Most often, it is recommended to engage in sports in the morning, when the body is fresh and the problems accumulated during the day are not spinning in your head. You can also hear that training at this time is especially useful for losing weight.
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This makes sense, but not everything is so simple. In fact, both morning and evening workouts have their benefits. The choice depends on what you want to achieve. Below we will look at what time is best to train to achieve different goals.
For muscle building
Evening physical activity helps build Effects of morning physical versus evening combined strength and endurance training on performance, muscle hypertrophy, and serum hormone concentrations muscles faster than exercise in the morning. Moreover, the higher a person’s training, the greater the effect will be. For example, in one study, Training in the evening gives you more muscles, more definition, evening sessions provided experienced bodybuilders with a 3.2% increase in muscle mass, while the same load in the morning increased muscle mass by only 0.6%.
This difference may be due to fluctuations in hormone levels throughout the day.
For muscle building, the amount of the male sex hormone testosterone and the “stress hormone” cortisol is of great importance. The first has a positive effect on muscle growth and fat burning, the second promotes the accumulation of fat reserves and muscle breakdown.
Testosterone production increases The effect of diurnal variation on clinical measurement of serum testosterone and other sex hormone levels in men at night and reaches a peak Modeling of Circadian Testosterone in Healthy Men and Hypogonadal Men in the morning. Then the hormone level gradually decreases, increases slightly at 16-18 hours, and then drops again, down to its lowest levels at nine in the evening.
And it would seem that since its level is highest in the morning, it is necessary to train at dawn. But don't forget about cortisol. Its amount increases Replication of cortisol circadian rhythm: new advances in hydrocortisone replacement therapy after midnight and reaches a peak around eight in the morning, and then gradually decreases.
As a result, the most favorable ratio of testosterone to cortisol The Diagnosis and Management of Central Hypoadrenalism is observed in those same 16–18 hours: at this time, the male sex hormone, as mentioned earlier, slightly increases Circadian Variation in Testosterone, Sex Hormone‑Binding Globulin, and Calculated Non‑SexHormone‑Binding Globulin Bound Testosteronein Healthy Young and Elderly Men, and the stress hormone is at low levels. In addition, in the evening, The Differential Hormonal Milieu of Morning versus Evening May Have an Impact on Muscle Hypertrophic Potential activity of insulin-like growth factor (IGF), another anabolic hormone that helps increase muscle mass, is high.
This may be why, after training in the afternoon, more intense Effects of time of day on resistance exercise‑induced anabolic signaling in skeletal muscle are noted than after training in the morning.
To increase strength
Although muscle size and strength are not the same thing, these indicators are directly related. After evening workouts, not only muscle volume grows faster, but also your achievements Effect of Time of Day and Concentric or Eccentric Strength Training on Muscle Strength in strength training. The fact is that at this time the strength increases Diurnal Variation in Maximal and Submaximal Strength, Power and Neural Activation of Leg Extensors in Men: Multiple Sampling Across Two Consecutive Days, Muscle strength, resting muscle tone and EMG activation in untrained men: interaction effect of time of day and test order‑related confounding factors, Does Raising Morning Rectal Temperature to Evening Levels Offset the Diurnal Variation in Muscle Force Production? , power and activation level Circadian Rhythms in Exercise Performance: Implications for Hormonal and Muscular Adaptation of muscles - the body's ability to recruit more fibers during exercise. As a result, working weights increase faster than after morning exercises.
This can be partly explained by differences in body temperature, which fluctuate throughout the day.
In the morning, it is Diurnal Variation in Maximal and Submaximal Strength, Power and Neural Activation of Leg Extensors in Men: Multiple Sampling Across Two Consecutive Days at about 36.6 ° C, then gradually rises and reaches a peak at 18-21 hours. Then it starts to fall and drops to its lowest values at 3 am. The higher your body temperature, the softer and more elastic your muscles are. It’s easier for you to warm up before exercise, and during the workout the fibers work more powerfully and efficiently.
