For me, 30 min is the minimum pre-morning workout time I can get away with. It's usually 45min (coffee, letting dogs out, morning constitution, blah, blah blah).

I suppose I could cut back on the coffee time, so maybe 20 minutes could happen (if it's biking or swimming). But, for running, the longer time for muscles to wake up is required.

20 minutes is about the shortest I can get - clothes laid out, water/nutrition already laid out night before. I can't get by with a bar for breakfast -- I need a bowl of cereal or the like.

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I wrote this, you should read it:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...n_Swimming_6700.html

Pretty quick. 10 minutes or so.

My alarm is the official UCI tracking cycling start tone.

SEND IT!

15 minutes is about the fastest I can get done. This includes pulling a shot of espresso, eating a banana, the pre-ride dump, and getting dressed. However, I plan on 30 minutes. I have a similar schedule to you in needing to leave by 7am and 4:30 is the absolute latest I can get up and ensure I get out the door by 7am. However, I need at least 8 hours of sleep to keep myself rolling with good consistent training. That makes my bedtime ~8pm. So, I hear you on the struggle to get in the proper amount of rest.

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My YouTubes

Pre-ride dump is the limiter for all of us. Eat as you warm up and you’ll pick up 5-10 minutes, but that’s about the only way to shorten it.

Awesome alarm!

edited to add I love the kid wiping out in the background

I found I can do it in 10-12 minutes. But when I did that I did not feel as good during the workout.
Most of the time I budget 20-25. I do have a friend who combines his bathroom time with his caffeine time..... said it saves him about 5-10 min.

I can do it in about 15 minutes. 20 is more comfortable and not rushed. I don't dump before I ride, never been a first thing in the AM kind of person. So I wake up, clothes are laid out, pee, get dressed, bike is already set up and ready. I'll eat a banana, or slam a gel. Then I prep bottles as I pull a nespresso double shot. That gets an ice cube in it to make it easy and quick to drink. Then onto the bike as I finish the coffee and load my workout. I find that I need more calories with these quick wakeup and go rides than if I took my time. So gel to start and carb mix in both bottles. If I am going 90 minutes its another gel at 30-45 minutes. I found that fueling was the hardest thing to get figured out. Anything above zone 2 and I need to fuel it pretty heavy in the early AM, compared to doing that same workout later in the morning after a normal breakfast.

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USAT Level 1 Coach
Team Next Level
http://goteamnltri.com/

LOL and so true.

But 4:40 alarm for me if cycling, and for most sessions I do that fasted - typically 1.5 hours max 2 hours in max month of training. So alarm, kettle on, shave, poo, pour cup of tea, boot zwift, drink tea during first 15mins, then onto water. If I'm doing a harder session, then sometimes I'll use some chomps. Ie this week was 3x 10min at ftp, with 11th bonus minute at 120%. Would have struggled fasted.

For 6am swim sessions then alarm at 5:00, up, tea and honey toast, leave house 5:30.

For long pre-work runs, and by that I mean up to 16km then it's similar to swimming, but the 4:30 start, to leave time for the toast and tea, drive into work, and do the #2, then run from here. Means that I avoid any commute delay so freak everyone out by being at my desk post shower at 7-7:15 after having run 16km when they are just staggering in straight from bed.

In all these cases the real key part is breakfast after. Recovery shake and then follow up with mid morning 2nd brekkie of (in my case) cereal, yoghurt and fruit.

Fastest possible method if morning time-cost is greater than evening time-cost.

Pre-make bottle with 1:1 ratio of glucose:fructose. 8-12oz fluid. 30-50g sugar, total. ~300mg sodium. Set caffeine pill out on bedside table. Running shoes pre-tied and shorts in bathroom by toilet. Carb-beverage within arms reach of toilet. Run shirt, laid out within arms reach of path from bedroom to bathroom. Running socks, slept in overnight. Running watch by house exit door, on charging cord.

Alarm goes off.

1. Covers off.
2. Caffeine pill under tongue while standing up.
3. Shirt on while walking to bathroom.
4. Drop pants, sit, and slide on shorts up to ankles simultaneously.
5. Drink huge gulps of carb beverage and swallow pill while using restroom.
6. Put shoes on while using restroom.
7. Finish restroom use.
8. Walk to house exit door while finishing beverage.
9. Open door
10. Grab watch
11. Walk out door and close door.
12. Push start on watch and start running.
13. Put on watch.

Benefits of this method: caffeine pill absorption will be faster when completed in part through the lining of the mouth. Nutrition is almost completely optimal, rather than letting solid food linger undigested in your gut for half your run and only starting to provide glucose to working muscles and your brain, at the tail end.

Best of all, it's comfortably under 5 minutes. Sometimes near 2 minutes. Bathroom use time is the only potential bottleneck.

