I am fairly new to the site and I love it. This forum is great for sharing ideas, etc. My question: I workout early in the mornings, but have not been eating anything beforehand. I have read some stuff here that suggests eating an hour or so before you lift weights. I don’t have time to get up, eat and then wait an hour. I literally wake up, and drive to the gym. Do any of you that workout early eat before you go? If so, what do you eat? Maybe a light snack would give me so more energy?
This topic came up a while back. Our beloved hero John M. Berardi recommended having a protein shake or a couple of hard boiled eggs before the workout, then sipping on a carb drink(such as diluted Gatorade) during the workout.
I find a “light” protein shake works well, maybe one scoop of AP in water, sometimes with 1/4 cup of oatmeal blended in. But ideally, I try to avoid morning weight training, except for maybe an ancillary circuit.
I used to do shoulders and back at 5 am after drinking grape juice. There are better times to lift, at least for me. FWIW, Bill Pearl’s favorite workout time is 2 am.
i’m up at 5, and go do cardio and lift. i can’t eat or i puke…literally. often i have trouble even drinking water. i’ve just adjusted to it. if you can stomach food (that sounds weird, but you know what i mean) before working out then go for it, your workouts will probably be better. but you may just get used to it.
I don’t know how you can do it man, i absolutely have to eat or i would fall out. when you are fasted like that, your body just sucks up whatever you eat.
Every now and then I have to squeeze in a workout without having time to eat breakfast.I take 10g of BCAA powder along with either 10g Glutamine or 5g Essential Amino acid mix,some Life extension mix powder or a crushed up multi-vitamin mineral tab ,wash it down with a bit of grapefruit juice(low glycemic index and it also enhances the absorption of nutrients),and I get through my workout just fine.I follow up my workout with more BCAA’s,Glutamine and Aminos and a boatload of carbs(glucose polymers will work fine).
Yeah Oak, my regimen is similar to yours. My alarm goes off at 4:15 a.m., I roll out of bed about 5 minutes later, go to the kitchen and gather together the days supplements (I take three doses of various things throughout the day), then read for about 15 minutes, then either go out for a run or hit the weights (in my family room, where I also read). I’ve got my hand around a bar by 5:00. I don’t even take in water before the workout, though I occassionally drink some during the workout. My progress would probably be better if I did eat something prior, but I have trouble doing so, and I don’t cherish mopping up my family room after every workout.
Oak, try making up a small protein shake, with some oatmeal in it, and leaving it on the counter in your bathroom. Assuming you get up sometime in the night to use the facilities, there it is for you to chug down. This will go a long ways towards your having something in your stomach in the morning. Give it a try, it works for me when I train early.
Thanks for the advice all. I am hoping that this will give me that extra energy in the mornings. I am sure it looks pretty sad when I am yawning in between sets…
I’m in the same boat. I’m up at 5:30, doing a warm-up by 6am. Before I leave for the gym, I drink 1 liter of water, my ECA, and Powerdrive, which I STRONGLY suggest. I feel the same, I simply CAN’T keep food down if I try to eat it prior to my workout. However, I usually do get up at least once during the night, usually about 2 AM, and generally eat something solid, pre measured chicken breast for example. I figure this way, at worst, I’m fasting 4 hours before my workout, and the solid food, as opposed to a protein shake, takes some time to digest.
Actually according to get stronger, Bill Pearl wakes at 2am relaxes for two hours sometimes has a little fruit and begins to workout at 4am.
Until recently, I was up at 5am and out the door by 5:30. I would have the day’s food already packed in the fridge. I would heat up half a cup of oatmeal/water for 2 min, after that I would stir in approx one tablespoon of honey and let it cool down for a couple of min, then I would stir in a scope of protein powder, little milk and wolf it down.
Another morning trainer - I can’t eat a full meal before training or I’ll redecorate the gym. Suggest you try eating something very light - I’ve used a Balance or Balance Gold bar or one of those Cheerios cereal & milk bars (if you can spare the calories/carbs), or an ounce of peanuts or almonds (if you’re on the T-Dawg diet, which I am now.) I also down the ECA before I leave for the gym - that helps.
I have a similar situation - I get up at 6 am and have Powerdrive, Ribose C and often 2 Md 6 right away.
I will do 5 -10 minutes of cardio and then 15 -20 minutes of stretching and then my first warm up set. So it’s often more than 40 minutes before I hit a heavy set.
When I am done suck down Surge like it’s nectar! Then around 60 - 90 minutes later I will have more food.
I think the thing is to experiment and find out what works for you.