1st Meal with a 4 a.m. workout routine
Hi! For years I have been working out at 4 a.m. I usually do 1 hour of weights and 45 min. of moderate cardio following. Because I had so much weight to lose, I was doing my workouts on an empty stomach. After reading Darrin's Dieting 101, I see that I should have consumed meal #1 approx. 1 hour prior to weight training workouts.
My routine is set. I love starting the day with 4 a.m. workouts. It works for me and sets the pace for my day. With 3 young boys all involved in sports, a full-time job, and a husband and home that needs my attention, I have made my 4 a.m. workouts the "me" time I NEED.
So my question is - do I eat prior to my 4 a.m. workout and if so, when and what????
Ask Darrin -Questions for elite plus personal trainer,
Hi Chance,
I commend you on your early morning workouts. I recently started working out at 5 am and LOVE it too!! Being a mom like you and working, I find I have to create time and that only seems realistic if I go to bed early and start my day before most people wake up.
Personally, I start each morning with 1 scoop of Greens+ and 1/2 scoop protein powder with water and sometimes I have 1/4 c. brown rice or sweet potato with that. I do 45-60 min. weights followed by 20-30 min. cardio on weight days. On cardio-only mornings, I start with just the Greens+.
After my workouts I have 4 egg whites, 1/2 c. oatmeal, 1/4 c. berries, 1 Tbsp. Udo's oil and a splash of soy milk.
Good luck and keep it up!!
~ Shelagh
P.S. Isn't it great to watch the sun rise during your workouts??
Re: 1st Meal with a 4 a.m. workout routine
I deally you would have a meal 45-60 minutes prior to your WO. Since its your first meal and you have been fasting all night while sleeping you want a quickly absorbed protein (whey) for your workout you will require a complex slower release carb (oatmeal for example) and a healthy fat (EFAs).
After your 45 min of cardio you should consume a quickly absorbed protein again as well as a liquid high GI carb such as those found in Gatorade. This meal will remain low in fat as you want an insulin spike with this meal.
Shelagh, you should change your post workout meal as you are having the complete opposite type of post workout meal that all the research shows is required to repair muscle and replenish glycogen stores as quickly as possible.
Re: 1st Meal with a 4 a.m. workout routine
FREAKY that is sooooo early I used to open up the gym at 5 am and then teach Hight intensity spinning class for 50 minutes. I was not a very pleasant instructor let me tell you LOL!!! I was mean as they come...I was trying my best to stop people coming at such ungodly hour to do their spinning Did not work...people loved my kick ass classes,but me I thought I will have heart attack one of these days. I honestly do not function that well so early Mid morning and onwards is cool with me. I do loads of yoga and it is recomended to do it either early am or late afternoon. I tried early morning but my joints and muscles just do not like it at all Kudos to you girl...actually both of you since Shelagh is early birdie too
BTW listen to Darrin,you will be suprized how much better you will recover if you get fast acting protein and carbs after your workouts
Re: Darrin's reply
Thank you, Darrin. Change effective immediately! As I said in my email to you, I am a great student when given a lesson and instruction.
My current PP of choice is Muscle Provider by Beverly International. Any thoughts on this PP or does it make the grade?
Re: Aluschka - Spinning
Hey, Aluschka! Do you still teach Spinning classes? My best friend teaches spinning classes. Unfortunately I am on the opposite side of the state so I have never taken one of her classes, but after meeting a few of her gym attendees, sounds like you two might have a few things in common. Seems they love to hate her and her class. And they hate to love her and her class! She does still teach at 5 AM also. Despite the love/hate relationship they keep coming back for more as her class is so full the gym had to buy more spin bikes. She's a mean machine too.
Thanks, Darrin!
Hey Chance, I have my Greens+ and protein shake about 30-40 minutes before I workout.
Greens+ is a powdered Green supplement. It provides great energy and essential benefits from veggies.
Alushka: You just Go, Go, GO!! Your energy and balance amazes me! Keep at it, Girl!
Darrin, I'll be sure to try that. So, I could have a protein shake with juice? I'm not much of a Gatorade fan but I have a juicer and would like to be able to incorporate fresh fruit/vegetable juice if this is what you deem a high GI source. What about fresh apple/cucumber juice?
Also, my egg whites/oatmeal can be Meal #3 at 11 a.m.?
Thanks for the advice! I've only started working out this early for the past 2 months and wasn't sure about how to fuel my body effectively.
