wfvegan

I've always been an early riser and loved my morning workouts, but have started reading up on some benefits of training later in the day if you are lifting heavy weights. From what I understand, in the morning you are most likely dehydrated, low on carbs, and most importantly the fluid in your spine is depleted. This can lead to back injuries, particularly on such exercises as deadlift and squats. I know that the most important thing is to pick the best time that works for you so that you can maintain the habit and be consistent. However, if you are able to workout at any time of the day, what is the best for performance/gains? Anybody else here experiment with lifting heavy in the morning?

@Troy: Thanks for the motivating words. I've put on 20 lbs before so I have a good idea of what it takes, although that was on a previous sad diet so the rules are little different this time around 12/11/2007 Warmup: 2-minute jog 5 x 2 squat stretch Routine: Squat: 5 x 5 @ 105 lbs Bench: 5 x 5 @ 80 lbs Barbell Row: 4 x 5 @ 55 lbs, 1 x 4 @ 55 lbs Dips: 10, 7, 7 First day in awhile that I felt the motivation take a plunge...really struggled to get out of bed for some reason. I felt better on squats today, although I'm still not quite there with my form. Failed last set on barbell rows, so will try again next session.

Decided to start training again. Got a gym membership, and have been lifting 3 x week for the past 3 weeks. I started out with empty bar to practice my technique and have been adding 5 lbs each session ramping up. So far I have added 4 lbs in the 3 weeks, of which I estimate 3 lbs muscle and 1 lb fat. Started at 124, am now at 128. Goal is to reach 150 by July. Here is my training from today: 12/9/2007 Weight = 128 lbs Warmup: 2-minute jog 5 x 2 squat stretch Routine: Squat: 5 x 5 @ 100 lbs Overhead Press: 5 x 5 @ 60 lbs Deadlift: 1 x 5 @ 75 lbs Chinups: 5, 4, 4 Felt good to see that I've gained another 1.5 lbs in 1 week. I can now be confident in my nutrition program and that I'm getting enough calories. Still need to work on my form for the squat. Felt it start to falter in the last set today. Will continue to do squat stretches on a daily basis.