How to wake up early to hit the gym ?

For me, I've found that to be able to get to the gym consistently I need to find a time really works for my schedule. I too am not a morning person. I used to set my alarm really early to get a workout in before going to work but it just never took. So...I found another time that does work better. I leave work early and go to the gym before dinner a couple days a week. Find a time that fits your lifestyle. Maybe when you first wake up? If you try to force it you will always struggle to make it a priority.

 

It's literally just your sleep pattern. Of course you're tired waking up at 9 if you go to bed at 3 or later. Go to bed earlier, and you'll feel more well rested when you wake up earlier. If the problem is that you can't fall asleep earlier, then do what I've done to fix my sleep pattern: Get up tomorrow at the time you want to be up, i.e. 9am. Doesn't matter how tired you are, just get up and go through the day normally.

Now when it comes to be night time, you're going to be more tired than usual, so you'll be able to get to sleep earlier. So get to bed at say 11pm to midnight instead, and you should wake up feeling well rested.

 

Yes they will adjust. No-one is born a night owl. People feel more energy at night solely because they've adjusted their sleep pattern to function in that way. The body releases melatonin in response to darkness - so even if you feel "more" energised at night your overall energy/focus/etc is actually going to be lower. So it's beneficial to have a good sleep pattern where you're awake all day and asleep all night - since no melatonin == more energy, better mood, etc. Plus you'll sleep better at night from the melatonin release.

At first you'll feel more tired when you adjust your sleep pattern just because it's not what your body is used to, but after 3-4 days on the new pattern you'll feel great and you'll wonder why you weren't on such a sleep pattern all along. (Source: I was the same. Regarded myself as a "night owl". Now I try to get up with the sun and go to bed a few hours after it sets.)

 

When I was younger I did group work outs but those are mostly held in the evening. Now I'm older I tend to get up earlier. Today, I made it to the gym at around 7 a.m. and stayed till about 9 a.m. It's important to understand if you want to do anything you have to give your self time to get ready. If you want to be at the gym at around 9 a.m. then you need to be out of bed by 6:30 or 7:00 a.m if not ealier (the gym shouldn't take longer than 15 minutes to get their). You want to take a shower, brush your teeth, shave, and get dressed in a non-stressful way.

If I got up 30 minutes before I had to be at the gym I wouldn't feel good at all. So don't rush it and don't stress out about it either. Just start getting up at 6:30 in the morning and brush your teeth. Then work up to showering and maybe go to the gym once or twice a week. It takes 8 years to make a Mr. Olympia. For guys like us we can take a few more months and even years to start a good healthy habit.

Oh, read Brain Hacks for Quitting Porn by Mark Queppet. I never understood why I was so tired. I mean really exhausted until I read that. He also has some good hints about adding exercise and other activities while stopping pmo. It's only about 17 pages and free if you haven't read it already. It's on this site some where.

Hope that helps!

 

Going to the gym is one of the best choices you will ever make in your life. Exercising properly will change your life for the better guaranteed! It definitely sounds like you need to adjust your sleep patterns. If you have been in a routine for a while it will take some time to adjust your biological clock. Not as long as you think. At first waking up in the morning with little sleep will feel like hell. You should be getting at least 8-9 hours of sleep. That's actual sleep time. Going to bed at 3 am and waking at 7am is not realistic. You should be working on going to sleep at around 1030pm. Slowly go to bed earlier each night, maybe trying to go to bed 1/2 hour earlier every night. Slowly start changing your biological clock and your body will adapt. If you are having trouble sleeping there are a few things you can do to help you sleep. One of best ways for a restful sleep is exercise! Hey! Also unplugging yourself from a TV or computer or any screen one hour before bed. No large meals or water or alcohol 2-3 hours before sleep etc.