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Dr. Alex Harrison | Founder & CEO | Sport Physiology & Performance PhD
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📱 Check out our app → Saturday: Pro Fuel & Hydration, a performance nutrition coach in your pocket.
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I've found that I just can't do those super early mornings and be a functional human being.

I've shifted everything so that I do a 1 hour workout at lunch, and then bang out the longer rides/runs after the kids have gone to sleep around 8:30pm. In bed usually at a very reasonable 10-11pm, and I get in my 8 hours of shut eye.

That said, unless I'm Zwift racing I'm lucky that I don't need any wind down time after working out to sleep. Quick shower and I'm basically asleep as my head hits the pillow.

If I'm getting on the trainer or treadmill I can pretty much wake up and get going. I'd say max 10 min to get dressed, get some water etc.

If I'm running or riding outside, I take 45min to an hour. Like to get the bathroom visit out of the way before I head out.

I can get out of bed and on the road in about 24 minutes [that's checking The Weather Channel app, getting dressed appropriately* + whatever bathroom needs, at a leisurely pace], and skip coffee until I'm home & showered, only because I don't like to START my run with anything sloshing in my tummy



* When you run on The Dawn Patrol, every night is pre-race night, and all clothing options are laid out beforehand**

** In the Winter, I put the next morning's running clothes by the heater vent in my bathroom, so they'll be warm when I change into them after brushing my teeth

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

I have to be at work at 6:30. I get up at 4:40 and am swimming/biking/running by 0500. Espresso shot, half a cliff bar and get going. Workout from 5-6. I live very close to work though.

I don't like working out in the morning. Actually, I don't even like mornings. I push it to the last minute and am on the treadmill within 5 mins of the alarm going off.

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I have deceptive speed.........I'm slower than I look!

If it's swimming, I am in the pool 20 minutes after waking up, and that includes a 10 minute drive + walk to the pool. If it's a run, I am running about 10 minutes after waking up. For a trainer ride, I'm on the trainer 10 minutes after waking up. The key is definitely getting organised the night before.

I don't drink coffee, so I guess I save time there. Morning dump takes literally 60 seconds, I'm not sure what the other guys are doing in there to need longer! For pre-workout fuel, I eat a banana as I walk to the front door, then I use Gatorade during the workout if I need more fuel.

So, for the tech inept, how do you set that to be your alarm?

That's a brilliant idea.

Scrolling through Slowtwitch?

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Matt

i wake up 1 hour before sunrise and pass out 1 hour after. And yes if i go to an outing im passing out during it. You mentioned difficulty going to sleep. Check on that area. I like to avoid tv or computer before going to sleep, it does affect it. (even if im in pass out mode, my sleep with not be good quality if exposed to blue light).

I used to rush my morning routing getting up at 5 and trying to start my workout 5:30, but now I try to relax my time not rushing things. i limit my workouts to 90 min rather than a certain set of miles. luckily my new job I start at 9. The after workout relax time important too, where I eat 2 breakfasts

I’ve done close to 5 minutes between wake and bike workout, which comes down to wake up, number 1, shorts and socks (leave the shirt you’ slept in on if necessary), nespresso and soft breakfast bar, get on bike. By the time you’re awake enough to realize how bad it is, the coffee kicks in.

Running is much trickier bc the kids have to go to the pool.

~45 minutes. Wake up, bathroom, brush teeth, stretch routine, bathroom again, get dressed and after it.

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Let food be thy medicine...

For riding on the road it's about 25-30 minutes, even if I get everything ready the night before. By the time I eat something, hit the head, get suited up, and get the bike out of the garage that's about as fast as I can get out the door.

I'm not swimming much these days but when I did masters early in the morning I could literally be out the door in about 10 minutes. Jumping in the pool wakes me up no matter how foggy I am.

I avoid running early in the morning. Too hard to get properly loose and warmed up.

low friction morning swim:

up, morning wee & scales, shave, contacts in (5mins)
espresso shot, trunks & speedo zanpa shoes & dryrobe on (5 mins)
pick up wash bag, towel, padlock, form goggles & music player all clipped together

drive to pool (5 mins)

shrug off dryrobe lob in into locker, directly to pool via shower in seconds.

hour swim

out of pool, quick shower, dry robe over birthday suit and jump in car home (5 mins)

breakfast!


(so to answer the q out of bed 645 or 640 to allow for some phone checking, radio listening, in water 0700, out at 0800 second coffee and brekker 0815)

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"time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted"

Depends on what kind of workout.
I normally only do swimming or running in the morning.
For an easy morning run, - 6 minutes: Get up, pee, drink lots of water, put on clothes out the door.
For swimming: 20 minute morning prep 525-545, then 15 minutes to get to pool and change. I would eat breakfast before a swim workout.
Both ofcourse require evening prep.