@paperboat I don't go to the gym, but I bike commute to work. It's less than 3 miles, but I live in Pittsburgh, so it's uphill both ways. I find that doing that means I arrive at work awake and alert, whereas if I bus it, I'm often still half asleep when I get to my desk. Definitely worth it.
@paperboat 32 yo Registered Nurse. I work 7a - 7p so not exactly what you asked but I get up at 5am to run for 30 min before work. I feel a lot more awake and mentally there when I run before work. I think that it is worth it.
@paperboat I used to get up at 5 in the morning and hit the gym before work. Cardio and weights. I'd take the train downtown and walk in, so I got a little warmup naturally. It's hard, real hard. The advantage is that once you're in the habit of getting up early, there's nothing else to do at that hour.
You'll never succeed if it's not every day. If you're trying to do three days a week, you'll still need to get up early on the off days and do something.
Eventually, I built a garage gym and now I work out at home after work.
@paperboat 33 here. My work hours are 7:30-4:30 and my commute is 45 min one way. I absolutely have to lift in the morning because there's no way to tell how unmotivated/tired/lazy I will be after work and commute. Even though I'm not a morning person, the alarm goes off at 5, I drink my coffee and mix my BCAAs and head off to the gym. Like others have said, there is nothing else to do at that time, so there are less reasons to not go. The key is definitely trying to go to bed earlier (9:30-10), but once you get into the habit it gets easier.
Up at 5 or 5:30, eat something small, drink some water, and head to the gym or out for a run. M/W/F: run T/Th: weightlift. Take a shower (at the gym), eat breakfast, drink coffee, and head to work.
If I'm up for it, I'll add yoga or interval training in during the week. This is the schedule I kept while working full time and carrying a full course load for my master's degree.
@paperboat I did it for about a year and I wish I still could. It just takes way too long for me to "get going" in the morning. Between my incredibly active lower intestine, warming up, getting the kids on the bus, etc. I usually ended up being 1+ hr(s) late to work. It felt amazing to have my workout done before work. But... What ended up happening is I got lazy/rushed with warm-up and snapped up my back on a 135 lb deadlift. Yes 135. Just half-assed the warm up and with my very short/tight/shitty hamstrings that wasn't smart. Had to go back to the drawing board after that. It's better for me to work out in the afternoon, and since I can get to work early I can get a jump on traffic and squeeze in my workout before cooking dinner.
Edit: details...I'm 33, only training since 2012. 1rms: ohp 130, bp 185, squat 280, dl 350, bw fluctuates between 200-210
@paperboat I never lift in the morning, and I've been at this for 20 years. Late morning, early afternoon is best for me, but I have a gym at work. Cardio is better for me in the morning.
@paperboat 35-40 age bracket. 100% cardio aside from the occasional bodyweight session. Full house with spouse, pets & kids.
Absolutely think it's worth it in the mornings. I train towards events (either running or triathlon). It's done, out of the way, and sets you up for a good day. Easy to put on weight though as you're always starving in the evening.
@paperboat I'm 32 and have been getting up at 5 (in bed by 9:30-10:30) for ~5 years now to get up and either run, or do group fitness at 6am like spin class or HIT, etc.
The key for me is there's not a ton of time in the morning so I start getting ready the night before. Laying out gym clothes, putting work clothes in a bag, ironing shirt if needed, preparing lunch, etc. I do all that the night before.
For me this has a big psychological impact. When the alarm goes off, I've already taken the first steps towards getting to the gym. My work clothes are already packed, I'm a lot less likely to take them out and say F it, and skip the gym. It has helped a lot with making the gym consistent.
@paperboat Definitely morning, if only because I don't always know how late I'll be staying at work. Nothing is more deflating than being at work 2 hours later than expected and then facing a workout before I can go home.
Incidentally I have been in the best shape of my life following this routine. As far as warming up just start with a lighter weight at the beginning of your workout
@paperboat I'm trying to get back in the habit of doing this. Nothing too heavy in the morning - i usually do a 3k or so run followed by a swim and 10 minutes relaxing in the steam room/sauna before work. It wakes me up and makes me feel more energetic for the rest of the day. It also means i feel less guilty if I don't make it to the gym after work, because at least I've done something.
@paperboat 33 here. I start every morning at 5:20, out by 6:15.
I do a push-pull-legs variation, with a dedicated arm day (because grillz), dedicated shoulder day, and an extra day mostly dedicated to pull ups because I love pullups. So, 6 days a week, usually four lifts per muscle group.
It's totally worth it. The only tough part is sometimes I have a hard time waking up, and I don't really like the idea of taking c4 as much as I have been (3-4 times a week), so I'm trying to figure something else out.
And bonus! I'm exhausted by 9pm. Since I started before work workouts, my sleep problems have disappeared.
@paperboat 40 y/o male here
I like to get to work by 6am so I tend to wake at 4am for my 1hr workout
I do a split and super set when possible. It works for me
I only lift though in the morning. Any cardio I leave for the evening time.
@aaronjosephhall Agreed.... I'm an 8pm kinda lifter after the babe is put to bed. I find I lack my sleep gainz if I try and wake up too early to lift before work. I know a lot of people it works for, but some, it doesn't. Results are results.
