Morning workouts - prep, routine and everything else

[cat1hat]

@charlieparker On Sunday nights I compare my run program and my weight lifting program and determine if I need to work in the office at all and put what workout(s) I’m doing each day on my calendar (I use the calendar on garmin connect).

My alarm goes off at 6am. I usually get up around 6:15 or 6:20. I put on my workout clothes (sometimes I’ve laid these out the night before), grab a snack (usually a yogurt or small protein bar) and either go for a run or do my weight lifting workout (at home); if I lift weights in the morning I usually have a run planned over my lunch break. Either workout is around 40 min to an hour. I am usually done around 7:15-7:20. On recovery days (once a week) I’ll sleep in until 6:30 and do 20 minute yoga routine. I take a quick shower (I let my hair air dry). Get changed out of workout clothes and wake my kids up at 7:30 and try to have them dropped off at before school care around 8 (my husband and I take turns dropping them off), assemble my breakfast (I make steel cut oats in my rice cooker overnight), and I start my work day between 8:20 and 8:30am (I eat breakfast while catching up on my emails). I work from home most of the time, on days I go into the office (once or twice a month), I bike commute so that’s my workout. On days I go into the office I will prep my lunch, clothes, and work bag the night before.

 

[sthsu]

@charlieparker If I workout in the morning - I just wake up at 5:45, chug water and get into it because my kids wake up by 6:30. I also work from home so I don’t immediately shower. I’ll shower on my lunch break.

 

[ned946]

@charlieparker I also do CG from home, and have to be at work around 7:30am (but no WFH for me sadly!) I'm doing the Iron series, and 3/5 days a week I also add on a 10-15min core/abs video of hers. This is my typical routine:
Workout clothes and regular work clothes set out the night before, lunch packed and in the fridge the night before.
Alarm at 5. Get dressed for workout, brush teeth, take care of pets. Start workout by 5:30 - I don't eat beforehand but do have water. Workout with warm up/cool down/possible abs add on lasts until about 6:20/6:30. Hop in shower, finish getting ready. Done by 6:50. I shower/get ready quickly, it helps to have my clothes/accessories laid out ahead of time. I barely wear makeup and don't blow dry my hair - it'll be dry enough by the time I start work. I save lengthier self care stuff like shaving/exfoliating/moisturizing/nail clipping for evenings or weekends when I have more time, hair only needs to be washed twice a week. Eat a quick no-cook breakfast (peanut butter and banana toast, green smoothie, yogurt with fruit, etc), grab my bag/lunch, and I'm out the door by 7:05. I start winding down for bed around 8/8:30 and ideally am asleep by 9/9:30 at night. Stuff like journaling, yoga, etc happens in the evenings.

 

[charlieparker]

@ned946 Thank you for sharing, I'm also planning to start Iron after I finish Epic 3.

 

[ckj]

@charlieparker In my morning routine, I wake up at 4 am. I drink preworkout right away. Then, I take about 20 to 30 minutes doing a short devotional reading and meditation. I do a 30 min home workout at 4:30. I cook breakfast at 5. Then I shower and get ready for work between 5:30 to about 6:15. Then I head to work. I live 30 minutes away from my job and I have to be there by 7.

 

[blonderr]

@charlieparker Get up at 445, get dressed (clothes picked out night before), do workout, make coffee, shower, get dressed, and log onto work for the day by 6.

 

[giovanni00023]

@charlieparker I get up at 5, drink water, get dressed for the gym, eat a snack (could be a yogurt, or banana or small toast with peanut butter), drive to the gym, drink a pre workout on the way and arrive between 5:50 and 6.

My gym workout is ~1.5-2 hours. I foam roll, warm up, depending on the day it could be conditioning day or lifting. Leave the gym and arrive home between 8:8:30, shower, breakfast, coffee, then start working from home 9:30-10.

After work, I foam roll and do a short yoga session.

