Hey everyone, I’m an engineer at U of Illinois. I’ve been training for about 8 years now. I weight 175, 5’10", and about 10% body fat. I’m currently on growth surge project with Mag 10, M, etc. No matter how much sleep I get the night before, I can’t keep my eyes open in my morning class. I work out before the class, feel great for about an hour, and then about 20 minutes into the class I’m dozing in and out. I’m wondering if some ephedra or caffeine pills would help me out. Just something in the morning for like 2 hours. I have some MD6 that i’ve been saving for a cutting cycle later, but because I"m bulking right now, i don’t know if that’s the best way to go. What do you guys think? I could always do coffee, but a rather have a quicker soluction for the morning. Any suggestions?
Sounds like you need to sign-up for a new class.
I have the same problem. Get a fair amount of sleep between 7-8.5 hours wake up consistently work out in the morning do great for the first couple of hours and then crap out for the rest of the day. Hope we can get some answers
I’m getting about 3-4hrs of sleep each night & I feel fine. I learned in driving school that you keep from falling asleep at the wheel by moving your eyes around, like look in the side-view mirrors & rear-view mirror, etc. Don’t look at one thing for too long. I notice that when I do that I feel like I’m going to doze off.
I wish I could get 7.5 to 8 hours a night. Engineers don’t have time, not to mention I"m the only one that probably works out twice a day. So when it comes down to it, more sleep is not an option. I need something to help kick me into gear for the morning.
Nick, this mind sound a little off the wall - but look into maybe changing your diet. Perhaps experiment with reducing your post-workout carbs?
I remember all through undergraduate, I just couldn’t stay awake during class. Eventually i cut out nearly all the carbs from my breakfast and BAM I could go all day… funny how that works.
I don’t think that reducing post-workout carbs would be a good idea during the Growth Surge Project. I’m in the midst of phase 2 myself right now, and I think fatigue is just something that you have to deal with. I’m able to get almost 8 hours of sleep every night, but even still I usually feel like I’m ready to go back to bed by about 1 in the afternoon. I’ve even been able to take naps some days before session number two, but I still feel very tired throughout the day. Phase 2 is only 2 weeks long, so I think you’re best bet is just to put up with the fatigue and then rest up during phase 3. I’d try to avoid the stimulants, but I don’t think there would be too much harm in popping a little MD6 if you absolutely need it.
i was an mech. engineer in undergrad school also. the course load is tremendous. try some powerdrive to keep you neurally focused. A little MD6 in the morning will not kill your bulking cycle. And how are you really managing 2 a day workouts? I would cut it to 1 a day and use the rest for needed rest and study. It’s hard enough with all the mental and physical stress. You don’t want to get burned out. Remeber that high stress levels lower recovery abilities tremendously. Maybe on the weekends you can do a couple of 2 a days when you don’t have class time. laters pk
Here’s something I tried for a little while with a job where I didn’t have to be in office until 9am. I would get up at 6am, drink a shake and head to the gym. I would train from 6:45-7:30, go back to my apartment, drink my postworkout meal, and nap for about 30 minutes before getting ready for work. I always like to nap or take it easy right after a workout and postworkout shake. Tends to refresh and energize me a lot more than going straight from the gym to the office (or class when I was in school). I’ve also seen several articles in the past that recommend a post workout nap to help recovery.
You might try manipulating how much sleep you are getting. I preform much better on 6-7 hours of sleep then I do at 7-9 hours. I need at least 5 to function and 6 is usually perfect. I know it seems counter intuitive, but numbers so not mean shit, your body will tell you, just don’t assume that you need more sleep. And yes I did sleep research for a period and not I am not talking shit.
When I need to be alert, I take Tyrosine and DMAE. I got this approach from the old EAS product “Neurogain” (they also had St John’s Wort, which I skip). If I’m not mistaken Tyrosine and DMAE are key ingredients in Biotest Powerdrive.
3 grams of Tyrosine and 200 mg. of DMAE, away from food. It definitely works!!! And it doesn’t make you feel jittery. Note, if you are into coffee big-time, be a little careful with your caffeine intake the first few times you try the Tyrosine. Sometimes it seems like the effect is cumulative, so just be aware and don’t pound a whole pot of coffee too, until you’ve done the aminos a few times. It’s no big deal, just something to keep in mind. I can use both coffee and Tyrosine now, with excellent results.
Hey all, I am a Mechanical Engineering student at CSU. Nick, I am confused in that you say “No matter how much sleep I get the night before, I can’t keep my eyes open in my morning class,” yet you later say there is no way on an engineers schedule you can get 7.5 hours of sleep per night. How much sleep are you getting on average?
I also think working out twice a day combined with the stress of engineering curriculum could possibly put your body into a catabolic state quite easily.
If I were in your shoes, which I often am, I would cut back the workout schedule and make workouts more efficient. Then I would add some extra sleep into your day. Just my thoughts.
Have you considered that you’re possibly taking a post-workout shake that spikes your insulin that then makes you tired? I don’t know if you are or you’re not, but this seems like a likely scenario. That or you’re eating so as to spike your insulin… that’s going to make you tired.
Jesus Christ, Say, you really do have to be different from everyone else on earth, don’t you? As far as what they taught me in driving school: pull the hell over. If you’re that tired, you’re a menace. There are tons of things that can keep you awake, but fatigue is fatigue.
Anyway, in regards to your problem, you might want to try naps during the day. Powerdrive is also a great option. If you aren’t a chronic caffeine user, you could probably pop 1 MD6 post workout to keep yourself awake.
Rod, interesting point you bring up. Out of curiosity, do you wake up at the same time every day?
Hey Nick,
Something to try for kicks and giggles that has helped me some is to use extra magnesium and extra potassium supplementation. With all the training done and stress of school you may need extra.
A big word of warning, you know you have enough when your poop is really soft. I use ZMA before bed and Post workout ( next meal when I use surge) I use Enzymatic therapy Magnesium/Potassium (250mg/99mg) and 2-3 extra potassium tabs 99mg ea. I find it has helped tremendously for daily energy (I had a midday lull with or without carbs, you may try it that way or take it first thing in the am. I won’t guarrantee anything but good luck.Peace, Tmofa
Another thing you may want to check out is Kava Kava, it helps make the sleep you get better(from what I’ve read). If you go pill form get a standardized extract. There is a powder form (can’t remember the name of) that a friend of mine uses and I think it’s just root (may be root and leaf), but it gets pricey $1-$2 a serving.Peace, Tmofa
I’m at U of I too, it’s my first year. Anyways, I was going through the GSP II for the first couple weeks of school, and even with a ligther course load then you, it was still hard finding the time to get in two workouts. I’m sorry that I’m not really giving you any advice, but I can definately relate.