Pre-workout?

[thunderingjoke]

Hey guys, I'm been trying to get my butt to the gym early in the morning. I want to get it out of the way right away so I don't have to worry about it after work, because it cuts right into my nap time. So I was wondering if you guys take any pre-workout at all? I'm thinking about just caffeine pills because of how cheap they are from this article I was reading. This was the article btw. Plus, I like the fact that I don't have to worry about the other stuff that comes in it.

What do you guys recommend / take?

 

[Deleted member 308541]

I think caffeine pills will wreak havoc with your naptime.

 

[Freema]

a good cup of morning coffee normal kind will be good... nothing else is required ... some times i eat before doing my 4 hours fitness sometimes I don´t... well but the healthier to a diabetic is I guess to eat some before... but if one wants to use ketosis it is better not to eat untill after... like not having eaten since the dinner the night before... then there is ketosis if not eating breakfast before.. and eating low carb in general

 

[Brunneria]

With respect, and with great experience of trying (and variously failing) to inject more exercise into my life for about 30 years - your post raises a few red flags.

You are struggling to get up in the morning
You want your gym out of the way so it doesn't interfere with the rest of your life
You are considering drugs (if you count caffeine a drug, which I do) to 'motivate' and 'enable' you
You want evening nap time as a priority

I think all of those suggest that no matter how many caffiene pills you pop, your gym career is unlikely to flourish.
No matter how enthusiastic, dedicated and motivated, those early starts plus full time work, can be brutal - and I'm thinking that your motivation is at a lower level than you hope.
Sorry

You really are not alone. Thousands of people spend a lot of money on gym membership while not actually going to the gym. It is how most gyms make a profit. The ones who do go, regularly, and achieve their fitness goals are a relatively small minority.

But don't despair.
I genuinely think there is room for exercise in everyone's life, but it needs to fit into that life, be enjoyable, rewarding, and self motivating. You just have to find a form of exercise that ticks those buttons, because then you will actually want to do it.

My own gym membership worked out for 2 years for a couple of very simple reasons:
- i signed up with a friend, and we didn't want to let each other down
- we used the spa area afterwards, and gossiped delightfully. It was our reward.
Without those two massive motivations, I wouldn't have lasted a month!

More recently, my exercise has been dog walking - which gives me even more pleasure than the gossipy spa did.
Fresh air, stunning surroundings, I've taken up photography, it gives the dogs great joy which gives me joy too, i get some Vit D, it is low impact on my joints... What is not to love? Plus, of course, the guilt trip the hounds lay on me if we don't walk...

So (sorry it has taken so long to get to the point), i'm saying you need to find your own joy.
Think about where your interests and motivations lie, and find a way to use them positively.
If the gym makes you reach for caffeine before you start, then that really ain't gonna provide you with what I am talking about.

Hope that helps.

 

[Freema]

yes the tiredness can be due to some kind of deficit, but actually I was much more tired when I started going to the gym, and along with becomming more fit I am actually not that tired anymore.. so one can also be tired because of ones boby hardly being used physically..

so I don´t think one can say on forehand that it will be a bad idea to go to the gym ... because of overall tiredness.. but well some days I just am very tired and then do sleep half the day... but still not really an argument to not go to the gym..

 

[qe5rt]

You need to wake up pretty early for several reasons. You need to eat something or you'll "hit the wall" sooner, Your cortisol levels will be higher in the morning which is a bit of a no no since physical stress (working out) can further increase them.

There isn't much in the legal sense that will give you a mental boost, caffeine merely stops you from getting more tired as i understand it though when you take it early in the morning after a good night sleep you should stop the melatonine from whatever it is they do to make you feel tired. I would generally advise against pre-workout boosters since a lot of them seem to make your heart go racing.

Honestly for me an (un)healthy dose of Amon Amarth at volumes that inspire shouts of "TURN THAT **** DOWN!!!!" is all i need, once i get going i'm fully in the zone.

 

[therower]

Hi @qe5rt . Amon Amarth. New one on me or it was!!!!!!!
At Dawn's First Light............... video different lyrics thought provoking actual sound/ tempo ( if tempo can be used to describe what I was listening to) was in all honesty something I could train to. Would definitely get that last rep out.
May investigate more into Amon Amarth.
As for getting into the gym, well that's all in the mind for me whatever time of day. If your head want's it you shouldn't need much more.

