The truth is, the best time to workout is whenever it works best for your personality and your schedule.
Some people will spend hours debating on the “perfect” time to train, but in reality there is no such thing.
Working out first thing out of bed may not be the absolute best for performance, but if it’s the best option for your schedule or you simply just enjoy it, I say go for it.
That being said, there are a few things that you can do before your sun rise session to maximize your energy, performance, and progress.
1) Rehydrate & Have a Snack
You ever get out of bed feeling like a truck ran over you?
Me too.
A very likely reason for at least some of that feeling is dehydration.
When we sleep, we often sweat. That combined with some other factors results in some gnarly dehydration; no way to go through a workout.
Wake up, knock back a glass or two of some high quality H2O (comment if you get the reference), and I bet you’ll feel a hell of a lot better.
One more note: A little bit of food goes a long way.
Some prefer to train on an empty stomach and that’s totally fine, but even just a piece of fruit or a quick protein shake may give you a large boost in strength and energy.
2) Visualization & Breathing
Visualization is massively underrated. Lying on the floor, breathing into your belly, and thinking about each step of the workout to come can quickly take your mind out of sleep mode and into performance mode.
Breathe into your belly through your nose, and then let the air release from your mouth.
Long breath cycles and deep imagery can do wonders.
2 Minutes or so is all you need.
3) Full Body Blood Flow
Alright.
You’re hydrated.
You’re fed (maybe).
And you have your mind and body in the right place.
Now what?
Now is the time to get your entire body pumping with blood and gradually building towards the workout to come.
We’re not looking for any sort of fatigue here.
Just a light sweat and an ever-so-slight bump in heart rate.
Jumping jacks, mountain climbers, jump rope.
You get the idea.
2 minutes should be plenty.
4) Speed!
You may not think of yourself as an athlete just because you workout, but believe me, you are.
If you are taking the time to train, improve, and push yourself, I believe you are an athlete.
No matter the goal, moving with purpose, quality, and power is crucial.
Finish off your early morning prep with 5-10 seconds of explosive power.
Medicine ball slams, vertical jumps, or snap downs (described in the video above) are all great options.
Find what works for your body and get after it.
If you need more clarity, please check out the video above as I go into much more detail.
If you need even more help, comment below and I got you!
