Training first thing in the morning is far from an ideal scenario. In a perfect world we would get up, have a few hours to let our spine settle, get a couple of good meals into us, maybe take a nap, get a good warm-up in and then lift. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world and our work schedules and family schedules often dictate when we train. If you are like me and you NEED to train in the morning here are a few quick considerations to make the experience a better one.

1. You MUST be awake for at least 1 hour before training. How you accomplish this is up to you but I suggest getting up, brushing your teeth, going to the bathroom and taking a hot shower. The goal here is to allow your central nervous system to wake up and to allow your spine to compress back to its natural state.
2. Take a hot shower. You might as well start the warm-up process early and get the blood flowing to your vital organs. Get your day started with a good warm shower.
3. Don’t worry about a huge breakfast or eating at all. If you are training at the crack of dawn you should instead feast the night before to prepare your body for the training session. Instead sip on a protein shake and carbohydrate powder throughout your workout before having your first solid meal after the session. If you are more interested in these concepts please read the Renaissance Periodization EBOOK and also the Renegade Diet EBOOK.
4. Eat after your session. Your highest carb load should come after your morning workout. I tend to eat almost 50% of my daily carbohydrate allotment with my post workout meal. See eBooks I mentioned above for more details on carb cycling throughout your day.
5. As I mentioned in my Instagram post yesterday, do an extra long warm-up and try and move your big compound lifts to the middle of your workout. This will ensure you have an hour awake before you start loading a barbell on your back. Additionally, waking up your central nervous system before hitting your compound lifts will ensure continued success.
6. Take 10g of BCAA (optional). BCAA are a great supplement to prevent muscle catabolism during your training session by providing the most digestible form of protein for your body to utilize. IF you have a bit of extra cash lying around its a worthy investment. There is no need for taking the huge recommended serving you see all over the web, 7-10g during your workout has been scientifically proven to be sufficient.
7. Have a nice warm coffee. This isn’t a must but a luxary I simply cannot go without. Coffee warms you up and sparks the mental game. If your not a caffeine person that fine but it certainly makes my morning training sessions much more bearable.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments section and happy training this week!

T.