My advice is to prep the night before whatever will make it easier for you to get going, it could be clothes, breakfast etc

 

[toysernis]

@charlieparker I wake up at 4:30, scramble to eat some bread with jam or honey. Throw on clothes. Gym opens at 5. Workout 5-6:30. Go home, shower, hair, makeup. Out the door at 7:20 for my hour commute to start work around 8:30. Important, I meal prep on Sunday so my lunches are all ready, just have to throw in my backpack. I only workout two weekdays, do my other two on the weekend

 

[masdi]

@toysernis Out of curiosity, what time do you usually get to sleep to wake up for 4:30am? I want to wake up earlier for my morning workouts, but I always end up staying up a little too late to make it work

 

[toysernis]

@masdi 9:20 at the absolute latest. I'm usually too tired to keep my eyes open by 8:45 though

 

[masdi]

@toysernis Insightful, thank you!

 

[strongarm5791]

@charlieparker I commute post gym so routine usually consists of:

Night before: pack change of clothes, shower stuff and work stuff into backpack, lay out gym gear

5:30: wake up, get dressed in like 10 mins, I just put on some deodorant and whack my hair into a messy ponytail, don’t bother brushing my teeth or anything, fill up water bottle

5:40: leave, get to the gym for 6:50 (I usually get an Uber there lol cuz it’s dark, but in summer I’ll walk and it’s 15 mins away)

5:50/6am: workout usually 5 min warm up, 45 min main workout and 10 mins cardio with stretch if I I have time

7:00: done, quick shower, toothbrush change into work clothes, brush hair

7:30 get on the train and usually have a nap

8:30: get to work, do make up in work toilets

9:00: day starts!

 

[cassyxuan]

@charlieparker The night before, I prep everything - gym bag, lunch for the next day, protein shake, etc. I wake up at 3:45am to feed the pups, take them outside, get dressed for the gym, eat two rice cakes, and drive to the gym to get there at 4:45am. The drive is 15 mins so that's when I drink water & pre.

My workout is ~2 hours long. I drive home and get home right at about 7am. I shower and get ready, grabbing a quick breakfast for the road, and I can get to work (27 min drive) around 8-8:30am.

On the days that I work from home, it's completely different and not rushed. But for the days that I work in the office, it takes a lot of prep the night before, including choosing what to wear.

I think the best advice I could offer is to prep everything the night before, and figure out what works for you!

 

[debyfabienne]

@charlieparker Night before: set up gym bag and work out clothing. Blend my protein smoothie and put it in an insulative cup and leave on the counter or the fridge, depending on temperature.

Wake up 6am. I need 20 minutes to brush hair, teeth, chug a glass of water, and get dressed. It helps that I like work out in a fasted state.

Walk the 5 minutes to the gym. Convenient. By the time I get my shit in the locker and on the floor, it’s 6:30.

Work out consists of 10 minute warm up, 45 minutes lifting, 10 minutes stretching. Quick shower. Walk back.

Change into work clothes at home. Grab smoothie and turn on computer by 8am. Work from home rocks.

Lunch time I go for a walk or jog. Anywhere from 30-60 minutes.

After work I stretch properly.

 

[rotorua]

@charlieparker I start work at 07:00 and have about a 40 minute commute so need to be out of the house by 06:20.

I get up at 04:00 and do the bathroom portion of my before work routine - brush teeth, wash face, step on scale, etc.

I then have a really small pre-breakfast, usually one slice of toast with a small amount of peanut butter and a sports drink for the sugar, plus water.

I head out for a run at some time between 04:30 and 04:45, and depending on the day I get back between 05:00 and 05:30.

I'll do a few stretches and then lounge around and drink more water until about 05:45, when I'll jump in the shower briefly and then get ready for work.

My previous routine had me waking up at 05:45, so now I shower in place of the bathroom routine and do everything else the same. The shower takes about the same time because I'm actually awake, lol.

At work, I get a short breakfast break, so I eat my actual breakfast (overnight oats) at work at about 08:00.

 

[olasunkanmi]

@charlieparker My work normally starts at 7 but I can be flexible about that so long as I work that time off another day. I'm also a very slow person, so I'm sure someone else could fit everything into less time haha. I also don't work from home.

