Why do boxers wake up at 4:30am in the morning to run?

[Sharla]

I know the Kenyan marathon runners always go for a jog before breakfast to help keep their weight down. These guys don't want to bulk up under any circumstances though!

I'd agree it is easier to loose weight by exercising before eating breakfast and for those of us who are not great time managers it's always less stressfult to get conditioning work done in the morning - it's done before other things can complicate your day.

One thing i'm not sure of is whether or not it's a good idea to ever do weight training in the morning?

I was reading through a mag where a heap of olympic athletes described their day and they all did their weight training at night.

Is this because more anaerobic exercise aims to build muscle/strength and muscle repair happens overnight?

I'm not sure why it would be different to recovering from aerobic exercise to be honest!

I have to admit though i can recover enough from a run to function during the day but after a hard weights session I'll be tired and want to sleep for the rest of the day if i do it in the morning!

I'd love to know why if anyone can tell me?

[donnydarkoIRL]

I know the Kenyan marathon runners always go for a jog before breakfast to help keep their weight down. These guys don't want to bulk up under any circumstances though!

I'd agree it is easier to loose weight by exercising before eating breakfast and for those of us who are not great time managers it's always less stressfult to get conditioning work done in the morning - it's done before other things can complicate your day.

One thing i'm not sure of is whether or not it's a good idea to ever do weight training in the morning?

I was reading through a mag where a heap of olympic athletes described their day and they all did their weight training at night.

Is this because more anaerobic exercise aims to build muscle/strength and muscle repair happens overnight?

I'm not sure why it would be different to recovering from aerobic exercise to be honest!

I have to admit though i can recover enough from a run to function during the day but after a hard weights session I'll be tired and want to sleep for the rest of the day if i do it in the morning!

I'd love to know why if anyone can tell me?

I can't actually answer your question on the subject Sharla but I can offer a theory.

The Irish rugby team (who flunked so spectacularly in the last world cup) always do their weight training in the morning.

I believe if weight training is done in the morning, the muscle ios more likely to wear and tear, perhaps even depreciate during later sessions that day, even if they take supplementation.

If weight trainiung is done at night, you've got a long rest period and supplements will not be consumed by anything over the night assuming they have a big glucose meal before bed.

[ono]

I know the Kenyan marathon runners always go for a jog before breakfast to help keep their weight down. These guys don't want to bulk up under any circumstances though!

I'd agree it is easier to loose weight by exercising before eating breakfast and for those of us who are not great time managers it's always less stressfult to get conditioning work done in the morning - it's done before other things can complicate your day.

One thing i'm not sure of is whether or not it's a good idea to ever do weight training in the morning?

I was reading through a mag where a heap of olympic athletes described their day and they all did their weight training at night.

Is this because more anaerobic exercise aims to build muscle/strength and muscle repair happens overnight?

I'm not sure why it would be different to recovering from aerobic exercise to be honest!

I have to admit though i can recover enough from a run to function during the day but after a hard weights session I'll be tired and want to sleep for the rest of the day if i do it in the morning!

I'd love to know why if anyone can tell me?

There are pros and cons to both really. Training first thing in the morning can be bad as the intesnity of the work out may suffer. Weight training first thing on a morning without eating beforehand is is also a bad idea....for pretty much the same reason as running is, except the aim of weight-training is presumably to build muscle. So clearly, weight-training on an empty stomach would be a bad idea.

The problem with training late at night can be the fact that you are likely to go to bed without a proper post workout nutrition plan. Glycogen stores are likely to be quite low, so if you don't have enough stored gylcogen to meet basic energy needs while you are sleeping, you will most likely sacrifice muscle as this will be broken down and used for fuel.

One of the most important components of a weight lifting programme is to have adequate pre-workout and post workout nutrition plans in place. So the best time to weight-train would ideally be around 2-3 hours after a high carbohydrate (low GI) meal, and to have the workout finished at least 3-5 hours before going to bed. The 3-5 hours are important as this gives you adequate time to replenish glycogen stores. Aim to eat around 1g carbs per kg of bodyweight, every 1-2 hours for a maximum of 5 hours.

So the average 70kg athlete would require 70g of carbs every 1-2 hours after intense training. Remember that everybody is different so it may be necessary to lower the 70g figure, if fat gain becomes a problem. However this is quite unlikely if glycogen stores are depleted quite substantially. Trial and error may be required to find out what works best for you.

I think it's about weighing up the pros and cons of the sitaution really. If weight reaining can only be fit in late at night then it's still better than not doing it all. If you weight-train in the morning, it's definitely a good idea to eat a high carbohydrate meal beforehand (with some protein).

I'm going into post-workout nutrition a bit later on today in my thread anyway for those who are interested.

[wesrman]

I have always done my weight training in the morning, but i always eat an hour and a half before. I feel like i have more energy then (as opposed to after a long day at work).

I also like it because then i have the whole day to eat, rest and recover knowing that i have done what i needed to do for the day. Then i will do some cardio later in the day.

It always makes me feel better after a morning workout, and i feel it energizes me for the rest of the day. On those days when i feel slugish or tired a good workout can really give me a boost.

[ono]

I have always done my weight training in the morning, but i always eat an hour and a half before. I feel like i have more energy then (as opposed to after a long day at work).

I also like it because then i have the whole day to eat, rest and recover knowing that i have done what i needed to do for the day. Then i will do some cardio later in the day.

It always makes me feel better after a morning workout, and i feel it energizes me for the rest of the day. On those days when i feel slugish or tired a good workout can really give me a boost.

The upside of training quite early is the fact that you have the rest of the day to work with in regards to glycogen replenishment. Definitely good idea to eat beforehand....like you do.

[Douglas]

I realise its a mental strategy to prepare for the fight but couldn't it wait till during the day?

Surely a goodnights sleep is the most important thing!

I would only get up early to run on SOME days, but not every day.