Post #1237988

2026-04-10 04:19 UTC

I'm currently in the middle of a workout, doing endless sets of dead bugs as remedial core work so I can eventually have bigger lifts and better climbing performance. This kind of attitude (like, the one the meme is joking about, not the meme itself) annoys me, since I feel like it ultimately sets back most of the people it is supposedly trying to inspire. Like, waking up at 4am is dumb for almost everyone, almost all the time - especially if your goal is to work out. Your body needs a certain amount of sleep to recover and function well, and shorting it sleep to get more training in is likely setting you back more than giving you gains. And if you are getting the same amount of sleep total each day anyway.... why not just wake up later and get your workout in in the afternoon? If you are really that crunched for time and stressed out, the optimal solution is more likely to simply reduce the number of workouts per week. More recovery time means both less overtraining, and a better training stimulus with each workout since you are more rested going into it.

Replies (5)

@Signtist@bookwyr.me 2026-04-10 12:59

I wake up at 5 for my workout simply because I'm a morning person, and I like getting it out of the way first thing. It's also a nice, calm time, which helps me rest more effectively between reps. Plus I'm still half asleep when I start, so I skip over the feelings of "I don't want to do this," since I'm already doing it by the time I'm awake enough to have those thoughts.

Open ##1238007
@dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de 2026-04-10 07:14

Hey a fellow climber. At first I thought how odd but most climbers are nerds and most of Lemmy is nerds so probably loads of climbers on here. Do you know of any climbing subs on here?

Open ##1238011
@mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 2026-04-10 14:53

you're basing this on a false assumption that all people go to bed after 10pm

Open ##1238012
@Waraugh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-04-10 05:03

In my twenties I’d wake up at 4am, hit the gym, work pulling wrenches until around 2-2:30, get home and do chores for an hour or two, eat, go for a run, shower, then watch tv, play video games, or go out with friends. I don’t live a completely sedentary life but I do work at a desk all day. I go for a couple walks every day and complete my chores. It’s not that I’m a constantly exhausted heap as I approach fifty but there’s absolutely no way my energy levels are close to what they were twenty years ago. My joints swell up if I push myself too hard and my muscles take longer to heal/recover. It’s still worth doing the things but I’m going to be watching my step and make sure I have my footing these days when twenty years ago I wouldn’t have cared if I slipped down a few rungs on a ladder if it saved me thirty seconds getting down.

Open ##1238032
@TomArrr@lemmy.world 2026-04-10 04:30

I used to get up at that time because work hours made me. I tried going to the gym after work, but I was usually spent by then. Working out before work also made me work better. So, 4.30am it was. For years. No regrets, except that I can no longer do it.

Open ##1238033