 

[Mbaker]

On some days I only have a herbal tea and or water to get some deficit training benefits (be careful if you are on insulin if you do this), otherwise it is a porridge (35 g), nuts and berries breakfast. For me intense exercise only becomes fun once a certain level of fitness is achieved, at this point pushing on with the encouragement of a good atmosphere from fellow exercisers and instructors is great. The prep I would advise is to eat well in general, warm up and warm down properly, stay hydrated and sleep well.

 

[qe5rt]

Hi @qe5rt . Amon Amarth. New one on me or it was!!!!!!!
At Dawn's First Light............... video different lyrics thought provoking actual sound/ tempo ( if tempo can be used to describe what I was listening to) was in all honesty something I could train to. Would definitely get that last rep out.
May investigate more into Amon Amarth.
As for getting into the gym, well that's all in the mind for me whatever time of day. If your head want's it you shouldn't need much more.

For some reason there are a couple of songs that get me going or get me to focus. It's just this great feeling of me vs. the iron. Back when i did competition everything blacked out but the platform with the weights on. When i'm "zoned" apparently i grunt/growl or so my spotters tell me, i barely notice it.

I love the feeling, at that moment failure seems impossible.

My PR playlist would be:

Amon Amarth: death in fire
Godsmack: re-allign
Eluveitie: inis mona

Those three songs get me going like no pre-workout booster ever will,

 

[therower]

@qe5rt . Have to admit that I don't have a competitiveness like yourself, but when I train it's me v whatever I'm doing and I use my diabetes to push myself to the limit of my capabilities.
I find music to be something so simple yet so inspiring for motivation.
Just that one beat or rhythm that unlocks that bit extra inside.

 

[Billy_Pilgrim]

I'm low-carb right now, with the exception of my pre-gym porridge, which I shouldn't be allowed to get away with - it's basically 30g of rolled oats, cooked in a smoothie comprising: an apple, cinamon, celery, spinach, half an avocado, lemon juice, basil, thyme, goji berries, bee pollen, wheatgerm, flaxseed, almonds, sesame seeds. I eat it alongside a couple of scrambled/boiled eggs and a double espresso. As long as I'm in the gym within around 20 minutes (and I live right next door), and into some intense cardio shortly afterwards, my BG barely registers the meal or the coffee, and drops a manageable amount - generally 1-1.5mmol/L, so I can afford to start the day with a slightly higher number.

I've found this to be the same with cycling straight after a meal; it seems to cut the peak right off the spikes or eliminate them altogether, depending on the intensity. Is all this just because I'm a honeymooner? Or will I be able to continue 'cheating' with exercise after my beta cells have all died off?

Edit for gloating: This isn't a particularly strenuous workout - just 25 minutes cardio, and some very light weight work.

 

[therower]

Hi @Billy_Pilgrim . Don't think I could train so soon after eating. It would definitely make me feel bad and I would struggle to get the max out of my workouts.
Amazing how we are all so different.

 

[Billy_Pilgrim]

It surprised me too, and I wouldn't have even tried this in my former life. But the fruit/veg content was digested by the time I got on the cross-trainer, (30 minutes post-food) so a lot of the bulk in the meal was potentially already digested, while the coffee sped up the process even further. Don't ask me how, but it stayed down.

 

[Wurst]

Only water for me and I need to inject ~ 2 units depending on what I'm doing. I do most of my exercise is done in the morning pre breakfast.

 

[edward147]

Hey guys, I'm been trying to get my butt to the gym early in the morning. I want to get it out of the way right away so I don't have to worry about it after work, because it cuts right into my nap time. So I was wondering if you guys take any best pre workout for women at all? I'm thinking about just caffeine pills because of how cheap they are from this article I was reading. This was the article btw. Plus, I like the fact that I don't have to worry about the other stuff that comes in it.

What do you guys recommend / take?

I think morning time is the best time for gym workout, makes the whole day energetic and refreshing.

 

[SammySommers]

When I was looking for the pre workouts that were female friendly but still worked great, I found this article . So I went for Red Leaf Pre-Workout Energizer Powder that contains caffeine basically and has never upset my stomach Works great for me.

 

[lessci]

I'm an early morning gymer (7am class this morning up at 5:30am) Always check my BG's before, but as I've got DP they're usually much higher than I'd like. Exercise fasted, maybe a strong coffee with cream (my drug of choice) 1st meal at about 1:30pm I find it gives me a higher energy level for the day. Bedtime is usually about 10pm.