“The best time to workout is actually determined not by science but buy your own life and commitments. For example, if working out in the evenings causes family problems, because you miss out on seeing your children grow up, it’s a good time scientifically, but a bad time personally.”
Depending on your goals, it is important to schedule your workouts – if possible – at times where your body is in an ideal state to workout. Each person’s schedule differs, and this makes it impossible to workout at a specific time. However, this article will help you if you have need to make a choice between different workout times to find which is best. This article is divided into 2 parts. The first part explains what time is best, scientifically, to work out. Factors affecting this include hormones, energy levels, and pain tolerance. The second part explains what time would be ideal in this busy world we live in today. Factors include, marital status, family, work times, and gym times. But remember, working out at any time in the day is much better than not working out at all. Some people are just naturally morning, evening, or night people, and their own personal choice will effect their most efficient workout time of the day.
I
A lot is going on in our body that we don’t know about, but can affect our ability to maximize our workout. Hormone production, energy levels, pain tolerance, and body temperature can all affect the efficiency of our workouts. This part will tell you how to time your workouts to use these factors to your advantage.Hormone Production:
1. Cortisol: Long story short, cortisol is a bad hormone, and we don’t want it. It promotes fat storage and muscle breakdown. Cortisol levels are highest during the first 2 hours after you wake up, and decrease gradually after that. However, this isn’t a problem because, during your workout, your cortisol levels will spike anyways. Basically, cortisol should not be taken into consideration when deciding when to workout because your cortisol levels rise anyway during workout, and morning exercise has other benefits.
2. Growth Hormone: Growth hormone is not based on time of day, rather, how many hours you sleep every day. Growth hormone promotes muscle growth, so getting a good long night sleep will certainly help.
3. Testosterone: Testosterone is basically the masculine hormone. More testosterone means more muscle, which is why steroids work so well. Testosterone levels peak in the morning, which means it is best to workout in the morning for both fat loss and muscle building.
Energy Levels: Energy is obviously a large factor in the intensity of your workout. If your muscles don’t have enough energy, how are you going to workout? Energy levels are peaked during the day and drop at night because of your circadian rhythms. However, for muscle building, it is best to have at least 2 meals to give your body energy to use at the gym. So, if you wake up at 7, eat immediately, then eat another meal at 10:00 and it the gym at 11:00 for muscle building. If you want to loose fat however, it is best to do cardio on an empty stomach or after ingesting some protein and a fat burner. This is because your body has been without food for 8 hours, and there is little more than fat in your body to be burned for energy. So for muscle, the best time is a few hours after you wake up, for fat loss, immediately after waking up.
Strength and Flexibility: More strength for lifting means more muscle stimulation, which means more growth. As a result, your strength levels are an important factor if you want to build muscle, considerably less if you want to loose fat. Flexibility is also important for muscle building because more flexibility means less chance of injury and larger range of motion, which both mean more muscle mass. Flexibility, again, is less important for burning fat. Strength and flexibility peak during the late afternoon. “Athletes seem to perform best in the late afternoon, when strength, body temperature and flexibility peak.”
Blood Pressure: Blood pressure is highest in the morning after waking up, so if you have any special medical conditions or blood problems, it is best to consult a physician before exercising in the morning, or at any time for that matter. For people without blood pressure problems, working out in the morning is completely fine for both goals.
Pain Tolerance: “Athletes who compete late in the day may perform better because they can "gain" without as much "pain."”. Pain tolerance is greatest in the afternoon, so you can push yourself to your limits without experiencing as much pain. For bodybuilders, this is an essential factor! So for both building muscle and losing fat, you should train in the afternoon to reduce pain and push harder.
Mental Status: Generally, you feel much more refreshed in the morning after eating a good meal. Its also been proven that you can concentrate more in the morning, and concentration on the weight you are lifting or on your cardio is essential for improving your physique. So, mentally, it would be best to workout in the morning.
