Hi there!
What is the best time of day to work out, in the morning or in the evening?
I have always worked out at 5 pm, and all I do is feel tired/stressed.
I thought it might be due to cortisol, and that working out at that time or later could raise it and make it too high during the day.
So, I am thinking of starting to schedule workouts to do in the morning.
I usually do 3 days a week of weightlifting, and 2 of running.
I would like to move them all to the morning.
What do you think?
whatever time you will actually do it.
that’s a great idea. you starting tomorrow morning?
3 or 11 hours after waking up.
This is my vote. My preference would be to work out midmorning. Unfortunately, the global economy didn’t get my memo and they expect me to participate in the workday (ridiculous). I go in the morning, because the evenings get unpredictable and other stuff gets in the way. It takes a few days to adjust to whatever time you pick, so you won’t feel better day one, but if you think you want to change it up just give it a try for a couple weeks.
5am before work
thanks! what i was searching for.
It look like I will start workout 30 min or 1h soon after wakeup.
Also, before workout I will do a light breakfast.
The article advice 2-3 hours.
Is this bad for some reason?
For me it’s more about getting food in prior to training. I like 2-3 meals in before i’m ready to train.
I feel better after having a meal and letting it soak in, then having my pre/intra/post (whatever you do) nutrition on an empty stomach.
My rule of thumb is an empty stomach is 2 hours after your last meal, and wait 30 minutes after you took something to eat again.
But that’s bro science.
The best time to work out: there’s a science to it
Take home messages:
• Your circadian rhythm is a 24 hour cycle of biological activity set by your internal clock. Your sleep-wake cycle is one of many systems influenced by your circadian rhythm.
• Your hormonal milieu, gene expression and core body temperature have a circadian rhythm. Together, they result in peak physical condition to train and recover in the late afternoon to early evening for most individuals.
• The best time to work out is generally between 2:30 PM to 8:30 PM if you have a regular sleep-wake cycle.
• You can determine the optimal time to train by monitoring your maximum resting heart rate and training performance. Some people do just fine training in the morning.
• If you can’t train when your body is primed to do so, supplement with caffeine pre-workout and schedule your workouts when you can always train. Getting in your workouts in the first place is of course always more important than when you do them.
Whenever it feels best to you or whenever you get the free time. I currently train at night after my family goes to bed. Its the only time i have.
The only caveat, if you plan to compete in powerlifting or oly it does help to train the same time of day the competition will be held. Its not a huge issue, but it will help your performance.
Best time for me to train is at 0430, before my family wakes up.
Because, otherwise: I won’t do it.
Compliance is the science.
Before COVID, I liked to lift around 10am when I could. Even did BJJ at 6pm, along the lines of what CT suggests in the article @Brant_Drake shared.
During COVID, working from home with a garage gym, I loved to lift after work and then feast for dinner.
Now, post-COVID and training at a commercial gym, I train right after lunch to avoid the crowds and the traffic on the drive home.
Yeah, if you can go at non-peak hours its so much better.
Hey just want to say thanks for taking the time to put that together, genuinely useful and resolved some questions I had in the background about my schedule
I had always lifted weights around 4:30pm for somewhat less than 1 1/2 hours. I tried around 9:00am after breakfast. Two things were significantly different.
Strength: In the late afternoon I was stronger on my heavy compound lifts. Very noticeably stronger.
How I felt at the end of the workout: In the late afternoon workouts I felt nearly completely spent at the end. In the morning workouts I felt like I could continue another hour and not tire.
More than most anything in the gym, I liked lifting heavy weight. When I competed I worked out after I got out of work at 4:00pm on the weekdays. I saved the easy workout for Saturday that I did at 10:00am after eating breakfast.
Yep, whatever time you can do it and stick to.
What I see is this:
People plan to do it in the afternoon, after work, because mornings before work are inconvenient.
But then you have a long day at work, or a bad day at work, or you’re needed at home, or something comes up…
Nothing comes up at 4:30. Thats when I get up, smash breakfast and head to the gym.
Exactly my experience!
If I have to pick, morning.
I’m rested, a pot of coffee in and not distracted yet. I’m usually pulling up to the gym around 6am and will be there for a couple of hours.
Warm ups and some plyos to wake up are important for me.
I’m always drained and less motivated in the evening.
When I have time for a mid-day session it’s my top preference, however.
My gym is 5 minutes from my office. I really want to try sneaking off for a mid-day sometime. I don’t know how it would feel!
Oh but since i have small wrists i can’t even try 
