Early A.M. pre workout nutrition

[Mike Donze]

Hi Jordan,

I recently spoke with John Petrizzo. He told me you had some great knowledge on early morning pre-workout nutrition. I get up around 3:40 and begin training in my basement around 4:15 a.m. I usually finish around 5:45. I know it's not ideal, but it is my only option.

What would you suggest as far as food and/or supplements prior to training in this situation. Specifically, to optimize workouts without having nausea.

Thank you for your time!

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

1 scoop of whey w/ 1 cup oatmeal. 500cc water. 2-3 cups of coffee.

[Mike Donze]

1 scoop of whey w/ 1 cup oatmeal. 500cc water. 2-3 cups of coffee.

Thank a lot! I apologize that it is a repetitive question. I promise I did search on my own for hours before asking. I just wasn't smart enough to figure out if protein and oats or a bcaa supplement such as (gainz) was the best route. Once again much appreciated!

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Thank a lot! I apologize that it is a repetitive question. I promise I did search on my own for hours before asking. I just wasn't smart enough to figure out if protein and oats or a bcaa supplement such as (gainz) was the best route. Once again much appreciated!

Either way works, but I like protein + oats myself.

[Serack]

Pro tip: Mixing the whey into the oatmeal with some additional water (I use milk personally) after cooking means you can consume it that much quicker since it helps cool it down. Plus, the whey's flavoring makes everything yummier.

[Mike Donze]

Pro tip: Mixing the whey into the oatmeal with some additional water (I use milk personally) after cooking means you can consume it that much quicker since it helps cool it down. Plus, the whey's flavoring makes everything yummier.

Thanks! I've been trying this for the past week. Anything to help it go down easier is helpful. I had to scale down to 1 scoop plus half cup oats. A cup of oatmeal is a pile to eat at 4:00 A.M.

[Serack]

Thanks! I've been trying this for the past week. Anything to help it go down easier is helpful. I had to scale down to 1 scoop plus half cup oats. A cup of oatmeal is a pile to eat at 4:00 A.M.

Although humidity can effect the weight of things like oatmeal, since TBAB has me weighing so much anyways, I switched from the measuring scoop to the scale for my oatmeal and found that the serving size by volume weighs significantly more than 40g/half cup the box indicates (I think it was like 30%, but it's been 2 years since I compared). And while the bowl is still on the scale, I use the 1g/1ml conversion for water (milk takes ~3% more mass to get the same volume if you suffer from some level of OCD like me) and forgo the measuring cup all together.

It takes me ~15 minutes to measure out, microwave, and consume 120g of oatmeal with the whey mixed in.

[Euby]

I'm not a pro, but here's a tip I've learned.

I have a hard time eating enough oatmeal. A half-cup of cooked rolled oats is just a lot of volume for me, but not really much in terms of carbs/calories. Choking down a 2-scoop protein shake after this is enough to make me feel bloated and lethargic for a few hours. Same goes for the over-night oats stuff.

But, I can do morning blender bombs easily. Something like this:

Cup of instant oats.
1 cup of water
1 cup of whole milk
1.5 scoops protein powder
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 small-to-medium banana
3-4 cubes of ice

I mix this in a Vitamix blender. I then knock this back with 1 or 2 200mg caffeine pills (I skip coffee as it makes morning feeds more difficult). It goes down easy, and the blending I think really helps it digest much easier. The consistency is more like a drink than a thick shake, so it's easy to consume while I'm getting ready for the day.

I have a Vitamix S30 blender, and I can't recommend it highly enough for making shakes and smoothies. It's not enormous like most of the other Vitamix blenders, but it is a thousand times better than any of the Nutri-bullet stuff (my wife and I went through 3 of those before getting the Vitamix 4 years ago, and it's still in perfect condition).

[Nicky85]

I train in the am as well for more than 3 years and my plan of attack is:

500ml water + coffee and after 30 minutes:

20gr dextrose mixed in hot water + 20gr whey + 5 gr creatine + 200mg caffeine and workout after 30 minutes.

A carb load the night before helps.

[SHOLCOMB72]

I train at 5am but don't like to eat that early so GainzZz before with a strong 6oz cup of coffee and GainzZz after. It took a few days for my stomach to get a tolerance to the GainzZz though.