[quote]
Eric Cressey thus spake:
Training in the morning isn’t ideal. The intervertebral discs in your spine are full of fluid upon rising, and this can increase injury risk potential.[/quote]
Can we do anything in the morning? I just started doing a few body weight squats to wake myself up, and loosen up so I can lift later that day. Is this not good?
How about ab work? I remember Ian King saying he did his first thing in the morning as soon as he got up. Thoughts?
I’ve always read and heard that abs work should be done later in the day for the same reason (hard on the back). Just remember, sex in the morning, abs at night.
Sterno
Sure, do some cardio in the morning.
Ideally, lifting should be done between 10am - 12pm and 4pm - 6pm based on circadian rythmns and such.
While this may be true, also remember that there are many many people who train in the morning because of necessity and they are fine. A good example is the morning crew at Westside. Dave Tate says that back injuries are almost non existant at Westside yet many of them train in the early morning.
Please don’t get me wrong; I don’t want to pull a Mercola or Chek and scare you all away from training in the morning.
Honestly, the problems are 50% better within thirty minutes of waking up, and almost completely gone after one hour of being awake. Just make sure not to just roll out of bed and go directly into training. Set your alarm for a few minutes earlier and leave time to take a hot shower to get body temperature up, walk around a bit, and eat some light breakfast. By the time you get to the iron, the hour will have passed. Just make sure that you warm-up properly and you’ll be fine.
[quote]Eric Cressey wrote:
Please don’t get me wrong; I don’t want to pull a Mercola or Chek and scare you all away from training in the morning.
[/quote]
Too late - I’m not taking the chance. I’m never ever training again in the morning. In fact, I think your 30 mins is probably for elite strength athletes too, so I’ll use 24 hours to be sure.
Hey! Now I can’t train!
Exactly what EC said; he’s not saying you CAN’T train first thing in the morning, just be sure to get up earlier so your discs will be ready for it.
As well, your neuromuscular system needs time to “wake up,” so just get up a little earlier and you’ll be healthier and moving more weight!
Stay strong
MR
Good points here. My wife recently went from training at 5:30AM to noon. She had to change her whole training log because her weights went up so dramatically.
I also trained 20 minutes after waking for several months one time out of necessity. Loads went way down, pull-up numbers fell to half, and progress was practically nil. But of course it was better than quitting.
Remember, our contribs often write about what’s ideal, but you have to do what you can in the real world. If you have a choice, it’s clear that early morning training just after waking is inferior.