good for the rest of the day.
You kinda have to push yourself and deny the urge to hit the snooze button on your clock.

As far as cardio, i always do like a 7min warmup before i hit the wieghts to get the blood flowing. And usually 10 after if im kind of short on time. I think all out running for like 15-20 min would affect gains, but other than that i have read that fat melts off when you do some light cardio after training. I too save intense cardio for no weight days, then i go jump in the pool and do some laps.
There is a really great way to get your cardio in and just target the fat and keep the muscle, im not too sure if u heard of it but its called HIIT

High Intensity Interval Training, and this is superb for an awesome cardio workout and not sacraficing muscle whilst doing it.
If you want more details pm or google it. ive been doing it for the past week or so off and on, and it seems to help me get a good sweat going and i do it for like 35min. i havent seen too much fat loss because ive been inconsistant due to midterms, but its worth a try.

-Blunt

 

[Freestyle]

Tips for all:

Working out in the AM is a great way to juice yourself for the day.

It's not necessary to eat before a morning workout. You're not in any danger of losing muscle by working out on an empty stomach. A sports drink for 'good' carbs will do.

The only important rule regarding food and workouts; eat a high protein meal immediately after working out. Protein shakes are the easiest. You have a 30 minute window as soon as you put those last weights down, in which your body is in the absolute perfect state for protein absorbtion.

Try and keep your workouts in the 30-60 minute range. It may feel weird to leave before guys who were there when you arrived, but by getting in and out in under an hour, you are taking advantage of your body's anabolic period. Anything over an hour is a waste, unless you are on steroids that lengthen your anabolic state.

Don't do cardio before or after your weight training. Doing it before decreases the energy you have for weight training and starts your anabolic state right then. If you jog for ten minutes beforehand, that's ten less minutes of highly effective weight training time. Doing cardio after your training is a waste of precious energy, because the only thing you should be doing after weights is eating a high protein meal and relaxing on the couch for an hour or so.

If you must do cardio on a weight training day, then it's best to do it 8-12 hours later. You don't even need a high-tech treadmill or rower or anything for cardio -- you can use a skipping rope for the same amount of time, and burn off almost the same amount of calories and reach a similar heart rate.

Even if you're not interested in the many thousands of supplements, there are two that are absolute musts for weight trainers: Glutamine and Fish Oil. Glutamine assists recovery and helps transport protein to your muscles. Fish Oil is excellent for joints and heart health. Both are relatively cheap, and very much worth it. Oh, and a good multivitamin...but that goes without saying.

Have a list of 3-4 different exercises for each muscle group in both compound and isolation movements. Having 6-8 exercises for the same muscle means you'll never be training the muscle the same way twice in a row -- you'll always be switching techniques and changing from compund to isolation. Your muscle memory won't know what to do, and you won't plateau easily.

Also, switch up intensity every now and again. Do your high weight/low reps 70% of the time and do lower weight/high reps the rest of the time. This will also work against muscle memory and prevent you from plateauing.

A good quality Micellar Casein protein shake should be consumed before bed. This is a high quality protein with a long half-life in the body, and maintains a 7 hour elevation of blood amino acid levels -- meaning it provides protein consistently to your muscles while you sleep. For an extra boost, add 5-10g of Glutamine to the shake to assist in recovery.\

Those are the key points I've discovered while researching 'the perfect workout' for the past 6 months.

 

[Goingat20]

Freestyle
Those tips are awesome! Thanks man!! What range of reps do you aim for 6-8 when trying to build some serious muscle? Also you said we should do these heavy weights 70% of the time. After how many weeks should we drop the weights to change things around?
Thanks

 

[Freestyle]

I'm a big fan of pyramiding your weights and reps in each set, then adding a dropset or two.

Example:

I'll use a barbell for bicep curls, starting with a weight that I can handle relatively easily for 10 reps. Rest a minute.

Then I'll up the weight to something I can get a good 8 reps out of with medium effort. Rest a minute.

Then I'll up the weight to something I can only possibly get 6 reps out of.

Immediately after those 6, I'll drop the weight down to the second weight and go for as many reps as I can until failure (usually 12-20).

Then, optionally, you can go back to the first weight and try another dropset. You won't get many reps from it, because your muscles will be blasted...but it does add a nice little extra burn for pure satisfaction.

This is great for muscle development and your overall strength, because you are going through a full range of motion and form in the same exercise. The first two sets warm up your muscles and get the blood flowing to them with good form and fluid movement, whereas the next two or three sets take advantage of the muscle's peak state to really pump it to its capacity. Form is still important in the last two sets, but not as important as giving them everything you have.

In fact, Schwarzenegger was a big proponent of 'cheat curls' for biceps and 'cheat flyes' for chest. This is where you're going against general personal trainer advice and putting your body into it at the sacrifice of form -- like rocking back and forth while doing curls to get those extra reps. They're dangerous if not done right (bad for the lower back), but they can really take your development to the next level. And only do them in your last dropset -- form should always be your first priority 90% of the time. Cheat curls are the extra impossible reps you do at the end that you wouldn't have been able to do without cheating.

As for the heavy/low, low/heavy question -- whenever you like. I wouldn't even schedule them in. Just throw them in every now and again. If you're not entirely sure when you're going to do it, then your muscles sure won't be able to predict it either.

Anything that breaks the pattern. Workout five cycles normally, then throw a low weight/high rep cycle in. Then workout three cycles normally and throw another one if after that. Mix it up. Same with alternating the exercises for each muscle -- don't do them in any order or pattern. Just get to the gym on the day, close your eyes and pick one...as long as it's not the one you did last cycle.

