The right time for physical activity allows you to achieve the highest possible results. If it is inappropriate, the effectiveness of training is either sharply reduced or turns out to be practically zero. To determine the best time to go to the gym or jog, you need to focus on your goal - losing weight, gaining weight. You should exercise at those hours that help keep your body in good shape, burn fat, or, conversely, gain muscle mass.
Scientific research
There is a lot of research on what is the best time to exercise. This topic interests scientists around the world. Many years of research have made it possible not only to study this issue, but also to come to certain conclusions that allow trainees to achieve better results.
Research by American scientists has shown that the choice of time for training should be based on the physical characteristics of a person’s structure:
- Ectomorphs. People with this body type have a high metabolic rate. They are naturally predisposed to thinness and experience certain problems in gaining weight, including muscle mass, which causes difficulties for those who want to build up decent muscles. The best time for ectomorphs to exercise is in the evening, when they are full of strength and energy.
- Mesomorphs. People with an average body type have no tendency to be either overweight or thin. This is due to the normal metabolic rate. Mesomorphs, according to the study, can exercise in the morning, afternoon, and evening hours. It all depends on the person’s own wishes and availability of free time.
- Endomorphs. People with the third body type often suffer from excess weight. Metabolism in their body is very slow. In order not to suffer from extra pounds in the form of body fat, they should exercise in the morning. The optimal and best period is considered to be from 7 to 10 hours, when the amount of glycogen with glucose is minimal and energy for exercise is released due to the oxidation of the fat layer.
Researchers from Williamsburg conducted an experiment. It consisted in the fact that training was carried out at 8, 12, 15 and 20 o'clock. At each time period, several people trained with heavy weights. The participants in the experiment were people who had not previously played sports. This study found that the best time for strength training is the evening.
This conclusion is natural. Muscle fibers are more susceptible to contraction and rapid work in the evening hours, since the temperature of the human body in the evening hours is much higher than in the morning or afternoon. In addition, the effectiveness of resistance training is determined by testosterone and cortisol levels. The first is responsible for the destruction, and the second is responsible for the increase in muscle mass.
At rest, testosterone is high in the first half of the day, but the most effective increase from resistance training occurs in the evening hours. And if a person wants not only to play sports, but also to become the owner of impressive muscle mass, it is recommended to perform strength exercises in the evening hours. Exercising at this time brings maximum benefits and allows you to increase muscle mass.
People who want to get rid of excess weight and body fat should exercise in the morning. This period of time is characterized by high levels of cortisol, but there are some nuances here that should definitely be studied by all those who want to become slimmer.
Is it better to train in the morning or evening? Lindover, Skoromny, Yugay
Evening workout
American scientists from Williamsburg University conducted a study involving 100 men. During the work, the hormonal background of athletes was measured during training at different time intervals (07:00–09:00, 11:00–13:00, 14:00–16:00, 18:00–20:00).
The results showed that evening strength training increases the production of testosterone, a hormone responsible for rapid recovery and growth of muscle fibers. At the same time, the level of cortisol, a stress hormone involved in muscle breakdown and an increase in fat reserves, decreased. This means that the best time for training for strength and mass is from 18.00 to 20.00.
Meals before anaerobic exercise should be high in calories, but you should not overeat immediately before exercise. It is better to eat 1.5–2 hours before the start.
After strength training, a “carbohydrate window” appears. This means that the athlete needs to take a portion of carbohydrates within 30–40 minutes to restore energy reserves. Don't worry, the calories you receive won't be deposited on your sides. When you get home, you can eat a protein product, for example, boiled chicken breast or cottage cheese. Before going to bed, it is recommended to drink a protein shake (casein or whey).
Evening workouts for weight loss are best done between 17:00 and 19:00. This time is characterized by high activity of the body. In addition, the sooner intense exercise ends, the easier it is for the athlete to fall asleep.
It is not recommended to do cardio 1-2 hours before bedtime. Light jogging, race walking, swimming, team sports, dancing, and aerobics are great for evening fat-burning training.
If possible, you need to monitor your heart rate. The preferred pulse zone for weight loss is 70–80% of the maximum heart rate.
Meals before evening aerobic training should be light. The goal of such exercises is to burn the maximum amount of calories, creating a deficit in the body, launching fat burning processes. Therefore, you should not load up on carbohydrates before cardio training.
Eat a small portion of vegetable salad or cottage cheese 60–90 minutes before starting. After finishing your workout, it is better to take a BCAA or protein shake. After 1.5–2 hours, you can eat boiled meat with fresh vegetables. To effectively lose weight, you need to drink at least two liters of water during the day.
Workouts for those who like to get up early in the morning
For a person who wakes up early in the morning and feels cheerful, energetic, and full of strength, morning workouts are most suitable. Of course, such activities have their own characteristics. In the morning, body temperature is reduced. This means that the joints with ligaments are not completely elastic, so active exercises do not bring much effect and are not recommended. Gymnastics with yoga is the best choice for early training. They don't require a lot of energy and allow you to feel energized all day long.
A little about Circadian rhythms
Generally speaking, circadian rhythms are the process of changes in the fluctuations in the intensity of biological processes, depending on the change of day and night. A number of studies prove that this is a powerful biological tool that regulates the phases of sleep, wakefulness, activity, energy, relaxation, etc. But, circadian rhythms are linked not to the time of day, but to light activity. Simply put, the light of the sun throughout the day. For example, if you place a person in an isolated bunker where no light rays penetrate, their waking and sleeping patterns will shift quite noticeably, but they will still be relatively the same over a 24-hour period (that is, without reference to daylight hours).
