I usually swim in the evening after a whole day of work and time to prepare for my swim knowing it’s the last thing I’ll do for the day. I need to swim in the mornings on some occasions before work now. What advice do the early morning swimmers have?
Nutrition, motivation, dealing with wet towel and suit all day?
Easily digestible snacks pre-swim: apples, egg (white), walnuts/almonds or whatever else you’re comfortable with.
Pack an on-the-go breakfast or a juice to have post-swim.
I make a quick stop to hang up my swimsuit and wet towel after the swim because it gets musty otherwise. If this isn’t an option, simply store in a zippable plastic bag to keep it isolated from your other things.
Motivation - I think you’ll see once you start the post-swim high in the morning and how it sets you up for the day is enough to draw you to the pool every morning.
Hope this helps!
When I was in swim club we had both with dryland in between 
Try mornings AND evenings.
Bao said:
When I was in swim club we had both with dryland in between
Same for water polo — 6-7am, then 3-6pm…
Pack your bag the night before! It removes a huge amount of stress and rushing trying to gather things before you leave (and double-check you’ve packed your work clothes 
).
Go for the towel hire option if your pool offers it. It just saves the hassle of carrying around a big, bulky, damp towel all day. Otherwise, take a bag that you can stash your damp gear in so it doesn’t get all over everything else you’re carrying.
Consider giving yourself 15 minutes for a sit down or coffee etc after your swim just to get your thoughts together before heading to work.
Walk into work like a smug motherf***er knowing you’ve already smashed out your workout while everyone else was sleeping in.
I swim regularly in the morning (masters team). It’s not much different from other times of the day. Many people overcomplicate things.
Nutrition: Some people prefer to have breakfast before the workout, and some prefer to have it afterward. You will need to experiment a bit. Obviously, things that are hard to digest should be avoided before a swim, but that’s the same at all times. After testing, it makes sense to stay consistent. I.e. eat the same thing at the same time every day you swim in the morning. This helps not to upset your digestive system and not mess with your bathroom schedule. Other than that, I am a firm believer that the human body is very capable of adapting to different nutrition schedules.
Motivation: For me, it works best to not think at all. Pack everything the night before, get out of bed without thinking when the alarm sounds and just go. Not going should not be an option in your brain at that time of day.
Dealing with wet towels and suits: Don’t overcomplicate things. Just keep wet stuff in a plastic bag inside your swim bag and take it out whenever you get home. It won’t go bad if you leave it wet for a few hours. When at home, just wash out the suit with clear water and hang it up to dry. Have several suits if you have back-to-backs since getting into a wet suit is no fun.
Most of this is really the same at any time of the day.
Get addicted to caffeine.
Pre-workout helps with motivation and endurance in the morning. If you have an outdoor pool, swimming in the cold will get you moving and keep you going. If getting up early is the problem, do not let time pass in bed before you get moving. Count yourself down from 10 and get up and start prepping, otherwise it will ruin your flow and slow you down.
Get some good complex carbs and protein afterward to help you stay energized through the day. Otherwise, that post-workout crash is gonna make the day super sluggish.
I’ve always swum during the 5am class. Such a great way to start the day. After you’re able to wake up and drag yourself to the pool.
I have to go in fasting; otherwise, I can’t hold anything in. But I’d recommend a small serving of fruit like a banana, a glass of orange juice, or some quick carbs to fuel you through the workout.
As for after, planning the night before. Packing everything you need for showering at the facility. Breakfast to take and eat afterward (full, carbs, proteins, and fats; as you’ll be quite hungry after). For the wet clothes, I’d recommend a microfiber towel; they dry faster and can be strung easier. I would put my wet swimsuit on it and roll it; kept it in a separate compartment in my clothes bag and it would hold alright. Sometimes I would spread it open in my car’s trunk so it’d dry.
@Shai
Yes, particularly in the winter when it’s cold and dark in the morning, sometimes the hardest part is just getting out the door and forcing yourself to go. But once at the pool with other swimmers around, you realize it was worth the effort.
I don’t eat. Drink 200 mg of caffeine. Blast music on the way to the pool. Immediately hang up towel and suit when done, but if you’re not going home, you’re just gonna have to rock a clean towel each swim. Hydrate after with a light electrolyte drink. Get my stuff ready to go the night before so I have like 10 min to putter around and drink water in the morning without having to frantically find stuff.
I live really close to the pool and swim at 7 am. Only drink a cup of coffee and a glass of water between around 6-6:30, do some stretching on the walk there, swim for about an hour and then walk back home to have breakfast afterward - oatmeal with some fruit and protein powder mixed in.
Prefer swimming in the morning because that’s when I have the most energy, and the endorphin high continues for a while afterward, so it’s a good start to the day.
I always swim in the mornings. And it’s only really to do with energy levels. I have loads when I first wake up, but by the end of the day after work, I can’t muster up the motivation. I think it would be good to mix it up occasionally though.
My local Y pool opens at 5:45 am and has a lifeguard break at 6:45, so if I want a solid hour, that’s my motivation. Additionally, chlorine does a number on my skin and hair. If I don’t fully shower and do skin/hair care immediately, I’m itchy and miserable within an hour and it lasts all day. So, it doesn’t matter when I swim, I have to do a full clean-up after and it becomes a ‘why do it all twice’ question.
As others have said, pack beforehand. I got travel-size bottles on Amazon and have all my shower and getting ready for work stuff that lives in my bag. So, no need to round it up, and no worries about not having it at home. I’ve bike-commuted to my office for years, so having multiple sets of stuff is just par for the course. My swim bag just has an extra chlorine-removing shampoo bottle in it.
I am probably the only one who adheres to the ‘shower before getting in the pool’ rule here in the US, but I just roll out of bed, feed the cats so they don’t disturb my spouse, throw on some clothes and head to the pool, with my swim stuff all in the car already. Light shower then swim for an hour. Post-swim, I run the suit through the dryer and extract all the chlorine water I can, then rinse it with clean water in the shower. Dry it again after and do the other pre-day stuff at the sink.
Towel and suit get thrown over a chair when I get home to finish drying. If it’s an office day and I’m driving instead of biking, towel and suit get thrown over the back seat. They’re dry by the end of the day.
@Richbeing
I’m exhausted just reading that.
Fallon said:
@Richbeing
I’m exhausted just reading that.
You read it? Wow!
Honestly, the best way to wake up super early (like 5 am) is to just spring yourself up the second you hear your alarm. Don’t close your eyes, don’t think, just get up. It sucks but it works.
Lots of caffeine. I like prepping my breakfast the night before (overnight oats / cut-up fruits / put loaf of bread on the counter) just so my life is 1% easier the morning of. I also prefer cold coffee, so I buy the bottles of pre-made cold brews - those wake me up so good and are also great time-savers.
Pack your bag the night before. Lay out your suit, clothes for the day, equipment etc.
I love to swim in the morning & hit the gym lunchtime - 90 mins swimming, 30/35 gym workout, 5 days a week breaststroke underwater return doing front crawl or front crawl both ways breaststroke above the water I’ve started doing. I also dive underwater swimming along the pool floor backstroke last 20 mins do this with a lady I’ve met & swim down from 1.7 to the shallow end. Lost 2 stone thanks to swimming, feel great after swimming.
@Dru
Now in English, please.