And don't take crap from the gym rats who spend 3 hours there and bench massive weight. By taking advantage of these key times in your physical state -- working out at just the right time for the right amount of time, feeding the muscles with supps and protein at the right time, resting for the right amount of time -- you will end up with bigger muscles than them...even if you're only benching half the weight.

Unless they're on steroids.

 

[The Gardener]

Great thread, good advice all around.

I do my gym workout (weights and jogging or stationary bike) in the evening, right after work. I eat dinner immediately afterwards, making sure to get some protein in my system within an hour after the workout. I, personally, can NOT eat BEFORE the workout. When I do I feel bloated and sluggish. It gives me a clear head too, and as I hit the gym after work, all of the stress and frustration that I have accumulated from a challenging day of business just seems to melt away after an aggressive session with the weights.

I do exercise in the mornings as well, I swim 2 or 3 days a week. I'm no good in the weight room early in the am, I just feel like I don't have my strength... but a good 1000 yards in the pool feels great! Luckily there is an indoor city pool within walking distance from my house, and the sides of the building have big panoramic windows so I can enjoy the sunrise! Let me tell you, of ALL the athletes' "highs" that one can feel, there are none better than what you feel after a great swim. It just puts me into an amazing mood. I basically do a warm up of 200 yards, then 10 x 50 timed sprints (fast interval training), then a quick break for cardio recovery, then I swim an aggressive 100 free, then 100 yds of an alternate stroke, and finish with an all-out timed 100 free. It takes me about 20-30 mins to do this.

As for the gym, I try to go 4-5 times a week, but keep the workout SHORT. Basically, 30 mins of weights (an INTENSE 30 mins, not counting any "socializing"), and 30 mins of cardio, then I'm out. Keeping my workouts short make them less of a major production requiring fitting into a busy schedule. I keep a 3-stage split of muscle groups I work on, and I mix the split from time to time to prevent muscle memory issues. Right now, my split is a day of shoulders, back and triceps; a day of chest, abs, and biceps; and the final day on legs and whatever body part feels weak, or was not covered well on either of the previous two days. I know, it's kind of an unconventional split, but I like to mix things up.

I LOVE the Glutamine recommendation, amen to that. In addition to my normal vitamins, Glutamine is one of the items I supplement with as well, and the Omega 3's (fish oil) and I'd recommend adding in Acetyl L-Carnitine, Borage Oil (Omega 6 and 9), and CoQ10 as well.

When I don't work out, stress starts to get to me. I can literally FEEL the difference a workout makes throughout the day, in improvement in energy level, mood, general feeling of well-being, and quality of sleep. When I've been good with my workouts, I sleep very deeply and restfully, and wake up completely refreshed.

 

[Freestyle]

Good advice.

The only thing I'd change with your workout would be the bicep and tricep days. I think if you switched them, you'd see more growth from both.

Chest (push) exercises generally also work the triceps as a secondary function. Back exercises (pull) work biceps as a secondary function. It's not a huge impediment, but by switching it you wouldn't be at risk of overloading the muscles in question on consecutive workouts.

You may also benefit from putting your leg day in between the other two, to break up the upper body and allow a little extra recovery. Again; not a huge thing, but every little bit counts.

And great call on the mental stimulation that exercise brings. It's very true. It's said that if you can workout with weights and do cardio for 6 consecutive weeks, then it becomes a lifelong habit. You literally cannot live without it, because it makes you feel like crap when you don't.

So commit yourself to 6 weeks. It's easy, and addictive, after that.

 

[Aplunk1]

And great call on the mental stimulation that exercise brings. It's very true. It's said that if you can workout with weights and do cardio for 6 consecutive weeks, then it becomes a lifelong habit. You literally cannot live without it, because it makes you feel like crap when you don't.

So commit yourself to 6 weeks. It's easy, and addictive, after that.

Whoa, what's this? Is this true? Do you think that swimming would satisfy?

Let's say, I life real hard for 2 weeks, then swim every day for 6 weeks. How's that?

 

[The Gardener]

Oops... Freestyle, that was a typo. I do tris with chest, and bis with back.

Aplunk, it is TRUE. It can become a habit and you will feel BAD if you don't keep up your exercise regimen. But, of all the habits to have, it's a GREAT habit! It's somewhat of a passion of mine, and THANK GOD I have acquired it.

Swimming will satisfy the habit, but only if you swim vigorously enough to get your heart rate into an appropriate working range for 30 continuous minutes. In other words, you can't just swim side stroke, nor even swim crawl at a leisurely rate. You need a timed swimming routine where each lap is done according to a schedule. For instance, when I do my 50 free sprint sets, I do them on a one minute basis. I can easily whip out one 50 free lap (there and back) in 30 seconds if I really sprint it, which leaves me 30 seconds to sit at the end of the lane and rest until the second hand of the clock reaches the top before 60 seconds have elapsed. Once the second hand hits the top, I start the next lap. After seven or eight laps of sprinting, my 50 free laps are taking me 40-50 seconds to complete due to fatigue, leaving me a precious 10-20 seconds to recover. This process builds cardiovascular strength and teaches your system to recover when it can, and hop into gear when it has to. Great stuff for your heart!

If you make your swimming challenging like this, you'll get the buzz. If you lollygag, whether it be with weights or cardio, you won't.

 

[Aplunk1]

Trust me, Gardener,
I know exactly that feeling. I've been swimming since about 4 years of age, and have been doing various clubs until the age of 18.

Maybe I should look at getting back into it. My gym has a sweet pool. Someone please tell me that swimming and chlorine have nothing to do with hair loss.