A Few Thoughts On A Saturday Morning

Saturday I woke up early (4:30 am early) to train before work.  Since it was just me at the gym I had a lot of time to myself to think between sets.  A lot of times what goes through my head is inconsequential.  But today I actually had some interesting revelations on training in the morning and a few thoughts on the exercises I chose. Here was the workout.

Fat Bar Bench:
worked up to 265x1x5

Zercher Squats from the pins:
275x1x5, 315x1x2

Pendlay Rows:
220x3x5

Wall Walk-Ups:
4x5
w/
Band Pull Aparts:
4x20

If you are someone that doesn't usually train early in the morning getting up and throwing some weight around can be a shock to your system if you don't prepare correctly.  If you are someone that consistently trains early you have probably noticed that your body has become adapted to it.  But if you are someone that only does it once every few weeks here are some things that can help you stay productive when all you really want to do is crawl back in bed.

Get up 1.5-2 hours prior to training: I wanted to start by 5:45 am so I set my alarm for 4:30.  Waking up at least an hour before you start is important to get out of sleep mode and get the nervous system firing.  Getting up and doing some light stretching is a great way to get amped up for the coming lift.

Go through your normal morning routine: Especially if your routine is designed to help you wake up and get ready for the day.  If you get up and have coffee or take the dog for a walk or take a shower try to follow that plan before you go train.  This goes back to the first point in that just getting up and moving is a lot better than rolling out of bed and right into the gym.

Hydrate: If you aren't going to drink at least 24 ounces of water before you set foot in the gym then just go back to bed.  Due to your body's natural rhythm of hormones you are naturally dehydrated in the morning.  This is why you feel stiff and why your morning pee looks like diluted coffee of flat Coca-Cola.  Getting some fluids in will lubricate your joints and get your body's systems going at top speed.

Eat: After fasting for anywhere from 8-12 hours overnight your body is in a catabolic state.  That is it's breaking stuff down, including muscle.  Getting some calories in helps turn off catabolism and gives you some fuel for your workout.  Choose foods that are easy for you to digest and include "white" proteins (egg whites, chicken, fish) and some simple carbohydrates (fruit is my go-to).

Get excited: Getting excited about training the night before will almost ensure that you will get up and get moving and get motivated to train.  Not a lot of people can or are willing to get up and train early while the rest of the world sleeps.  Know that you are doing something that 95% of the population will call you crazy for doing but will get you closer to your goals.  To paraphrase 50 Cent, "Sleep is for poor people."

While I don't think early morning is an ideal time to train, sometimes it's the only time available and I'll be damned if I let some piddly excuse like, "It's too early" get in the way.  With these tips you can make your early morning training sessions as productive as all the others.