However, body temperature and muscle readiness for exercise can be increased before morning exercise. For example, if you drink coffee. One study, Caffeine Ingestion Reverses the Circadian Rhythm Effects on Neuromuscular Performance in Highly Resistant-Trained Men, found that 250 milligrams of caffeine provided the same neuromuscular readiness in the morning as before a decaffeinated evening workout.
Optimal time
The time for training, depending on the type of activity, conditionally divides the working day into three parts.
Running and athletics
This also includes active dance styles such as Zumba and dance aerobics. The best time for rhythmic training with music is morning and afternoon from 5:30 to 14:00. Active movement improves blood flow, helps you wake up, and energizes you for the whole day.
Morning exercise is ideal for those who want to lose weight. It is best to go to training on an empty stomach so that the body uses up the “strategic reserve”. After this, a light breakfast is recommended.
If you can’t exercise on an empty stomach, you should have a snack a couple of hours before the start of class so that breakfast has time to digest.
Power training
Working out in the gym is a serious physical and psycho-emotional shake-up, during which the body prepares for further vigorous activity. However, it is not recommended to exercise in the morning, since the muscles are not yet prepared for serious physical activity, and a light breakfast will not provide enough energy for productive work.
The best time for strength exercises is from 12:00 to 18:00, but no later than 3-4 hours before bedtime. Those athletes who consume protein shakes should take a reasonable approach to their diet. Many products contain caffeine, so it is better to use them before physical activity, rather than after.
Cardio exercises
Any endurance training, like strength exercises, places a serious strain on the body, so it should be done in the daytime or in the evening. The deadline for finishing the lesson is 20:00, otherwise you will then have problems falling asleep.
If for some reason the workout was completed an hour or two before going to bed, you should pay special attention to relaxation. Good rest is promoted by:
- Leisurely stretching;
- Hot bath;
- Herbal soothing tea;
- Book reading.
It is better to avoid watching TV and using gadgets, as they have a stimulating effect on the nervous system and can negatively affect the quality of sleep.
Yoga
The best type of exercise in the evening and at night is yoga, stretching, and walking. Simple, low-intensity exercises have a calming effect on the nervous system and relax muscles, all of which promote sleep. It is recommended to plan the start of the workout no earlier than 18:00, and its end can occur 30-20 minutes before bedtime.
To increase endurance
If strength exercises are best performed in the evening, then regarding aerobic endurance exercise, research data are ambiguous. The effect of training at a specific time of day: a review. Some scientific works show Morning and evening exercise increased performance in the morning, others The Effect of Exercise in the Morning and the Evening Times on Aerobic and Anaerobic Power of the Inactive Subjects show better results from evening sessions.
In general, it doesn't really matter when you run, swim, or do other aerobic work. The main thing is to do this at approximately the same time. Compliance with the regime causes The effect of training at a specific time of day: a review adaptation of the body and increases its productivity at the usual time for training.
Pros and cons
Since most athletes train in the evening hours, and their coaches do not interfere with this daily routine, it is fair to assume that going to the gym after work will not cause much harm to the body.
But to understand what result to expect, you need to weigh the pros and cons of evening sports. Some of the benefits of working out after work include:
- Calm atmosphere in the hall;
- Fatigue from strength exercises guarantees deep sleep at night and relieves insomnia.
The disadvantages of evening sports include:
- “Overload” in the gym, causing insomnia;
- Aerobic exercise stimulates the production of adrenaline, which prevents night rest and is more suitable for morning activities.
That is, there are no strict contraindications why you cannot exercise in the evening, but you should follow several rules - take a break after finishing your workout before going to bed and limit yourself to certain types of exercises that have a relaxing effect on the body.