Re: Greens +
Hi Rena...nope no more spinning classes for me I miss them, I honestly do. I would not mind teaching class or two at some decent human hours,but NZ is not huge on spinning. Well in my area anyway One club has spinning bikes,but they are so crapy that I could not teach my funky stuff on them As for yoga...I am just a baby..learning all the time. I go to classes and do yoga at home(DVD's,tapes etc.) with my BF who has been doing it for over 8 years. There are some freaky moves that will take me years to be able to do-there is loads of gymnastic like moves you see with girls at Fitness Olympia Top girls are generaly gymnast from early childhood...I have only started when I was 37 so I have a long way to go with my flexibility...ouch!!! But I am improving all the time...consistency and perseverance is the key-just like with anything else in life
Shelag Babe..sooooo glad to have you here my friend!!! Thank you for the compliments...you are so good at it Give me some more,more,more..LOL
Re-Vamped Diet
Okay, Darrin ... Thanks for the reminder!! I obviously wasn't paying enough attention to the importance of Meals #1 and #2. The early mornings workouts are fine but I just wasn't getting my head adjusted to eating enough that early.
Here's what I have changed my diet to with the hopes that I will be sufficiently fueled for pre and post-workout needs as well as tapering the rest of my nutrients appropriately throught the day.
Meal 1 (4:30 am-ugh!): 1/2 scoop ISO- XP Whey, 1/2 c. cooked oats, 1 Tbsp. Udo's oil, 1/2 c. blueberries.
Cals: 343
Protein: 26 g
Carbs: 23 g
Fat: 16 g
Workout # 1 (5:15 am): Weights followed by 20-30 mins. cardio
Meal 2 (7:30 am): 1/2 scoop ISO-XP Whey, 1/2 banana, 1/2 c. pineapple, 1/2 c. low fat soy milk in blender.
Cals: 237
Protein: 27 g
Carbs: 29 g
Fat 3 g
Meal 3 (11:00 am): 3 egg whites, 1/4 c. raw oats (made into pancake), 1 c. raw green beans.
Workout # 2 (3:30 pm): Cardio done 5 X per week (3 on non-weight training days). Either 60 min. outdoor bike ride OR 45 min HIIT split on 2 machines OR 30 min. bleacher run OR 60 min moderate incline speedwalk on treadmill.
Meal 5 (5:30 pm): 1/2 med. chicken breast OR 5 oz. grilled fish, 2 c. mixed salad greens, 1/2 c. cucumber, 1/2 c. red pepper, 1 med. tomato, 1 tsp. Udo's w/balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard.
Cals: 292
Protein: 29 g
Carbs: 15 g
Fat: 13 g
Meal 6 (9:00 pm): 1/2 c. low fat cottage cheese.
Cals: 82
Protein: 14 g
Carbs: 3 g
Fat: 1 g
TOTAL FOR DAY:
CALS: 1,398
PROTEIN: 142 g 43%
CARBS: 118 g 28%
FAT: 42 g 29%
Re: Re-Vamped Diet
Looks ok, ideally I would like to see more protein consumed after your workout and let each meal deminish in protein after that. You have a meal after your post workout with 17g than another one later 30+g. Just cause its a snack doesnt mean its a smaller meal. Your meals should get smaller as the day goes on, however this is looking better than before.
I was thinking the same thing today. I was really ready for the chicken meal earlier so I will switch meals #4 and #3 and I will up the protein powder in Meal #2 (post-workout) and see how that goes.
As for the rest of today, I didn't have the second workout (cardio) so I dropped Meal#6.
Thank you again for offering you expertise on my diet choices.
that is sooooo early
I used to open up the gym at 5 am and then teach Hight intensity spinning class for 50 minutes. I was not a very pleasant instructor let me tell you LOL!!! I was mean as they come...I was trying my best to stop people coming at such ungodly hour to do their spinning
Kudos to you girl...actually both of you since Shelagh is early birdie too
As I said in my email to you, I am a great student when given a lesson and instruction. 
I miss them, I honestly do. I would not mind teaching class or two at some decent human hours,but NZ is not huge on spinning. Well in my area anyway
One club has spinning bikes,but they are so crapy that I could not teach my funky stuff on them
Email This To a Friend
Topic Commands
Click to receive email notification of replies 
Click to stop receiving email notification of replies