If I'm going to the gym, I get up around 4.50, have a tea and something to eat (usually boiled eggs and some fruit or veg), then I take the bus to the gym where my classes start around 6.15-6.30. I work out for 45-90mins depending on the class. After that, showering and changing takes me almost half an hour, plus it's another 15mins to walk to work.

The most important thing to make gym in the morning possible is to get everything for the next day 100% ready the night before! I make breakfast, work lunch and snacks in advance, pack my work clothes, set out gym stuff so I can jump into it as soon as I'm up. I also have extras of all my toiletries and skincare so that I can always keep them in my gym bag.

 

[noldoxis]

@charlieparker My gym is close to my work so slightly different than your situation.

I wake up at 5, have a coffee and some adjustment time. Do my bathroom things, grab/eat a small pastry as I’m walking to the train station. Normally arrive at the gym around 6:45-7, 1.25ish hour workout and then sauna and shower there and go to work for 9am.

Prep the night before if you can! It’s so helpful knowing you just need to wake up and that’s it. Get an early night on the mornings you’re planning to be up early, and no drinking alcohol (if applicable). It’ll feel rough the first week or so, but it gets easier if you make a schedule and stick to it.

 

[cg828]

@charlieparker Alarm goes off at 6:30. I brush my teeth, get dressed, have a caffeine tablet, double check my program to see if I need to take fractional plates, and I'm out of the house at 6:50, gym at 7.

When I used to work out at home during lockdown, I'd just roll out of bed, change my pyjamas for a sports bra and shorts and just start immediately.

 

[nehemijah]

@charlieparker I get up at six, grab a snack, some water my gym bag and I drive half an hour to the gym (I do my gym bag, fill up my water bottle and lay out a snack the day before). I do an hour workout which mean I’m done around 8, I drive back, take a shower, plop my hair in a microfiber towel, make my breakfast (toast with almond butter, tea, orange juice and eggs) and usually it’s 9 so I clock in (I work from home) and eat my breakfast while planning my day, reading my emails, etc... If you make a simpler breakfast you can probably have time to eat it before clocking in (grab some yogurt, throw some granolas and fruits and you’re good), it’s just what I like. Then I will find a moment in the morning to go dry my hair and tada. Since you workout at home you can grab one more hour.

Now for the tips :
Do everything you can do the day before
Take advantage of working from home
At first it will be hard but you’ll take the habit
Don’t listen to influenceurs morning routine, they’re almost all full of crap
Timeblock your work calendar ! I have a meeting everymorning from 9 to 9:30 so people leave me alone the first half hour of the morning

 

[gingerjeremy]

@charlieparker I have to be at work at 9am so not exactly the same as your situation but here is how I do it.

My alarm is at 6, from 6-6:50 I get ready - slowly get out of bed, have tea with a small breakfast (I personally can't eat on an empty stomach), brush my teeth/hair, and some deo. At this stage I do the bare minimum to be seen outside, not my full morning routine.

It takes 10mins for me to get to the gym. When I get there I quickly change (I'm already wearing sports bra/workout tshirt, I only need to change from warm pants to shorts).

From 7:00 to roughly 8:00 I'm working out, including a quick warm up and cool down.

I get home around 8:10. From 8:10 to 8:45, I get a protein shake, some coffee, and finish getting ready - a quick shower if I really worked my ass off, brushing my teeth/hair again, skin care, and changing into work appropriate clothes. By 8:45 I'm out of the house and ready.

In your case you have a lot less traveling to do, so here is how I would do it in your situation, based on my own habits:

• 6:00-6:30: wake up, get a snack, change into some workout clothes that you already set out the night before (no time wasted on choosing an outfit). Since you're staying home you don't have to brush teeth/hair yet.
• 6:30-7:30: work out (I'm assuming your work outs are about an hour long, all inclusive).
• 7:30-8:00: shower, brush your hair/teeth, skincare, and change into your "day" clothes. Grab some breakfast if you're feeling hungry.

Best advice I can give you is to have as many things ready as you can the day prior. Make sure whatever you use to play your workout has enough battery, that you have your workout outfit ready, that you've already chosen which workout to do, that you know where in your home you want to do that workout and don't have to clean any space for it, etc.

Hope it helps!