Those of you who know much about my habits know that I have always worked out first thing in the morning. This has benefits and drawbacks. The biggest benefit to me is that it’s predictable. I can always get up early, get it done and not worry about interruptions or changes in my schedule interfering. The biggest drawbacks are that it’s not fun giving up that extra 1 hour of sleep in the wee hours of the morning, and it’s basically impossible to eat a “pre-workout meal” 1 hour prior to working out. I spent the first 2 rounds working out on a totally empty stomach, and then transitioned to working out on just a scoop of whey mixed in water, which I take about 30-45 min before my workout (the minute I roll out of bed at 4:30am).
Working out with little-to-no preworkout food has mixed reviews. Some say it will lead to poorer performance since your body is running on empty and doesn’t have the energy to push as hard. Others say that you will lose more body fat by working out on an empty stomach. From personal experience, I can say that although it was hard at first, I adjusted to the early morning workouts and now feel like I can work out just as hard on an empty (or near empty) stomach in the morning as I can in the mid-afternoon with a good “pre-workout” lunch. And as for whether or not working out on an empty stomach helped me lose more body fat, I can’t know for sure, but I definitely had great results and lost a lot of body fat!
Another thing I really like about working out early in the morning is that my metabolism stays revved up all morning. I’ve done some experimenting with my heart rate monitor, and when I do an Insanity workout in the morning, not only do I burn over 1,000 calories on the workout itself, I continue to burn calories at a high rate the rest of the morning even though I’m at work doing nothing! I typically will burn well over another 1,000 calories before lunch just because I’m revved up from the morning workout! What a great bonus!
Finally, I just like to know that as I sit down to breakfast, I’ve already taken care of my workout and don’t have to spend the rest of my day thinking about where and when I’m going to get it done. It’s already done … I’ve already conquered it! And now I can focus on conquering the rest of my day!
I think the biggest factor in when to work out is what will be the most predictable, consistent time for you to get your workout in? If you always have the same time open every afternoon to do it, or every evening to do it, that’s fine. And if you have a job that has you working different shifts, look at your schedule and block out the times you will work out each day depending on your schedule for that day. Just be sure that you DO IT EVERY DAY and don’t miss! You don’t have to work out in the morning just because Coach Wayne does, but you should evaluate your day, and if you are missing workouts because stuff comes up in the evenings, consider getting up an hour earlier in the morning so that those interruptions don’t ruin your momentum. Letting things “come up” that bump your workout off the schedule will kill your momentum, and ultimately lead to discouragement and failure with your fitness goals. Pick a time, block it out, don’t let anything interfere, and get it done!
One more statistic for you = studies have shown that people who work out first thing in the morning are MORE LIKELY to still be working out 1 year later! I’m obviously proof of that! I’ve been consistently working out well over a year now. I believe it’s because people who work out first thing in the morning have made it a priority and there is less chance of schedule interferences. Make your workouts a priority, whatever time of day you do them!
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
