When do you workout?

Joseph Lombardi · October 9, 2012 12:31PM

I always used to run late afternoon....work drove me to early am...and now I'm reconsidering.... So my mind says to do my OS workouts in the AM , it is possible for me to do some during the day at work (TM running), and my Body says to workout hard in the evening....Need to decide/finalize my schedule for OS kick off November...What do you do? Any thoughts or comments.

Steve West · October 9, 2012 12:45PM

I am one of those that has the mental fortitude of an earthworm in the AM. Other than race day the earliest I ever do stuff is like noon. More preferably is late afternoon on weekends. Weekdays it is always after 7PM, sometimes not until 9PM. Not for everyone but it works for me.

[EDIT]

OS weekdays: 7:30 - 9:00 PM

spabblington · October 9, 2012 1:09PM

Whether the OS, in season, or any other time of year, I do all workouts in the early AM. Except the occasional mid-afternoon on the weekends. I'm not gonna' spend any SAU's on a workout!!

Scott Alexander · October 9, 2012 1:21PM

Although I voted for 4-6pm, post-work (this is the norm), the true answer is "when the bottle (usually beer) in my hand isn't weighing me down, or the pillow on my couch isn't holding me up". HAHA

ezellrh · October 9, 2012 1:22PM

Mine differs by season:

Outseason: Bikes in the basement during the early AM before going to work. Runs outside during the work day.

IM Plan: Bikes outside during the day. Runs outside in the early AM before going to work.

Weekend workouts are mostly all early AM prior to the family waking up.

For me, I have the 'luxury' of working in the military, where fitness is a recognized component of the job. So its easy for me to leave the desk to exercise during the work day. Afternoon/evening workouts always fall victim to family dinner/homework/SAU couch time.

Joseph Lombardi · October 9, 2012 1:27PM

Thanks...for the feedback so far...I should have been a bit more specific...OS Weekday Workouts specifically....

Dino Sarti · October 9, 2012 2:08PM

I wish I was an AM guy. I like it better, but struggle to pull it off. Weekends is always early and mid-week is generally about 8:00 PM when the kids go down. The issue with the evening for me is that HANGS over my head all day. If I get it done in the AM, it seems to free my mind for the rest of the day.....

talltim · October 9, 2012 2:19PM

@ ;Joe, to your specific Q:

Whatever works, but in my n=1 experience the key (esp in EN OS workouts) is to train at a consistent time of day so that you can recover. In the EN OS, I like to get it done in the morning, esp since the efforts are relatively short and can easily be done before work. One adjustment I did make when I moved to EN was to take a few minutes (< 15) to wake up/get moving before hitting it in the OS, esp on the bike. For me, the run workout warmup guidance (15 min EZ) is usually plenty, but I have found on the bike that I need more, particularly as the OS goes on and the residual fatigue builds. I had found a need for more thorough bike warmup was needed before making that first interval effective.

Generally, I'm an early AM trainer - almost exclusively. I will now squeeze in swimming at lunchtime on occasion, mostly during race builds, and in the OS will do some evenings, really only if I go to the velodrome to ride, since that is when it is open session.

I think it comes from having gotten up at O-dark-thirty all those years of competitve swimming, but it also sets up best for me most of the time. When the kids were little, it was my trade-off so that I could see them in the evening and help with bed-time routine, etc. Now that they are older, everyone in the house assumes I'm out the door and gone sometime between 5:30-6 most days. On the odd day of the weekend/off-season that I take off, they are all stunned to see me shuffling out of the bedroom at 8.

When I worked on the east coast, I used to do more lunchtime workouts during the week in the winter b/c it was so cold and miserable some AMs. Now in So-Cal, I have no excuse.

Doing the Tuesday bike intervals in the evening, for example, and then doing running interval training the following morning is a recepie for injury or worse.

Carl · October 9, 2012 2:49PM

I do my workouts 99% of the time at 0400. In the summer I like to start my long bikes at 0330 and then knock the run out and have the rest of the day for family activities.

~ For example today Randy Pickard and I do to work rode from 0300-0430 then ran from 0430-0515. I then swam 4500 yards after breakfast, power nap and dropping my daughter off at school.

Mondays I have been doing my intervals from 0400-0500, then the scheduled swim from 0500-0600. I do a second long run on Mondays evening like at 4 and actually feel rested!! The two a day runs are new to me but the only way to get my mileage where I am wanting them.

Joseph Lombardi · October 9, 2012 2:57PM

Holy Cr&p Carl...when do you go to sleep? Great work.

Frankly I prefer mornings...and especially weekends I am up and out early...but honestly - biorythmically; my body performs best in the evening...the downside to evenings is a.) more potentials schedule interruptions and b.) having to eat a late dinner......

Everyones comments are greatly appreciated.

Carl · October 9, 2012 3:04PM

Posted By Joseph Lombardi on 09 Oct 2012 02:57 PM
Holy Cr&p Carl...when do you go to sleep? Great work.

Frankly I prefer mornings...and especially weekends I am up and out early...but honestly - biorythmically; my body performs best in the evening...the downside to evenings is a.) more potentials schedule interruptions and b.) having to eat a late dinner......

Everyones comments are greatly appreciated.

I'm usually snuggled in bed at 8-9 pm. Try and get a nap in during the afternoon.

John Withrow · October 9, 2012 3:26PM

I do almost 100% of all of my workouts (OS and in-season) at 0-dark-thirty. So my alarm goes off with a 4-handle in the AM for almost all workouts (weekday or weekend). It's the only way I can fit workouts in around my family and job, so that's just what I do...

ndaigle35 · October 9, 2012 4:32PM

All my workouts are started before 8am. And when I double on a day (have not seen this on my plan yet as I am a newbie here), my training needs to be done by 4pm. I am useless after dinner.

Brenda Ross · October 9, 2012 4:47PM

I do my swim workouts between 6-8 am b/c I swim with a club. My bike and run workouts are during the day, but it varies at what time, depending on my clients and when i am training them. It is very very rare that I do my workouts in the evening b/c I get up at 4:30pm and I am usually sleeping by 9pm on the couch.

[Deleted User] · October 9, 2012 4:59PM

I usually do my workouts between 4:30 am and 7:30 am on the weekdays. Weekends I try to keep the same schedule, but don't always make it...sometimes the training gets pushed back to 9 am. Not good at the evening workouts, because I am starting to fade by then. i go to bed most nights by 8 or 9 pm.

Steve Ross · October 9, 2012 5:30PM

Wow diverse crowd. Due to work sched in the am I do my workouts directly after work during the week. On the weekend done early am. If working the weekend I try to do them before work! Do not like to workout in the evening because my couch try's to be my best friend! Not a good support or motivator that guy

Paul Scholz · October 9, 2012 6:30PM

@ Roy my schedule is almost exactly like yours and depends on the season. During OS last 2 years, I did every single bike workout during the week between 430 and 6 AM. Run mostly mid0day at work during the week.

Pedro Diaz · October 9, 2012 8:24PM

During the week I get my workouts exclusively in the morning (430am to 7am). If the day requires two sessions (run and swim for example) I get the run out in the early morning and the swim done on lunch time (have pool at the club 3 minutes from work). I try to avoid working out in the evenings since I have job that has unpredictable end-of-day and I usually end up leaving late and completely drained. Weekend long bikes are early (starting 6am at the latest) due to heat. I live in El Salvador (Central America) and we train our long bike on the roads that follow the coast at sea level so it gets hot and humid all year long. Weather is very favorable down here so pretty much 100% of workouts are outside in t-shirt and shorts.