When Is The Best Time To Exercise
Studies (Frontiers Media) highlight the best time to exercise is morning (around 8 a.m.) before breakfast; it burns through 20% more fat stores and stimulates endorphins (endocannabinoids and dompanie) that slowly release to set your mood positively for the rest of the day.
This is optimal for individuals who:
- Participate in Anaerobic exercises.
- Don’t have other commitments during this time.
Research suggests it’s determined by a range of unique factors. The above is for an average athlete; if these don’t apply, another time of day may suit you. Read below to find out yours.
The Sciene Behind Working Out Different Times In The Day
Scientists have discovered your gender, exercise purpose, and sleep pattern all contribute to dictating the best time to exercise (specific to you).
Across 26 women between 25 and 55 years old, defined as “highly active,” research suggests women exercise best in the morning. The Arizona and California State University found working out between 6.30 am-8.30 am burns 7% more abdominal fat and lowers blood pressure more efficiently than evening exercise.
Check out our main source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22617393/
On the other hand, the same scientists found evening exercise – between 6 pm and 8 pm – is more health beneficial for males. The results showed that 28% more body fat was burned (through fat oxidation), rapidly reducing their cholesterol levels and systolic blood pressure.
Note: While science suggests evening exercise is better for males, from our experience, we find morning workouts to show better strength results and faster recovery times. This is because:
- Working out on an empty stomach burns 22% more fat.
- It releases feel-good hormones, which you benefit from for the rest of the day.
- It gives plenty of time for muscles to relax rather than going straight to sleep.
While the health benefits pointed to a clear result for men and women, there was differentiation when scientist measured strength
Men recorded an equal rise in bench press, leg press, sit-up, and push-up strength, regardless of the time of day they exercised. However, the women who exercised in the evening had a 7% strength increase than the morning sample.
When Should You Workout In The Morning
Regardless of science, there are lifestyle habits that influence the benefits of working out in the morning. Most individuals want to feel productie and begin there day positively so workout in the early hours, some other reasons include:
Why Morning Workouts Suit Athletes Who Take Pre-Workout
Pre-workout is full of caffeine, creatine, and amino acids that stimulate your brain with energy spikes. By consuming it in the morning, your body has enough time to digest it and lower it’s heart rate throughout the day to ensure a healthy sleep.
However, if you had it in the evening, you would struggle to sleep due to the caffeine energizing you.
Therefore if you frequently take pre-workout, it’s better to exercise in the morning to maintain a sustainable sleeping cycle.
In addition, the added extras in pre-workout (such as coloring or flavoring) can damage the liver:
- If you consume it in the evening, the nasty extras sit in your stomach while sleeping. This turns it into fat stores, which are much more difficult to burn and can lead to type 2 diabetes.
- However, when you consume it in the morning, your body burns the excess sugars and fats through day-to-day activities, like walking or stretching. As a result, its impact is negligible.
How Morning Exercise Makes You Feel Accomplished
A sense of fulfillment follows a morning workout as you’ve accomplished something productive while many are asleep – and by setting your day off in the right foot, you have an urge to maintain healthy habits for the rest of your day.
Knowing you’re outworking the majority of people is a compelling motivation – humans are naturally competitive. As a result, those who workout in the morning have been shown to work at a higher intensity and be more disciplined with attendance.
| Time Of Day | What To Do After Morning Exercise |
|---|---|
| 6am- 7.30am | Morning exercise |
| 8am-9am | Getting ready for work |
| 9am-5pm | Wokring average hours at an office role |
| 5pm-6pm | Eating dinner |
| 6.30pm-8pm | Spending time on a side business |
| 8pm-9pm | Reading |
| 9pm-6am | Sleeping |
In addition, morning workouts enable you to stay physically healthy while leaving enough time to conquer other plans in the day. For example, your job, looking after family members, or any hobbies. Science also suggests you become more productive because of the dopamine released during exercise.
Scientists found the set of athletes who worked out in the morning felt significantly more attained then those in the evening.
Why Morning Exercise Makes You Energized
Morning exercise improves blood circulation and oxygen flow to your muscles and brain, increasing alertness and mental clarity. Furthermore, stimulating hormones early in the day sustains energy levels throughout the day.
For example, when we work out, we release the achievement hormone (dopamine), making us feel accomplished; we want to chase this feeling so seek productivity.
To add, many gyms have ice buckets or cold showers; exposure to these first thing in the morning shocks your nervous system and provokes the attentiveness of the brain and heart. Furthermore, there won’t be an energy crash (unlike chemical substances), so your sharpness sustains the whole day.
When Should You Workout In The Evening
In addition to the biology, releasing stress, the type of trainig and use of the spa also push individuals towards exercise in the evening. It becomes a psychological wrap-up of the day where you can release all negative emotions of thoughts which occured throughout the day.
Why Evening Workouts Help Release Stress
Our jobs, relationships, and health contribute to stress levels. Some days, it gets too overwhelming to the point we must exercise to release Cortisol (the stress hormone).
For example, breaking up with a partner can build adrenaline and cortisol – which is unhealthy to keep in your body. By exercising, your body reduces the production of these hormones and replaces them with healthier ones.
We feel most stress in the evening from the exposure to what has happened throughout the day building up. Therefore, working out at this time will release it all and neutralize your mood.
Scientists suggest intense exercises such as sprints, weight lifting, or calisthenics reduce stress the most due to the brain concentrating on supplying oxygen – rather than the source of your stress.
Why Evening Workout Suits Weight Training
In the evening, your body and mindset are better positioned to lift weights. This is because:
- Your body is already warmed up.
- Testosterone production is at its highest.
- A survey shows weight lifters prefer dark nights compared to bright mornings.
According to a study, a sample of people who exercised in the evening experienced tremendously more muscle gain during weeks 13 to 24 of continuous training compared to those who worked out in the morning.
Individuals who are results-driven lift in the evening to optimize their training. However, it’s not a cheat code; significant work must still be done before seeing results.
In addition, the gym is much quieter late in the evening compared to early in the morning. As a result, it’s unlikely you have to wait for equipment or disrupt your set to share machinery. This increases the intensity and fluidity of the workout – contributing to muscle gain too.
Why You Should Workout In The Evening If You Use A Spa
The sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, and searein have gentle ambient lighting and warm water that benefits athletes after exercise. They use hydrotherapy, heat, and cold therapy, which reduces muscle tension and eases the mind after a workout.
Using the spa unwinds your mind and body to a complete state of relaxation. Using it in the evening increases sleep quality because you can jump into bed as soon as you’re finished!
In addition, the spa improves hygiene. Many people can’t be bothered to shower in the evening; however, the spa forces you to soak in water and clean off the sweat from exercise. As well as removing bacteria on your skin, it’s a conclusion point to your day – helping to switch your brain off.
Our Verdict On Morning Versus Evening Exercise
Overall, the time of day you exercise is less important than getting the exercise done – find space to fit it in regardless of the time. It is always better to exercise at the ‘wrong’ time than at no exercise.
From our experience, we prefer exercising in the morning due to commitments we have throughout the day. The science says this isn’t efficient, but we wouldn’t be able to workout if we were strict on doing it in the evening.
It’s about finding what works best for you. We advise experimenting with morning and evening exercise and choosing what suits your day better – rather than the science.
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