I have trouble finding time to exercise in the afternoons, and I was wondering if i crawl out of bed at 5:00am instead of 5:30, if there’s any benefit to be gained by crawling on the exercise bike right after I wake up?
Non-scientific answer: From personal experience, it’ll wake ya up for sure. I’ve also heard personal trainers say that it’ll increase your metabolism for a few hours and make you feel like you have more energy for the day…
To me, early mornings are the best time to schedule it. It’s too easy for things that happen in the day to knock you off your schedule. Best to work out before anything else happens.
Since the alternative seems to be No Exercise At All, the answer is Hell Yes. Do it.
I work out in the morning for exactly the reasons said above. It may sound obvious, but if you’re waking up early, be sure to go to bed earlier. You shouldn’t be “adding” an extra half hour to your day, you should be rearranging your hours.
I’m going to go against the grain here and say…It depends on what kind of morning person you are. I tried the morning routine for a bit. It ONLY works for me if I get outside the house. I am not a very good morning person and all of my joints are stiff and I positively am miserable about getting up early. I hate exercising in the morning; I want to do as little as possible before I have to go to work. I couldn’t even get myself moving enough to get the blood moving.
The outside thing sort of works but I really don’t like running around in the cold which means half of the year I can’t do it.
You wake up at 5:30 already, you might be able to do it. Try it for a while and see how it works.
Until the last month (new baby), I got to the gym at 5:30 and did cardio/weight loss stuff for an hour. I would feel great pretty much the whole day (even when I was tired from not enough sleep the night before). The last month, I’ve been grabbing workouts when I can, which often means later in the day. I still feel good, but not as good. anecdotal, but there it is.
Oh, and to add: I am emphatically NOT a ‘social’ excerciser - I really don’t like to talk to people when I’m working out. At 5:30 am, the most anyone (even people you know) gives is a grunt, a nod, and maybe a ‘mornin’’. Heaven.
I read the same thing in a book (fit for life maybe?). It claimed that because of the metabolism boost, you burned many more calories from a morning workout, effectively getting more bang for your workout buck.
I’ve been doing early morning workouts for the last 4 years for exactly the reasons you mentioned – to time in the afternoon, and no motivation in the evening.
One thing to consider: you may or may not be someone who can get away with exercising without any food in your system. I have to eat about an hour before exercising or my blood sugar tanks and I feel sick.
My plan: up at 6. Quick bowl of cereal. Gym at 7. It works for me.
Cardio works best in the morning, before breakfast.
If I may add a question of my own: I can get up in the morning and do a twenty-plus kilometer run before breakfast, no problem. I ran the marathon without eating before or during. But if I try to lift weights without food in me I can’t even complete one set out of my usual four. Have a little breakfast and I’m back in the game. Why is this?
If you’re a male, you may be able to get away with not eating and just run off of testosterone levels, which peak in the morning. If you’re a woman, you really should eat something. I’d recommend a granola bar: Your body can digest those pretty fast, and since they’re light, you can start warming up 5-10 minutes after you eat.
I’m currently working out under the informal advice of a certified trainer, and he stresses exercise ASAP in the morning, before breakfast even. (I’m a guy)