Therefore, the question of when is the best time to train, taking into account biological rhythms, is connected specifically with daylight hours and the usual way of life. Disruption of circadian rhythms can only have a negative impact if you quickly move to another time zone, which often happens after air travel.
Burning fat - from seven to nine in the morning
These two hours are best for doing cardio and burning fat. Cortisol is quite high from 7 to 9 am, and glycogen = quite low, so during training, energy is taken from the fat layer. Morning workouts are best done within forty minutes. The intensity should be medium. A person who does not have problems with the heart or blood pressure can exercise in half the time, but at a more accelerated pace. You should focus on your own well-being, since not all people can engage in any activity in the morning.
I should study at night when:
- I prefer speed and strength training. It is believed that such loads “work for you” in the afternoon and until midnight.
- I am an absolute night owl, I sleep until lunchtime and get more active at night. Doctors, coaches and professional athletes do not see anything wrong with night training, which means you can exercise when you feel comfortable.
- My sexual desire increases at night. They say that this is the surest way to monitor the release of testosterone, which is responsible not only for libido, but also for physical activity.
And in order for you to try classes at different times of the day and decide for yourself what suits you best, fitness clubs decide to experiment. For example, for those who like to train late in the day, Crocus Fitness
held
a “Fitness Night”
, where from 14:00 until midnight you could try yoga, Pilates, aerobics, salsa, crossfit and even Thai boxing, and also determine what time is most comfortable for you to train.
Strength and high-intensity training - from 17.00 to 18.00
From five to six in the evening it is best to exercise with weights. This time is ideal for visiting the gym, as well as high-intensity and interval training. Such activities require maximum endurance, and in the evening both body temperature and testosterone levels rise higher. A person feels a surge of strength and this has a positive effect on the workout.
When is the best time to train for endurance?
There are two key areas for developing endurance:
- Increasing the duration and performance of exercises (specific movements and the muscles working in them);
- Performing low-intensity aerobic exercise, from cardio equipment to regular walks.
In terms of exercising in the morning or evening, the first thing to consider is the type of load. For example, the best time for low-intensity cardio like running is in the morning, before breakfast. For hiking, the most favorable period is considered to be the evening, 3 hours after dinner, but no later than 1 hour before bedtime .
To develop the so-called “special endurance”, which helps to increase the amount of load performed in an approach, regular exercises are suitable (deadlifts for deadlifts, squats for squats, etc.), but in a high-repetition mode .
Summarizing
The timing of your workout depends on many factors. The first thing that needs to be taken into account by a person who decides to start going to the gym, lose weight or, conversely, gain muscle mass, is his body type. In most cases, it determines the purpose of the lesson. The results that a person wants to achieve also influence when exactly it is best to exercise. To lose weight, it is best to exercise in the morning. Evening is more suitable for gaining muscle mass. However, if you have not previously played sports, it is better to first visit a doctor, which will allow you to accurately determine the absence of contraindications to certain types of physical activity.
What is the best time to exercise?
Igor June 29, 2018
Schedule
The choice of time for training is also influenced by your daily routine. Each person lives in his own rhythm and organizes his day in a way that suits him.
If you work from morning until 5–6 pm, then, of course, you have no opportunity to train in the morning. You have no choice but to come to the gym in the evening.
If you have a relatively free work schedule and can choose absolutely any time to work out in the gym, then you are incredibly lucky. Organize your day as you wish, but do not forget that you should always train at the same time. The body must adapt to consistently receiving the next dose of load.
You should not train haphazardly: first in the morning, then in the evening. Such instability will inevitably lead to stress because the body will not be able to adapt to the constantly changing schedule. In this case, accuracy and methodology are important.
Proper organization of the day will benefit you from working out in the gym, and will also make you more disciplined.
Morning workouts have another advantage - a small number of people in the gym. In the evening, the halls are packed to capacity and look more like a jar of sprats than a sports club. Therefore, if you can go to training in the morning, then you have a unique opportunity to train in a practically empty gym, rather than standing in line for 10 minutes to get the necessary exercise machine or equipment. In addition, in many halls, a morning pass is much cheaper than an evening pass.
It should be noted that in the morning your muscles and ligaments are less elastic and flexible than in the middle or at the end of the day. Therefore, before a morning workout, it is necessary to devote enough time to warm up in order to warm up the muscles, stretch the ligaments and prepare the nervous system for productive exercise.
Do not neglect warming up during evening workouts, otherwise the risk of injury increases. In the morning, causing damage to an uncrushed body is much simpler and easier than at sunset, but evening time is not insurance against injury.
RECOMMENDATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE LOSSING WEIGHT (BURNING FAT)
I definitely wouldn’t do strength training in the morning on an empty stomach.
But cardio training on an empty stomach is just the thing. In general, cardio training for weight loss is useful in three cases: IN THE MORNING ON AN EAST SCHATCH, AFTER STRENGTH TRAINING, and possibly before bed. For more information about why this is so, read the main article: “How and when to do cardio for fat burning.”
But doing strength training IN THE MORNING but not on an empty stomach is POSSIBLE! But, to be honest, I wouldn’t, because in the morning when a person wakes up and doesn’t eat anything, it’s best to do CARDIO. And then at lunch or in the evening strength training. And after it, cardio again)). This will be more effective than doing both STRENGTH AND CARDIO in the morning. BUT IT IS POSSIBLE!
The most important thing, even at the stage of losing weight (burning fat) before strength training, is to take a full meal one hour, consisting of PROTEIN + COMPLEX CARBS + FIBER. Here is the main recommendation.
