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What time of day is it more effective to do exercises? Best time to train

What time of day is it more effective to do exercises? Best time to train

We consider the pros and cons of training at different times of the day.

Analyzing the indicators of human biorhythms, hormone levels and our body temperature at different times of the day, we come to the conclusion that our functional state changes during the day. The highest performance in a person is observed from 10 to 12 and from 15 to 18 hours.

Interesting: Experts are of the opinion that during the midday and early evening, our body temperature is higher than the body temperature immediately after waking up. Training during this period of time is optimal, as it reduces the risk of muscle strains and injuries.

But not everyone is able to exercise in the middle of the day. Work and study take time, and we are left with two options: to train in the morning or in the evening.

Physical activity will be beneficial in any case, because there is no specific time for sports. But at what exact hours will you be able to achieve maximum results? We invite you to consider in detail the most optimal and convenient options.

1) Morning workouts:

Exercising in the early hours, immediately after waking up, is difficult only at first. Over time, the human body gets used to systematic morning exercise, and after several such workouts you can easily wake up without an alarm clock at the time allotted for exercise. Immediately after sleep, a person’s body temperature is lowered, therefore, more energy is expended during morning workouts, which promotes increased fat burning by the body.

Also early workouts are great for speeding up your metabolism, which makes it possible to burn more calories throughout the day. Plus, after morning physical activity, the body is in good shape, which makes it easier to endure the afternoon, during which one usually falls asleep and loses performance.

But it also has its weaknesses: Unwarmed muscles are easy to injure, so before your morning workout you should definitely do a good warm-up for all muscle groups. Despite the fact that playing sports in the morning promotes rapid fat burning, at low levels of temperature and hormones, calories are burned more slowly during the morning workout itself than during the evening. If you exercise in the morning, make it a habit have breakfast an hour and a half before training and again provide the body with food after.

Ideally, to achieve noticeable results, you need to practice at least 1 hour daily. Morning exercise improves blood flow to the brain, which stimulates its functioning.

2) Daytime workouts:

Such training quickly becomes a habit. At this time, the most effective exercises will be strength exercises, stretching, crossfit and other exercises that require endurance and strength.

In the afternoon, body temperature and hormone levels rise. The muscles become pliable and more flexible; an afternoon workout will bring good results, while reducing the risk of muscle tension and, as a result, muscle pain.

Daytime workouts are great for those who want to increase muscle strength and increase their endurance levels. They need to be planned wisely, taking into account the obligatory meal. Lunch, in case of physical activity, is divided into two doses: one and a half to two hours before and one hour after training.

Of the minuses Let's highlight a busy schedule of study or work. Not everyone can afford to spend time training during their lunch break (40-50 minutes). The lesson may be “crumpled” and ineffective due to the desire to do everything at once in a minimum period.


3) Evening workouts:

After 16:00 the muscles are in the best shape. Strength training with dumbbells or a barbell will be effective - that is this time is more suitable for drawing relief than weight loss.

Evening workouts are practically no different in effectiveness from late afternoon workouts. At late times, fitness clubs are usually tightly packed: everyone is in a hurry to go in for sports after work and study and relieve emotional stress. But it is worth considering the fact that physical activity provokes the body to produce adrenaline. If it’s too late to study, then such exercise can cause sleep disturbances. The optimal time for an evening workout is 2-3 hours before bedtime.

To consolidate the results of your workout, we recommend drinking a protein shake that contains a large amount of protein, which is necessary for the formation of muscle relief, and also has an active restorative effect on muscle tissue, relieving muscle tension and pain. At the same time, protein shakes are easily absorbed and digested due to their liquid consistency, making them ideal for restoring the body after an evening workout, without being deposited in fatty tissue and without creating a feeling of heaviness in the stomach. It is recommended to drink protein shakes 2-3 hours before bedtime.

Important: Don't forget to eat before strength training, as it is really dangerous on an empty stomach.

Whatever time you choose to exercise, remember, the main thing is regularity of training! Periodically at least 3 times a week the results will not keep you waiting.

To contact an individual consultant who will create a training and nutrition plan for you, go to link. 18 November 2016, 17:56 2016-11-18

Our ability, desire and opportunity to engage in fitness, as well as the effectiveness of these activities, are influenced by many circumstances, ranging from lifestyle, time of day, strength of character, psychotype, biorhythms, habits to profession.

Therefore, it is not possible to unambiguously determine a common period of time for everyone for the most comfortable and effective training.

Each period has its own pros and cons. Something different will suit each individual.

Advantages and disadvantages of morning workouts

If you are a morning person


Do you like to get up at dawn and still feel energetic? What a score.

Exercising in the morning will be especially effective because:

  • During this period, metabolism occurs in the best way; energy will be drawn from the breakdown of fats.
  • Exercise is a great stress reliever.
  • Mental health is being optimized.
  • Morning fitness increases productivity for the entire day.

More suitable for larks active morning workouts .

Quite acceptable:

  • cardio;
  • group classes;
  • interval;
  • water aerobics.

