Early morning workouts pre 6am?

DrJazzTap

I started my new job yesterday. So a lot to take on board atm. 
I still want to lose some excess weight. My new job is on the other side of Bristol. Which requires me to leave the house around 6:45am (possibly earlier). The last few days i have got to the office around half seven. 
I will be getting my shift changed from 8-4pm. Because at the moment driving home is taking around an hour and ten minutes due to rush hour.
I was thinking about joining a gym near work. But then I'm not fond of gyms and i have all the equipment at home etc and want to save money.

So I need to get off my ass before i head off to work. I was thinking 5:15-6:00am three times a week.
My question is, does anybody else do this? If so any suggestions about what time to get to sleep. My head is still a bit fuzzy adjusting to this wake up time etc. Any motivational tips?  

They have a shower near work so I could start jogging (eww) before work. But id rather use my kettlebells and elliptical trainer at home. Its a bit too far for me to cycle to work unfortunately  (40 miles a day) maybe the odd day in summer I'll do that.

I'll be cutting my caffeine consumption to one cup of coffee first thing in the morning 

Emp_Fab

I had my heart attack at 5:15am - whilst asleep, in bed (I woke up fairly briskly though!).

My dad had his heart attack (and died) whilst on an exercise bike first thing in the morning.

Just sayin'...

Sambostar

Gut instinct says I don't think it's good for you no, Emp's not alone, loads of very healthy people have commonly had heart attacks whilst exercising early in the morning.  Plus there is the warm up and risk of injury in the cold when you've just got up.  I've got two herniated discs and my back aches when I wake up.

DrJazzTap

Thanks guys. I used to set off riding to work at around seven each morning. 

I'm just at a point where im fed up with how I look. And I know ive put a tonne of weight on since I stopped cycling.

I know you can't exercise yourself out of a bad diet. So that's something I really need to address first. 

stimpsonslostson

I used to do a 6am sparring session regularly. It was amazing how much less flexible I was first thing compared to my usual 11am time. I've since slid it back to 8am which seems a happy medium. 

That said, it gives you a great feeling of superiority to know that you've been up & doing something whilst everyone else was in bed! 

fields5069

I used to be very early to rise, like 4:30 or maybe even earlier. It meant getting into bed before 9 usually. When I was cycling to work I was on my bike by 4:45. When I was a bit fitter and training for a 20-mile running event, I couldn't sleep one night so got up at 4:00 to run 13 miles for laughs.

It has to be said though, this was all fairly low intensity, the cycling a bit less so but it was a few miles before any climbs so fairly sedate to start. It's excellent for shedding fat apparently, low intensity workouts before breakfast.

DiscoStu

I would have thought that exercising at night would lead to better sleep. Not longer sleep, but better, deeper sleep, which then makes your waking up easier.

Emp_Fab

'tis true (or so I've read !).  Exercise in the evening = better quality sleep.

DrJazzTap

My only reservation with that is from previous experience. I used to train in kung fu from half seven sometimes up until twenty past nine. I used to find I was too charged up to fall asleep. 
I could try ten past six to seven and see how I get on

fields5069

DiscoStu said:

I would have thought that exercising at night would lead to better sleep. Not longer sleep, but better, deeper sleep, which then makes your waking up easier.

Not for me, I would find that it stimulated me and I would have restless legs etc.

stimpsonslostson

fields5069 said:

DiscoStu said:

I would have thought that exercising at night would lead to better sleep. Not longer sleep, but better, deeper sleep, which then makes your waking up easier.

Not for me, I would find that it stimulated me and I would have restless legs etc.

I'm with @fields5069 on this. I found that doing MMA till 2200 (& being completely exhausted at the end) really interfered with my sleep- it'd take a good couple of hours to wind down so I'd rarely sleep before 0000 or often later. 

Running/cycling/swimming in the evening MIGHT be relaxing I guess. 

Snap

I have gone to the gym 5 times a week at 6am (ish) for the last 10 years or so. Don't believe any of the stuff about it making you more prone to heart attacks, that's BS. There's a lot of good research to show that early day exercise is very productive. I usually get to bed around 10pm.

I do a bit of stretching, but not much. The benefits (or not) of stretching is becoming very debatable, following tons of research. People are finding this research challenging as it goes against the grain of years of belief.

You will find it a bit difficult for a while, but you soon get used to it. I feel great after a session, it sets me up well for the day, and I like the discipline of doing it.

Don't eat before, but come back and have a protein ladled brekkie. I usually have a smoothie of various green stuff, with a few oats and some spirulina (good stuff) in it, and a bit of wholemeal toast.

do it, its' good

Deadman

I ran every morning rain or shine for a couple of years, 2 or 3 years ago I stopped. Some mornings were a struggle and I felt guilty if I missed a day. Now I run after work, there's no pressure with timings and I much prefer it.

fields5069

Deadman said:

I ran every morning rain or shine for a couple of years, 2 or 3 years ago I stopped. Some mornings were a struggle and I felt guilty if I missed a day. Now I run after work, there's no pressure with timings and I much prefer it.

Yeah pretty much the same goes for me, except I run at lunchtimes as it means I have a partner and 5 miles is enough for a regular run at the moment.

Deadman

I'm a bit lazy at lunchtimes. I love watching daytime crap telly and eating.

cruxiform

stimpsonslostson said:

That said, it gives you a great feeling of superiority to know that you've been up & doing something whilst everyone else was in bed! 

Mike Tyson used to get up early and do his roadwork when he was in training for a fight. He said that he was the only one out there pounding the streets and that gave him a psychological edge.

ElectroDan

Are you sure there's a 6.00 AM?

Bidley

I'm a shift worker, so I have to be up at 5am every other week to get to work. Even without exercising it's tough. No matter what time I'm in bed, I feel like shit at 5am. This time of year it's still the middle of the night.

We actually went on a course (with work) that told us that the hours between 4am and 6am are your deepest hours of sleep, so you'll always feel crap getting up at that time. It's all about circadian sleeping rhythms and all that.

Just do it when you get home. I can't imagine wanting to get up at that ungodly hour unless it was absolutely necessary.

fields5069

Deadman said:

I'm a bit lazy at lunchtimes. I love watching daytime crap telly and eating.

Yeah, well my running partner stares at me over the office partition until I agree to go for a run. Actually she's the wuss and is averse to a bit of rain, I see it as my task to turn her into a proper runner.