For weight loss
Morning workouts help Exercise may have different effects in the morning and evening process fat and sugar more efficiently throughout the day, and also increase fat oxidation Exercise Increases 24‑h Fat Oxidation Only When It Is Performed Before Breakfast. In other words, after them your body will be better able to cope with incoming calories and store less in reserve. That said, evening workouts burn Exercise may have different effects in the morning and evening more calories than morning sessions at the same intensity, so it's hard to say which will help you lose fat faster.
However, if you look at the problem of losing weight as a whole, training in the first half of the day is still more Comparison between the effect of 6 weeks of morning or evening aerobic exercise on appetite and anthropometric indicators: a randomized controlled trial is effective due to its influence on eating behavior.
Several studies at once Want healthier eating habits? Start with a workout, Neural response to pictures of food after exercise in normal‑weight and obese women, Comparison between the effect of 6 weeks of morning or evening aerobic exercise on appetite and anthropometric indicators: a randomized controlled trial showed that morning exercise helps control appetite and choose healthier foods, and also increase Neural response to pictures of food after exercise in normal‑weight and obese women. physical activity during the day. And since proper nutrition and overall level of physical activity often matter more than exercise, anyone who is losing weight should really start their day with exercise.
When to train?
This question is very relevant today. A busy working person especially values his time. Work, home, family. But I also want to play sports. You can get up almost at dawn to run or lift weights. But in reality, not many succeed, especially in winter.
Today, evening classes have become commonplace for many people. And modern fitness clubs, taking into account this trend, can work around the clock. Moreover, at late hours it is much cheaper to rent a hall than during the day. There are still few people in the hall late in the evening and at night. And there are times when a person studies completely alone. He feels calmer and more comfortable this way.
But is working out before bed really effective? What do they bring more: benefit or harm? After all, they bring additional stress after a hard day’s work. Here it is important to study the opinions of specialists in medicine and sports.
Doctors' opinion
There is a biological clock factor. And it’s good to sleep at night. And the best time to train to develop strength and speed is the second half of the day. And such a load in the morning only reduces the working potential of the body.
According to doctors’ calculations, after lifting heavy weights in the morning, even after 6 hours, the body’s potential will be 30% lower than normal. The same syndrome occurs from long morning workouts. They don't add strength. Even if you develop a habit, it is still only stress for the body. In the morning, light exercise and warm-up are useful. This will release endorphins and create a great mood.
And if you plan to do serious work with heavy weights, then it is better to do it in the evening hours.
Coaches' opinion
They stand in solidarity with doctors. And when asked whether it is possible to train late at night, they answer in the affirmative. But there are some nuances here. For example, a healthy person can easily exercise before going to bed and do various fitness activities. This is a matter of personal desire. It's important not to overdo it. If you do a strength training session after a difficult day at work, you will end up with muscle overload. You need to get proper rest, no matter when you are training. Otherwise, an overly busy schedule will lead to nervous breakdowns.
Athletes' position
Is it possible to exercise in the evening before bed? Most professional athletes agree that every body is different. Some people are used to going to bed at 10 pm. And for some, this is the most optimal time to go to the gym or jog. The main factor here is personal comfort. There is no need to exercise forcefully.
Should you do strength exercises before bed or is it better during the day or in the morning? There is a simple test: the time when strong sexual desire arises is most suitable for personal training. This is due to testosterone. He is in charge of libido and physical activity. On the basis of which you can create a convenient training schedule.
Is it possible to train in the morning and evening? The opinions of all experts and athletes are clear: it is possible, but with caution. In the morning - light workouts, in the evening you can increase the load, but do not overdo it. And it’s better to do it no closer to night. And approximately in the evening at 8 or 7. And no more than 1.5-2 hours. After all, it is necessary to recover, and the body needs sleep.
You can also exercise at home if you have the appropriate equipment and exercise equipment. Then the next question arises - when is the best time to train at home? Nothing changes, the same factors apply: biological clock, level of exercise, personal desires and a test for the optimal time for sports.
