I remember reading in an Eric Cressey article stating that training right in the morning can be dangerous. Read it in the low back savers series I believe.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
I remember reading in an Eric Cressey article stating that training right in the morning can be dangerous. Read it in the low back savers series I believe.
[/quote]
I think I’ve read the article that you are referencing, does it deal with spinal flexion and the fluids that are drained out during sleep?
I am usually up for at least 1.5 hours before I lift in the morning, and I think that was deemed to be enough time by the article. Correct me if I am wrong.
[quote]WestCoast7 wrote:
[quote]therajraj wrote:
I remember reading in an Eric Cressey article stating that training right in the morning can be dangerous. Read it in the low back savers series I believe.
[/quote]
I think I’ve read the article that you are referencing, does it deal with spinal flexion and the fluids that are drained out during sleep?
I am usually up for at least 1.5 hours before I lift in the morning, and I think that was deemed to be enough time by the article. Correct me if I am wrong.[/quote]
"When you go to bed â?? and stay there for hours and hours â?? your spine has no compressive loading because of the horizontal position. As a result, the discs “hydrate” overnight, and expand as a result. Expanded discs create a stiffer spine â?? and one that is less effective in buttressing shear stress.
I’ve known of people who have herniated discs picking up pencils or just tying their shoes â?? and the one thing that seems to be consistent with all of them is that it happens first thing in the morning. First-thing is just not a good time of day to flex the lumbar spine. You need to give the discs time to “dehydrate.”
The good news is that most of this reduction in disc hydration status occurs in the first hour that we’re awake (we actually lose a little bit of our height over the course of the day). It’s one reason why I’m not a huge fan of training first thing in the morning.
However, I know that’s the only time of day a lot of you can train, so I usually suggest the following:
- Wake up a few minutes earlier, and make sure you’re standing.
- Take a hot shower to get your body temperature up (and give you a little kick in the pants).
- Plan to avoid flexion at all costs in your training sessions â?? including flexion exercises without axial loading.
- Do a thorough warm-up (shameless plug #2: crafty of me, huh?)."
[quote]WestCoast7 wrote:
[quote]venusismyplanet wrote:
I prefer training in the the afternoon like around 2-3 pm after 2-3 meals, but because I work during the week, I have to train in the evening at 6:00pm. A while back I tried training in the early a.m., and it sucked. I could not train as well as I do now.[/quote]
I’m just very much a morning person, so I’m going to make the change to the AM. If it seems to be limiting be, I can always change back, but I think evening training sessions paired with the amount of food and liquid I take in pre/peri/post workout are resulting in poor sleep.[/quote]
Well, I hope it works out for you 
The only thing during the week i get up early for is AM cardio.
[quote]therajraj wrote:
[quote]WestCoast7 wrote:
[quote]therajraj wrote:
I remember reading in an Eric Cressey article stating that training right in the morning can be dangerous. Read it in the low back savers series I believe.
[/quote]
I think I’ve read the article that you are referencing, does it deal with spinal flexion and the fluids that are drained out during sleep?
I am usually up for at least 1.5 hours before I lift in the morning, and I think that was deemed to be enough time by the article. Correct me if I am wrong.[/quote]
"When you go to bed â?? and stay there for hours and hours â?? your spine has no compressive loading because of the horizontal position. As a result, the discs “hydrate” overnight, and expand as a result. Expanded discs create a stiffer spine â?? and one that is less effective in buttressing shear stress.
I’ve known of people who have herniated discs picking up pencils or just tying their shoes â?? and the one thing that seems to be consistent with all of them is that it happens first thing in the morning. First-thing is just not a good time of day to flex the lumbar spine. You need to give the discs time to “dehydrate.”
The good news is that most of this reduction in disc hydration status occurs in the first hour that we’re awake (we actually lose a little bit of our height over the course of the day). It’s one reason why I’m not a huge fan of training first thing in the morning.
However, I know that’s the only time of day a lot of you can train, so I usually suggest the following:
- Wake up a few minutes earlier, and make sure you’re standing.
- Take a hot shower to get your body temperature up (and give you a little kick in the pants).
- Plan to avoid flexion at all costs in your training sessions â?? including flexion exercises without axial loading.
- Do a thorough warm-up (shameless plug #2: crafty of me, huh?)."[/quote]
Thanks for posting that portion, it’s good to know, but since I’m usually up for 1.5 hours before my lift that it isn’t something that should concern me much.
Now I just have to make sure not to pick up any pencils when I first wake up…who does that anyways?
I have felt a better training workout in the morning rather than the evenings. Evening workouts are more because I start work early and I have more time to complete the workout in the evening. On weekends however I reach the gym before noon (usually 10 or 11 but occasionally much earlier like 7am).
Morning workouts seem to have a better output, maybe because of a lighter stomach (psychological). More gym equipment available (so I regulate the rest times more strictly).
I think it depends on the individual. I seem to do much better in the morning. Don’t know why.
Due to scheduling I always lift in the morning. I am up at 6 am, in the the gym by 7AM. However, on the rare occasion I have lifted in the afternoon my numbers are definately higher and the motions seem to be smoother, especially my squat and deadlift. Does anyone have a link or know of the good warm-up to go through before my sessions? My lower back especially does not seem to be ready within the hour.
I’ll train morning or evening depending on the day, and don’t find much difference either way. Usually evening just because of convenience, but if I’ve got plans for the day/am going to be doing something else physical that day, I’ll usually work out in the morning. For morning, I’ll eat a big breakfast, wait about an hour - 2 hours (and drink water in this time) then workout. Actually, I’ve never had a poor morning workout - there’s a good focus when it is the first thing you do. I think the keys are getting enough sleep, eating enough, and waiting long enough between waking and working out.
That’s an interesting bit of info - on the rare occasions when I’ve done an afternoon workout I distinctly remember them being crappy sessions haha
Hi, I have been reading this thread with great interest, I have tried mornings workouts and my regular late afternoon or evenings(5pm to 7pm), I have observed that I’m a lot stronger in the PM workouts for some reason, and not only that, I have all my injuries happen while lifting in the AM workouts too, never in the evening workouts(usually the injuries in the Am have been back muscles sprains) or lower back,
I’m a firm believer that some of us are better off working out after we have had our bodies pretty well warmmed up and limber and have had a “few” meals in, and fully hydrated throughout the day, my opinion.
for me
PM: good workout but no life
AM: shitty workout but I can have a life
I train at different times through the day because I’m a student and I fit it in around my classes, and I work at the gym so if I have a shift I train before or after so I dont have to make two trips.
Without a doubt the favorite time to workout is from around 11am and 1.30pm after breakfast and morning tea or an hour after lunch.
Same reasons as most other people gives me time to wake up and have a decent amount of food.
The earliest I train is 9am and I dont really enjoy it but I havent noticed any measurable loss of strength. I also feel pretty crap if I train after 5pm
I think the best thing to do is listen to how yor body feels and keep your workouts short n sweet but intense!!
AM is the Bees Knees. T is also higher in the AM, and you can get away with higher carbs after your workout because of:
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The 3 HR Anabolic Window, Where your body is like a sponge, ready to absorb nutrients
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Insulin sensetivity in the AM is higher than if you had carbs in the PM
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Overall it just feels better having higher cals in the AM throughout the workday and then tapering off in the PM. Just makes sense really.