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Barbell Heavy Lifting in the Morning

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TOGGS

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Hi Everyone,

I recently started a new job and with the hours it is much easier to find time to lift in the morning than after work. What are people's opinions as far as doing squats and deadlifts first thing in the morning?
 
The only caution I've heard is that spinal discs are more hydrated when you first get up, in part because you sleep lying down and this allows them room to expand a little. I have heard it advised not to do heavy deadlifts within 1 hour of waking, but I have also know successful lifters who do exactly that and with excellent, injury-free results.

-S-
 
That is what concerns me. The bigger issue i'm facing with this is having trouble falling asleep lifting too close to going to bed. It seems like if my night workouts go past 6 o'clock, i either can't fall asleep or my sleep quality suffers. Do you have any ideas of why that is the case or suggestions to help prevent it?
 
I wouldn't be opposed to trying it out. During my shiftwork days, I've had to change my schedule about daily.

I would advice to try to make it close to the mentioned hour after waking up, or at least trying to stay upright and mobile after waking up instead of half-sleeping on a chair or such.
 
It takes some getting used to, but you'll get used to it. Give it a couple of weeks. Pay attention to warmups/mobility drills and how you feel as you are adding weight.

The big plus to early morning workouts is no scheduling conflicts!
 
It is just so easy to go back to bed for the extra hour LOL. Time to suck it up and give it an honest try I guess. Anyone have any insight as to why the night workout affects my sleep so much? I can't remember this ever happening before and out of nowhere it started to become a problem.
 
I like it. I take a quick cold shower to wake up, drink some coffee and head to the gym. I just make sure to a really good warm up in.
 
@TOGGS I remember when I was finishing water-polo practice at 10:30 PM that I would never be asleep before 1. However, lifting at 6 is not a problem. In fact, any exercise during the day helps with sleep if not within a few hours of going to bed. What time do you go to bed? Do you have the same problems going to bed on days you don't lift? Do you supplement when you lift? Anything with caffeine would cause me problems. Guarana is also a no-no for me. A Red Bull to give you a little push before training could cause problems when it's time to go to sleep. Another thing to investigate is meal timing and composition. When you lift, do you eat differently?

Sleep can be capricious. And it could be that for you, with your schedule, lifting at 6 will be a problem with your current state (stress, weight, lifestyle,...). If all else fails, I have used melatonin in very small doses with good success. People take 3, 5 or 10 mg pills, but I have a liquid solution of 3mg/ml, and when I have trouble sleeping, a single drop, so maybe .1 to .2 mg and I am asleep in 30 minutes. I personally don't like to take it more than 2-3 days in a row or per week to avoid getting dependent on it for good sleep. Some weeks I don't need it at all.
 
The Naked Warrior says the following on page 94:
"It is a good idea to stop your strength training a few hours before sleep as it has a tonic effect."

I'm guessing the tonic effect here is why it's difficult to fall asleep. I also notice this after an intense futsal match.
 
I have trained in the morning >90% of every training session I've ever had. No issues with deads or squats or anything else for that matter. Every time I try other times of the day, it never goes as well because my motivation to train is much lower when chores, kids, work, etc. are pulling at your attention. First thing in the morning makes it the easiest for me to maintain routine and stick with a program. I also don't do much to warm up. I often do the same thing I have planned for the day but at a lower weight.
 
trained at 5:30-6am for well over a decade. takes a little getting used to but once habits are set it becomes easier.

shower before training can get body temperature up. unless you have issues with your spinal discs the negative effect is unlikely to be an issue if form is spot on.

used to love training before anyone else was up as life and daily events are almost guaranteed not to get in the way and your day starts off really productive.
 
second point is resustance training raises sympathetic nervous system activity (fight or flight) due to intensity. if this is stimulated it will have you fired up as opposed to something like stretching which will raise parasympathetic nervous system activity which tends to relax
 
Hello,

I noticed a better performance in the morning, both with heavy lifts and cardio. Excepted some singles in the evening, I've always trained in the morning, while I am fresh and never had any issue.

For a while, I tried to train in the evening, with bad results (lack of stamina, bad posture...)

I think what hurts CNS is working until failure or even "almost failure" on a daily basis.

Kind regards,

Pet'
 
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I trained with heavy barbells in the morning for many years. As @Steve Freides said it is advisable to train over an hour after waking to give the spine time to dry out and stiffen. As I understand the spine hydrates, and opens up over night. I'd have water, eggs, and coffee first thing after waking, then get ready.

Another advantage to morning, over evening, training is you have all day to eat, have a nap, and recover. When training in the evening you don't get nearly as much time to recover and replenish before fasting overnight, and sleep quality is not as good for me. I always made much better progress while training in the morning.
 
To add to other comments above, I have also often trained in the morning, and even coached in the morning, around 6:30-7:00, before everybody goes to work. The hardest part of the training was to leave bed. :)
For most real-life people, it is the best time. You can always ensure you will be available first thing in the morning. You never know what will prevent you to go to your session in the afternoon/evening (work, family, impromptu drinks with friends, etc).
I would point out that there was almost one hour between going out of bed and lifting, and I always took my coffee, walked to the gym, did some mobility moves. That was my warm-up (even the coffee).
 
I will second the morning training. Get out of bed, get it done, and then it doesn't matter what happens for the rest of the day. I prefer after work, but lately meetings have been coming up and dinners which I need to attend. I barely have to leave work, shower, and make it to where I have to be. All this has led me to missing a few more sessions than I like. So it's back to morning training.
 
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