In this way, you will raise your tone, activate metabolic processes, make the nervous system function easier, and “lose” subcutaneous fat faster.

Remember the peculiarities of training in the morning.

  1. Take more time to warm up:
  • The body, joints, ligaments are not so flexible and mobile in the morning.
  • Give your heart a chance to “wake up”. During sleep, blood becomes thicker and circulation slows down. The heart “pump” reduces the number of contractions and emissions.

Do not jump out of bed, do not create an overload for the heart muscle, do not force it to pump blood abruptly and at an accelerated rate. About the signs of myocardial infarction.

  1. After the warm-up, a higher intensity of exercise is permissible, and it will give more results than in the evening, since you have not had time to get tired during the working day.
  2. It is not recommended to pump muscles, push heavy weights, or overload the body.

If you are a night owl

Getting up early isn't for you?

The alarm clock rings, but you don’t have the strength to move or open your eyes, let alone act?

A few simple life hacks will help you wake up easier and force yourself to get up:

  1. Think about how uncomfortable you feel after missing out on your morning workout due to weak will and cowardice, and possibly... My conscience was gnawing, my mood was falling.
  2. Ask yourself, have you ever had any regrets after pushing yourself, getting up and successfully working out? No! On the contrary, we felt proud, cheerful, our mood was lifted, and the day passed with a “plus” sign.
  3. Think about the fact that over time you will be able to cope more easily with the difficulty of waking up, and doing fitness will help improve your health, muscles, and remove excess fat. And each time it will be easier, and the result will be more noticeable. And... come on, get out from under the blanket already!
  4. Open your eyes, stretch in all directions, do light twists, stroke your body, starting the blood flow, lower your legs, sit down.
  5. Talking about, we wrote that in order for the sleep hormone melatonin to be produced, darkness is needed. Now we need to do the opposite. We begin to bring light into the room. Turn on the lamp on the table by the bed. Open the curtains.
  6. Replenish your body with fluid: . What will it give?
  7. Tousle the hair on your head. Massage the skin and hair roots thoroughly. Focus on the base of the skull and temples.

The release of endorphins and stimulation of blood flow will help you finally wake up, and at the same time strengthen your hair.

In the morning they will be useful and feasible calm exercises such as:

  • Stretching.
  • Yoga.
  • Gymnastics for joints.
  • You can simply do gymnastics at home.

They will wake up and prepare the body for a working day, and activate creativity.

Planning a run? Don't do this straight from the bed. Do not force the myocardium, forcing it to pump more “heavy” blood. Move it an hour and a half later.

At the beginning of the day - only light loads: excessive activity, especially for owls on “cold” muscles and joints, is traumatic. Save strength training for the evening.

If the opportunity to train in a fitness club is available only in the morning, they should be gentle.

Regular morning exercise will help shift your body clock slightly, you will be able to fall asleep earlier, and in the morning you will feel more alert or at least less tired.

But! If all this is extremely difficult, - don’t break yourself!

Training sessions constantly carried out through withdrawal will not be sufficiently effective and energy-consuming.

Do you need to eat before fitness?

Whether you should exercise on an empty stomach or after having breakfast, experts and practitioners have differing opinions on this issue.

Cons

After waking up, your metabolism activates. Exercising in the morning on an empty stomach will force the body to exhaust available energy reserves by burning fat to produce energy.


However, this does not apply to classes that will take place 1-1.5 hours after waking up.

And you should definitely drink a glass of water or an isotonic drink

Immediately after exercise, have breakfast with complex carbohydrates. Lack of breakfast will slow down metabolic processes.

Pros

In the morning, the body's energy level is low and blood sugar levels are low.

When training on an empty stomach:

  • you will get tired quickly;
  • lack of energy will cause low intensity of exercise;
  • the number of approaches or exercises will be lower than possible.

In any case, you should not exhaust yourself with heavy workloads and hunger.

Afternoon training

They are almost as effective as the morning ones.

But, since you have already eaten a couple of times, your blood sugar has increased in your body, there is energy that will make them more intense.

Such activities:

  • increase performance;
  • help:
    • cheer up;
    • avoid breakdown
    • change your occupation, refocus;
    • use the energy received during meals;
    • activate the brain;
    • remove, which can manifest itself as excess weight and other problems.

Possible:

  • breathing exercises;
  • stretching;
  • cardio;
  • bench presses;
  • strength training with a barbell or dumbbells.

During this period, the muscles are most active and not overworked, which will help to correct the figure in a short time, build muscles, and work out body contours.

Evening workouts: benefit or harm?

Advantages:

  • In the evening, the best response of neurons responsible for the relationship between the brain and muscles.
  • Research results published in the journal Experimental Physiology indicate that exercise in the evening not only does not affect sleep, but also reduces the production of the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates hunger, which also promotes weight loss.
  • Evening workouts help relieve stress.

    • Most suitable:

    • bike;
    • martial arts;
    • water aerobics.

