Hi
Any hints and tips for getting up and exercising in the mornings before work ?
I work shifts so can’t stick to a pattern but would like to get up half hour early every day and exercise.
But I find it real difficult to get out of bed.
Despite good intentions I’m groggy, tired, miserable, achy etc etc every morning and always decide that the warm bed has more appeal than the distant prospect of a 6 pack
Look forward to your suggestions.
I just get up, then I have nothing better to do except go to work early… so I work out instead. Feels like I’m getting away with something!
I’d say the trick is to make your feet hit the ground, not allow yourself to do anything else (no reading the news or whatever), and force a warmup set. After that it will happen.
Did I read correctly that you’re trying to wake up literally 30 minutes before you’d otherwise have to be up and that’s your total workout time? That would add a lot of pressure
For starters: make sure you put yourself to bed at an adequate time to do so. Next up is figuring out your own sleep patterns and teaching yourself how to natural wake… this one takes a particular level of dedication.
Or just set your alarm accoringly, make sure it’s on the opposite side of the room (so you have to actually get up to turn it off), and be dedicated to your goal of training before work. If it’s really something you want to do, then you’ll have no problem with this. There’s no secret trick to making this work, it’s sheer dedication with a hint of introspective strategy.
Let’s face it, going back to sleep those extra 30 minutes after your alarm is set wont make you feel less tired.
EDIT: I’m seconding the question @TrainForPain brought up about 30 mins.
echoing above, plus after a month you’ll be in a new habit of waking up earlier and it’ll be easier. Plus it’s quieter in the gym earlier than the afterwork crowd (usually) so there’s a positive straight up.
I have stuggled with this myself. End of the day, there is no “trick” or “hack”. If you want it bad enough youll do it.
Discipline > motivation
Build a routine and stay consistent and it wont feel hard.
Good luck my friend!
Go to bed so early that when the alarm wakes you up - you do not want anymore sleep.
Other than that - accept that enjoyment of a workout or feeling good during a work out is not required for it to be effective. And just get on with it.
FYI - when I tried early AM workouts I would go to bed a 20.00 to wake up a 04.00. After 8h of solid sleep I could not sleep any more. Often I would wake up at 03.30 naturally.
I set an alarm for 0330 and make a goal to get up before it goes off.
Before you go to bed, mix your preworkout in a shaker and sit it on your nightstand. When your alarm goes off, in order to turn it off, make yourself drink your pre. Then you’ll def get outta bed.
I am a believer of the idea that if you need motivation to do something you are not doing the right thing. Fat people dont need motivation to eat cake. Those who love gym, need motivation to NOT go once, and they dont know what to do with their life when they dont go. If you need motivation to do it, dont waste your life on it. Do what you love and dont need motivation.
Start building that time machine your lazy ass is going to want in 15 years so you can go back in time and tell your younger self to get the f out of bed.
Kind regards,
Guy without time machine
I’ll be honest this is me unless I train when I wake up in the mornings. Go to bed earlier and put your alarm clock the other side of the room so you have to get your ass up out of bed to turn it off and have your workout clothes ready to go. If you can’t get your shit together and train after doing this then I can’t help you.
This ended up looking like a “roast me” thread.
I always thought i’d struggle with getting up earlier but over time and training too intensely for a while I found myself passing out on the sofa at 9pm-ish, waking up at 1am and then going to bed for another 4 hours, waking up at 5. I pretty much always get around 7 hours sleep. It’s probably not the best practice as it’s a little interrupted but it works for me and ties in with the “go to sleep/bed earlier” ethos.
And here’s a bad tip… forget to take your evening protein shake. Take it right before bed. Wake up earlier desperately needing to urinate. After a while your circadian rhythm will do that even without needing to pee. If you piss the bed don’t blame me.
Yes. Do it
No you wouldn’t, it sucks. Mornings suck. Exercising in the morning sucks more.
I’ve never once enjoyed training first thing in the morning but if thats the time you’ve got, thats what you have to do. I make sure everything is ready so that i’m halfway to the garage/gym with a warm mug in my hand before i’m even fully aware of what i’m doing. Clothes laid out, bags packed, mug ready etc. I want to be out the door within 5 minutes of waking up. I also find its the perfect time for brainless training. Stuff like uphill treadmill walking or indoor cycling. Get some headphones in and really zone out.
Find a better goal. If the distant prospect of a six pack wont get you up find something that will.
Failing that have some discipline, motivation is overrated anyway.
I wrote a short novel of a reply but decided not to post it. I’ll just say this:
Write down a list of your top 10 or so priorities.
Now cross off all of them except for the top 3 because you’ll never get around to doing them, and honestly number 3 is a bit iffy too.
Go to bed earlier
I get up at 3am, workout at 430 am, start work at 6 am, go to bed at 7 or 8 pm