Metabolism: “Morning exercise allows you to maximize the benefits of something exercise physiologists call EPOC. EPOC stands for "excess post-exercise oxygen consumption".” . Basically, this means that working out in the morning will boost your metabolism and make you burn more calories through out the rest of the day than working out at night. This is important for both muscle building and fat loss!
Conclusion: Overall, from all the factors evaluated, the best time to workout is after eating 1 or 2 meals 3-4 hours after waking up, at 10:00-11:00 for people who wake up at 7:00. However, this can be an inconvenient time. Read the next part to find what personal factors can affect your best time to workout.
II
Whether you are a teenager, working adult, or whether you have a family or not, your personal life will almost always get in the way of your favorite time to workout. That’s why it is essential to also evaluate the different personal factors affecting our best workout time.
Working hours: Unless training in the office is possible, or you can convince your boss to give you a different shift, your working hours are pretty much fixed and you’re going to have to work around them. However, an exception is if your work gives you a 2 or 3 hour break in the middle of the day during which you can hit the gym. But don’t take too long! Prioritize your life, would you rather schedule your workouts around your work, or quit your current job and find another job that doesn’t conflict with your workout times? I thought so…
Family first: Your family is the most important thing in your life, and if you decide to workout after work, you may find yourself missing out on valuable time with your children, wife, or at home. It is best to schedule the workout in the morning before work so that you have the evening to finish your work and be with your family. If you are a teenager in school, morning workouts are also a good option so you can finish off your homework, but, since the school day finishes earlier than the work day, after school is also a popular option.
Gym times: Maybe your gym doesn’t open in the morning at 5:00, or maybe it doesn’t stay open until 12:00 when you are free. Also, keep in mind that there are specific times when the gym is most crowded, making it difficult to concentrate and making your workout take longer time. Check with your gym to see its working hours, and ask about the most crowded times to try to avoid these times.
Unexpected complications: Sometimes problems or urgent and important errands will arise that you have to do. Make sure you pick a time least probably to be interrupted by work or family, and make it a habit to go every single time to a scheduled workout. Working out at a different time every day makes it hard for your body to adapt, and it lowers your motivation.
Personality: Are you a morning, afternoon, or nighttime person? Do you need 5 cups of coffee in the morning to wake up, or do you feel refreshed as soon as you get out of bed. It is important to pick a workout time where you feel most motivated and comfortable, regardless of scientific factors. Even if you picked a time where all the physical and personal factors are at their best, if you don’t feel like working out, you won’t!
Conclusion: Regarding personal factors, the best time to workout would be when you feel at your best, and during a time when the gym is less crowded and you are less likely to be interrupted by family or by work. Also, pick a time that will not interfere with the amount of time you spend with your children.
What is the best time of day to weight train? Why?
The best time of the day to workout is a time when you feel at your best physically and mentally, when you can concentrate, when your gym is not crowded, when you cannot be interrupted, preferably in the morning after having a meal as proved in the scientific factors. Read the reasons above to find out why.
Would alternating your workouts from morning to afternoon to night have any positive or negative effects?
After about a month and a half of consistent and similar workouts, the body starts to go into a plateau. The amount of muscle you gain or the amount of fat you loose begin to decrease. To break your plateau, you need to surprise your body by changing your schedule, your workout, your diet, or your supplements. Changing the time when you workout can be beneficial, but it will not be as effective as changing other factors, and it could cause other problems. These problems include lack of commitment to workouts after changing the time, because you are out of habit or you don’t feel like it. In my opinion, working out should become a habit at a specific time in the day, which will make you more motivated and get you better results. If you hit a plateau, change the time of your workout only as a last resort, of changing all else fails!
However, if your goals are changing, changing the workout times could be beneficial. For muscle building, the best times are morning or afternoon, not any later, so you are more flexible. However, for losing fat, your best time is in the morning for sure. If you have been building muscle by working out in the afternoon, you could change your workout times to the morning as you begin cutting which help tremendously, and it will also surprise your body.
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