Frank Desiderio asked on the StrongLifts Facebook fan page in reply to the blog post What's the best time to to workout...
Can you please elaborate on the spinal (de)hydration point? I've not heard this recommendation before.
Bottom line is that you should never do any kind of exercise during the first hour after waking up. Here's why: when you're lying horizontally for hours, like when you're sleeping, your back has no compressive loading. As a result, water fills back into your discs to nourish them. That's the nightly hydration.
Now imagine your discs are water balloons. If they're half full and you push one side, the water will move around and return when you let go. But if they're full of water, they can burst when you push. Well this is exactly what can happen to your spine if you do any kind of heavy bending first thing in the morning.
The good news as Dr Stuart McGill explained in his book "Low Back Disorders" is that after the first hour of being up, your spine dehydrates by about 90% of what it will for that day (this is why you're taller in the morning). So the risk of lower back injuries plummets after that first hour.
Keep in mind that you shouldn't just avoid Squatting or Deadlifting with a round lower back during that first hour in the morning. Any other activity that involves bending, like putting your shoes on or jumping behind your computer to check your email while sitting slouched, can cause lower back injuries. And more back injuries happen with a low or even zero weight, than loaded.
The solution is obvious - give your spine frigging time to dehydrate. Spend the first hours of the day standing: eat standing instead of seated, shower instead of taking a bath, and wake up early so you have that hour pre-workout. Avoid all kind of bending over and lower back stretches, even if it feels good.
That could be very useful even though I’ve never train in the morning.
I remember hearing this advice a while back. Good post.
First time I have heard this, Good to know thanks.
Do you have to be awake and active?
I wake up and lay in bed reading for 1 hr before working out. Does this count as ok?
There goes my daily morning bath… ;)
@ Gee
Re-read this part : “When you’re lying horizontally for hours, like when you’re sleeping, your back has no compressive loading. As a result, water fills back into your discs to nourish them.”
So, simply put no.
I’m the quoted Facebook commenter. Thank you very much for the public response and clarification, Mehdi. I’m at the gym at 5.00am so this is important to me.
I do a set of pull ups/ chin ups in the morning as soon as I wake up. It actually helps me with my back pain…
This also means: if you’ve been lying on the couch watching television for hours/playing games on the Xbox, don’t sprint to the garage-gym, wait 20 minutes.
Makes sense, however, there are 2 sides to this story. I asked my friend (a back Dr.) about this and he, having read this book, understood the principles upon which this “theory” is based. His “theory” was that your back doesn’t know when an hour (or so) is up, so waiting on this magical hour of dehydration makes no sense. What does make sense is that light physical activity will dehydrate your spine and it will do it rapidly. His suggestion: Make sure a good warm up precedes your morning workout and you’ll be fine. No need to base the first hour of your day around standing erect for proper spinal dehydration.
Are there any stats out there showing a higher injury rate in the back by those training when they first wake up? While this isn’t concrete proof; I have been lifting for awhile in the morning and used to be forced to run and practice in the morning and I never came across anyone that had a back problem from it.