Running out of gas after about 20 mins

[wheresmybacon]

After training much of my life in the bodybuilding style (3-day split) I made the switch to powerlifting and have been doing stronglifts for about 2 months. All I can say is why didn't I do this earlier. The gains I've made already are impressive.

That said, 2 days out of the week I train right after I wake up at about 5 in the AM. I don't have time to do anything other than roll out of bed and go straight to the gym. I don't know if it's my lack of food or what but the last couple times I completely gassed after about 20 minutes. Today it was during bench on the 4th set. I did 3 reps then was absolutely exhausted. I finished my workout but I know I could do better if I wasn't rolling on an empty tank.

Anyone else train @ the buttcrack of dawn have any tips? If you eat beforehand, what do you eat?

 

[RagingBITCH]

Dood...you're doing powerlifting on an empty stomach. Glycogen stores empty...I'm surprised you haven't dropped a barbell + a few 45's on each side on top of your face.

Eat something for gods sake - I normally down a banana if I'm short on time.

 

[Deeko]

-I hate lifting in the morning, I've tried it, it never works, I have no energy.
-I don't eat a lot before lifting, I don't like lifting on a full stomach.

 

[wheresmybacon]

Originally posted by: Deeko
-I hate lifting in the morning, I've tried it, it never works, I have no energy.
-I don't eat a lot before lifting, I don't like lifting on a full stomach.

See this is my take as well. I've historically always trained after work. But because of a new job and me now living with my GF, training in the morning is just way easier all around.

I really WANT to train in the morning but I might just have to switch to after work if I'm unable to be productive while I'm in there.

I'll try to eat a banana or something beforehand and see if that works.

 

[TallBill]

I can't lift in the morning either. The later in the day the better for me. On the weekends, when I go to the gym before eating 2-3 meals my lifts are noticeably lower then normal. I prefer lifting on 4-5 meals, and having 1-2 afterwards.

Your best bet is to pound a 500-600 calorie shake or meal.

 

[brikis98]

1. Training on an empty stomach is a bad idea. Eat something, even if it's just a piece of fruit and some peanut butter.
2. Many people can't train in the morning. Due to natural circadian rhythms, your body temperature is usually lowest shortly before waking. It maxes out sometime in the afternoon and then slowly winds back down towards the evening. When your body is cold, you muscles tend not to be as loose/powerful and you usually perform worse. Of course, everyone's genetics and circadian rhythms will be a little different, but I've never been able to exercise effectively in the morning, and maybe you can't either.

 

[theLION]

I usually start my workouts around 5am. I have a shake and a banana before i workout. But for me, it's all about whether I got enough good sleep that determines how great my workout goes. Maybe you're not getting enough good sleep?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

It can be both partly physical and partly psychological. Your body hasn't really been moving for about 6-8 hours usually and it needs some time to warm up. The same thing goes for your mind. As you sleep, your overall arousal levels (non-sexual) are at their lowest. When you function throughout your day, your arousal increases to its normal levels, but it takes some time to get there. Therefore you could probably do some things to try to improve both your body's and mind's sluggishness. A nice little jog of about 5-10 minutes will help get the blood pumping and get some endorphins in your bloodstream. On top of that, the increased heart rate and breathing rate will increase your arousal levels. Working out in the morning is a bit weird because some people can just wake up and go better than others. Eat something as well.