Training in Highgate Before a City Commute: Getting the Timing Right
If you want to train before a City commute, work backwards from the time you need to be at your desk. Allow your journey, plus 20 to 30 minutes to wash, change and eat, plus a session of 45 to 60 minutes, plus a ten-minute walk to the studio. For a 9am start in the City that usually means beginning at 6.30 or 7am. Eat something small before, a proper breakfast after, and keep the hardest work early in the session so you are not still sweating on the Northern line.
That is the short version. The detail below is what makes it work for months rather than a fortnight.
Why training before work works for so many people
For time-poor professionals, the morning is often the only part of the day nobody else has claimed. Evening sessions get eaten by late meetings, dinners and the simple fact that by 7pm you have spent your willpower on other things. A session booked before work happens before any of that can intervene.
It is not magic, and it is not better for everyone. If you sleep badly, have young children who wake at 5am, or genuinely feel terrible lifting before 8am, an evening slot may suit you better. Our piece on whether it is better to work out in the morning or evening covers the trade-offs. But for most of the people I train, the morning is simply the slot that survives a busy week.
Working out your timings
Start with the fixed point, which is when you need to be at work, and build backwards. Here is a worked example for someone with a 9am start near Bank:
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 6.15am | Up, glass of water, small snack |
| 6.35am | Walk to the studio on Archway Road |
| 6.45 to 7.40am | Training session |
| 7.40 to 8.10am | Wash, change, eat |
| 8.10am | Walk to Highgate station, about five minutes |
| by 9am | At your desk |
Your own version depends on where you live, where you shower and where in the City you work. Check your actual journey on the TfL planner at the time you would travel, not the off-peak estimate, and add a buffer for the inevitable signal delay. A plan with no slack falls apart the first time a train is held at Archway.
When you enquire, ask us what the changing arrangements will be for your session so you can decide whether to wash at the studio, at home or at work. Many City offices have showers, and some clients prefer to train, walk home five minutes, and leave from there.
What to eat, and when
You do not need a full breakfast before a 7am session, and for many people a large meal that early sits badly. Something small and easy 20 to 45 minutes before is enough: a banana, a slice of toast, a yoghurt. If you have trained fasted for years and feel fine, there is no need to change, but most people lift better with a little food.
The meal that matters is the one afterwards. Aim for a decent serving of protein and some carbohydrate within an hour or two, which is easy if you eat at home or carry it with you. Our list of high-protein breakfast ideas includes options you can eat on the go. Drink water before and after, especially if you had coffee first thing.
How to structure an early session
A session before work should be efficient and should leave you alert, not wrecked. The way I structure it:
- A longer warm-up than usual, 8 to 10 minutes. Your body is stiffer at 6.45am than at 6pm. A few minutes on the air bike, then hips, upper back and the specific movement patterns for the day.
- The main lift first. Squat, deadlift variation, press or row, while you are fresh and focused.
- Two or three supporting exercises. Paired to save time, such as a dumbbell press with a seated row.
- Short conditioning finish, optional. Five to eight minutes on the air bike if it suits your goals.
- Two to three minutes to bring the heart rate down. Easy breathing and a gentle stretch, so you are not still flushed when you walk out.
The last point matters more than people think. If you finish with a hard interval and step straight into a warm carriage, you will sweat through your shirt. End the hard work ten minutes before the session finishes.
Sleep is the part people get wrong
Training at 6.45am only works if you go to bed early enough. Seven hours or so is a sensible target for most adults, so a 6.15am alarm means lights out before 11.15pm. Most people who abandon early training do so because they keep their old bedtime and run on short sleep until it catches up with them. We have written a practical guide on going to bed earlier for a 6am session that covers the wind-down routine.
How many mornings a week
Two or three is the sweet spot for most commuters. It is enough to make steady progress in strength and body composition, and it leaves you mornings for a lie-in or an early meeting. The UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days a week alongside regular aerobic activity, and two well-run morning sessions cover the first part. Walking to the station each day helps with the second.
Consistency beats frequency. Two sessions every week for six months will do far more than four a week for three weeks followed by a month off.
Common mistakes with pre-work training
- Skipping the warm-up because you are short of time, then wondering why the first sets feel awful.
- Leaving no buffer, so one late train means cutting the session or being late to work.
- Packing the bag in the morning. Pack it the night before, including your work clothes.
- Training too hard every session. Some mornings should be steady, not exhausting.
- Booking slots you know you cannot keep. Be honest about which days your diary actually allows.
Check with your GP first if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, are pregnant, or are returning to exercise after a long break or injury.
Questions we get asked
How early can I train at the studio?
Hours will be announced at opening, with early mornings and evenings set aside for training. Email us with the time you would like and we will tell you what is possible. Details are on the personal training page.
Will I feel tired at work afterwards?
Usually the opposite, once you are used to it. The first week or two can feel heavy. If you are still flat after a month, look at sleep and breakfast before anything else.
Is 45 minutes enough?
Yes, if it is well planned. A private session with no waiting for kit gets more done in 45 minutes than many people manage in 90 at a busy gym.
Can the programme change around my work travel?
It should. Planning around real diaries is part of 1-1 personal training in Highgate, including what to do on the weeks you are away.
Book with The Highgate House
Ready to start training properly? Email us at [email protected] with the service and the day that suits you, and we will come back to you with times.
Visit The Highgate House · Private personal training
The Highgate House, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6.
