Lifting in the morning

[emil3m]

Hi all!

Starting a corporate job tomorrow while still in graduate school (tail end though). I lift on mon-wed-fri and really wouldn't want to change that. As prep for tomorrow have been experimenting with lifting at night. Doesn seem optimal as I'm exhausted by then plus having fast carbs (or any post-WO meal) late at night didn't sit right.

My question is about lifting right after a light meal. Here are my thoughts out loud. Many people say that you must wait an hour or two after eating. That is impossible in the morning. I'm assuming this applies to large, heavy meals. There are also those who lift fasted and swear by it. I am certainly not situated to do that. As a hybrid solution, what if I eat just a bit to wake up and focus? And lift within 5 minutes after. I'm thinking 40g oats cooked in 4oz of milk, 8oz greek yogurt, espresso. Amounts to about 30g carbs, 30g protein, and few grams of fat. It is a fairly small meal. I weigh 165lb and lift largely based on the the sticky by hoosegow in this forum.

I can already sense the "see how it feels" replies brewing :) But it woul dbe nice to hear your opinions on the matter and perhaps experiences.

For example, someone already suggested I sub the greek yogurt for a simple whey-water shake as a better protein to take after "fasting" during sleep. Definitely a welcome modification! Just gotta make sure to not make the meal too light and overlook the actual goal of a sufficient power-up.

Thanks all!

[stuward]

I prefer to eat after my workout. It just doesn't feel right to workout on a full stomach.

[emil3m]

I prefer to eat after my workout. It just doesn't feel right to workout on a full stomach.

I can't function before I eat in the morning. If it's not being light headed or a getting a headache, then something else just feels wrong. My health insurance will finally kick in as I'm starting the job tomorrow and I need to run some blood tests.

Is it unhealthy to lift right after even a small meal? Waiting an hour would be ideal, but it will significantly cut into my sleep..

Edit:
I will still eat after the workout.

[Matt Z]

When I used to train in the morning, I would have a protein shake pre-workout and breakfast after.

[Dub]

Look. It's just food. You can get huge results by working out fasted, you can get huge results by eating pre workout meal or drinking a shake. It's all going to the same place. Wether it's an hour before or 20 minutes before doesn't matter to an average lifter. Eating just before lifting isn't some serious no-no that wrecks your performance or gains. It's just that the food gets time to absorb and so that the blood sugar levels won't go bananas during your workout. And to some extent it might affect protein synthesis, but I stress this: It's way more important to GET the actual nutrients around your workout than worry about the really accurate timing.

Option 1:
Eat a breakfast, go to gym. Raise hell. Go home/school and eat more.

Option 2:
Workout fasted or with a peri-workout shake (I've done the latter one recently) with carbs and protein. Raise Hell. Go home/school and eat more.

[emil3m]

Thanks dub. I have a good setup: gym is in my apt. I can eat right after workout and leave to work.

My only concern was lifting right after a meal. 30g of carbs from oats are MUCH less than what I'm used to, so hope I can keep the intensity as high. Good to read that liftting immediately after has no downsides.

Fasted is not even an option before me. Wish it was.

[emil3m]

When I used to train in the morning, I would have a protein shake pre-workout and breakfast after.

What did you use for carbs in the "pre" shake? Probably some sort of slow carb?

[JasonJones]

While there's some promising research on peri-workout nutrition, a lot of what's out there is just bro-science that's not backed up by a whole lot of actual research (IE the whole 1-2 hour anabolic window). The bottom line is that the most important factor regarding meal timing and nutrient partitioning is you and of far greater importance than "perfect" timing is making sure you feel ready to do your work out and your ability to get all your nutrients in.

[emil3m]

While there's some promising research on peri-workout nutrition, a lot of what's out there is just bro-science that's not backed up by a whole lot of actual research (IE the whole 1-2 hour anabolic window). The bottom line is that the most important factor regarding meal timing and nutrient partitioning is you and of far greater importance than "perfect" timing is making sure you feel ready to do your work out and your ability to get all your nutrients in.

Makes sense. Is it safe to say that the sole indicator of "getting all nutrients in" is the ability to keep intensity as high with respect to previous sessions? (previous being those where I could afford the time to eat bigger meals and let them digest)

[Matt Z]

"What did you use for carbs in the "pre" shake? Probably some sort of slow carb?" - emil3m

No carbs. Just whey protein in skim milk.

[robertscott]

you could try just having a strong coffee. That'd blunt your appetite and give you energy

[jlmoss]

When I worked out in the morning so many years ago, I used to juice a couple of apples, beets, & carrots. Drink that, workout shortly after, then proceed to fix my full breakfast with eggs/bacon/etc. Worked pretty well for me, a full breakfast never sat well in my stomach right before a workout.

[JasonJones]

While there's some promising research on peri-workout nutrition, a lot of what's out there is just bro-science that's not backed up by a whole lot of actual research (IE the whole 1-2 hour anabolic window). The bottom line is that the most important factor regarding meal timing and nutrient partitioning is you and of far greater importance than "perfect" timing is making sure you feel ready to do your work out and your ability to get all your nutrients in.

Makes sense. Is it safe to say that the sole indicator of "getting all nutrients in" is the ability to keep intensity as high with respect to previous sessions? (previous being those where I could afford the time to eat bigger meals and let them digest)

Your own biofeedback is your best measure. If you feel like you're able to perform up to your usual standard (or better!) then that's the right thing to do. If not, try it every which way you can think of and do what feels best. If you work best with a carb heavy breakfast, just adjust the rest of your day accordingly.

Personally, outside of sweet life-giving coffee, peri-workout nutrition has limited effect on my work capacity. I'm better off having a light breakfast and getting extra sleep than getting up without adequate rest but having a packed breakfast. But I have the luxury of making my own hours, so I get to do my workout when I'm feeling my best so YMMV.

[Jungledoc]

I can already sense the "see how it feels" replies brewing :) But it woul dbe nice to hear your opinions on the matter and perhaps experiences.

Uh, that was me you were sensing!

Obviously, the 2 issues are energy and availability of amino acids. I think a light meal with some readily available carbs and protein is fine. I don't think you're going to do any long-term harm by anything you try, so there's nothing wrong with the "try and see" approach.

Congratulations on the new job, by the way!

[emil3m]

Thanks all--truly helpful as always!

Just a brief update: I settled on a meal configuration to try. I also prepped my gym and journal last night to save time this AM.
Oversight: new job + new training routine = mind not letting me sleep! Writing this as 4:15am and today is my heavy squat day! If something happens, tell my mom I love her.


Oh and for all the coffee lovers above--pulling espresso shots at home is a new passion of mine, so it will definitely by the star of the programme!

Cheers