I was a huge night owl. I would come home from work and nap for an hour then stay up all night. My body started to get into a routine where I could barely keep my eyes open after work. I would have to nap. One day I replaced that nap with going to the gym. Soon enough I would have a peak of energy after work instead of a state of exhaustion. This was my body adapting to routine. Yours will do the same. A morning person, isn't just labelled a morning person. They are someone who has made the conscious decision to jump out of bed when the alarm goes off and jump into action. Their body has adapted to that routine over time and yours will do the same. It may take some time and you will still have mornings of pure exhaustion.

Motivation is a huge factor. Find something to work towards. Make a goal when you go to the gym. Do this by recording down your exercises so you can see your progress. Plan your days when you are going to the gym so you don't have to make the decision in the morning when you are tired. Follow through with your plan and stick to a solid routine like a drill sergeant and you will see progress and have success. Good luck!!!

 

You've said it yourself, you're a "night person". Go to bed early, even if you don't feel like it, just shut down all your stuff and get on your bed. Things won't go well during the start, but you will get used to it and your sleep cycle (regular sleeping patterns) will be reset, then you're gonna have an easy time going to bed early and waking up early. An alarm clock might help at the start, but do not rely on it.

 

If you want to wake up early in the morning it is very important sleep early at night. As 7-8 hours of sleep is very important for a person to stay healthy and fresh.

 

First of all, 9 o' clock is NOT early. Most professionals have already done 15 minutes of treadmill, 30 minutes of weights by 7am.

Secondly, get used to putting your electronics and shit away and focusing SOLELY on sleep. 3AM is an unsustainable time to be going to bed.

And finally, to wake up early one thing that's worked for me, other than having a job that's first shift, is maybe having a workout buddy. You're much less likely to press SNOOZE when someone else's time is being wasted. If you're a good, professional person you will be on time for their sake. And that indirectly has the effect of getting YOU out of bed.

 

I am a night person and I chose a different solution. For achieving sufficient sleep, I adjusted my bedtime using the concept of delay discounting. I take my anxiety medication around 11 PM every night which has the beneficial property of allowing my body to tire around 1 AM. Granted 1 AM is absurdly early, but the decision is made every single night by around 11 PM. A night owl should see 1 AM as a reasonable target that is not so absurd as to be infeasible. So the emotional REX, feeling relaxed at 1 AM, doesn't resist the sleep temptation. Do it for a few months and it is then habitual. I have maybe 6 months under my belt currently and very few days where I deviated from this schedule.

For working out in the morning, why not work out at lunch (which is pretty much morning for your circadian rhythm)? My workout group does this in a professional setting and at least two of us are night owls. 6 months of it and (as a group) we are collectively in the best cardiac fitness shape of our lives.

The only two who managed 7-8 AM workouts are definite larks (morning people). Most of the night owls do their workout right after work (to give a break between hours of thinking on the job and later evening), which has the beneficial effect of energizing you and skipping what might otherwise be some of kind of TV watching or mindless activity to 'unwind'. Unwinding by running fast and free through wooded hills in the evening is a whole different type of relaxing.

It would make little to no sense to me to workout first thing in the morning unless I was not working and could control my schedule in which case I might do a 180 and try a 10:00 AM workout (my normal one starts at noon every business day).

 

My workouts have to be early now. No more boot camp classes unless it is the weekend. During the week it is mixed martial arts training with my trainer or if going solo it is with a 30 lb weighted vest on. Because of the workouts I do now I need the gym to be empty or near empty. I sprint, bear crawl, burpee and other forward motion exercises that require empty space. During the week I am at the gym by 5:30 am, 5:45 am at the very latest. I push through with no bull shit interruptions for an hour with my own HIIT regimen.

 

why do you want to go early? is that what you really want, or do you think it would be a noble act? go when ever you want. and if you really do want to go early, maybe try small adjustments at a time?

 

do you have any 24 hour fitness centers around where you live?

 

that makes sense.

 

I had the same problem... well I simply implemented the habit of being in bed before 11:30pm every nights (except when I have late social events, let's not become monks). In the mean time, also implement the habit of waking up at 7am every morning. You can change those hours of course.

It will be difficult the first day, but then you'll be sleepy next night. Waking up early + doing sport = sleepy at night.

It has been working for me for one week so far.