    There is an opinion that evening classes will disrupt sleep patterns. However, if after them and water procedures you immediately go to bed, there will be no problems. You can also use relaxing yoga or these.

    Which workouts are more effective: morning, afternoon or evening?

    The main thing is that they exist!

    Find time and practice!

    Be sensitive to your physiology, do not force yourself. This will probably bring neither pleasure nor results.

    However, you should know that in case of some diseases, for example, such as, physical activity should be avoided.

    What is the best time to train in the gym? This is one of the most frequently asked questions. While some people lace up their sneakers at the crack of dawn and head out to work out, others can't drag themselves out of bed until midday.

    Opinions also vary among experts. Some say it is better to do it in the morning, while others say it is better in the evening. Everyone is trying to make their own arguments. But what does science say about this? Let's try to figure out what is the best time to work out in the gym? Morning, afternoon or evening?

    BIOLOGICAL RHYTHMS

    The circadian rhythm is regulated by the Earth's 24-hour rotation pattern. This affectsbody functions that play an important role in your readiness for physical activity: blood pressure, temperature, hormone levels, metabolism and heart rate. These fluctuations in the intensity of various biological processes in connection with human sleep and wakefulness cycles are called circadian rhythms.

    Our body's circadian rhythm determines whether we are a night owl or a lark. Therefore, our chronotype plays a big role in deciding when to train. It is easier for owls to exercise in the evening, while early birds do it in the morning. If you have this clear preference, then it's pretty easy to decide which schedule is right for you. What's interesting though is the scientifically proven fact that no matter what time we think is best, almost all of us are physically stronger and more resilient at the end of the day.

    Scientists have discovered that although circadian rhythms are innate, we can change them based on our behavior. For example, using an alarm clock, meal planning and workouts. Research shows that our ability to maintain high-intensity training will adapt to the timing of the training. People who constantly train in the morning have trained their bodies to work at this time of day. And when they switch to evening exercise, they don't feel as strong. So if circumstances don't allow you to exercise at your preferred time, there's no reason to be upset. You can change your rhythms and your body can adapt to the new workout time. However, it may take about a month to reset your internal clock.

    BENEFITS OF TRAINING IN THE EVENING

    Body temperature is an important factor in conductingquality training. A cold body means stiff muscles that prevent you from performing at your best, and they are also susceptible to strains. Increased body temperature makes muscles more elastic. It usually increases during the day, reaching a peak in the evening. In the afternoon, on top of everything else, reaction time and speed are better. Heart rate and blood pressure are low. All this improves productivity and reduces the likelihood of injury.

    This is confirmed by scientific data. For example, a study published in 1998 in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise examined the effect of time of day on muscle performance in a group of young, untrained men. Each of them performed a series of endurance exercises at 08:00, 12:00, 16:00 and 20:00. Productivity was morehigh in the evening.

    And in a study published in 2009 in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, a group of young men showed greater gains in both muscle (3.5% compared to 2.7% in the morning group) and strength over 10 weeks. classes in the evening (from 17:00 to 19:00).

    BENEFITS OF TRAINING IN THE MORNING

    Research shows. That the optimal time for training is in the evening. But if you have problems with planning and consistency in your training regime, then it is better to choose the morning. In the afternoon and evening, training often conflicts with other responsibilities and activities. Plus, a full day of stressful work can take a serious toll on your willpower.

    Morning workouts can also be a good option for improving your sleep quality. If you have problems sleeping, read the article ““. Because exercise increases heart rate and body temperature, exercising too late can disrupt sleep, while a 2014 study published in the journal Vascular Health And Risk Management found that exercising at 7 a.m. (versus 13 :00 or 19:00) can help you sleep more soundly at night.

    And an experiment published in 2011 in The Journal of Strength And Conditioning Research tracked blood pressure and sleep levels in people ages 40 to 60. Each participant performed moderate walking on a treadmill at 7:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. for 30 minutes three times a week. The researchers found that all participants who exercised at 7 a.m. showed a 10% reduction in overall blood pressure and a 25% reduction in nighttime blood pressure.

    Morning cardio - one of the first assistants in burning fat. A 2013 study published in The British Journal Of Nutrition reports that people are able to burn up to 20% more fat by exercising on an empty stomach, which is much easier to do in the morning than in the evening. This once again confirms the popularity of fasted cardio. So if you're a morning person or prefer to work out in the morning for some other reason, go ahead and hit the gym, just make sure your muscles are warmed up.

    BENEFITS OF DAY TRAINING

    A great way to take a break from mental work in the middle of the workday is if there is a gym near your work. Daytime training is good because you have already woken up, but have not yet had time to get tired mentally and physically. Also, this training option is suitable for those who work late or are too tired after work.


    Hormonal levels are also important in determining the optimal time to exercise. Hormones such as testosterone and cortisol change throughout the day. Testosterone peaks in the morning and falls at the end of the day. But despite the fact that the level of this hormone reaches its lowest point in the evening, its level after training is higher in the evening than in the first half of the day. In addition, the stress hormone cortisol, which plays a large role in fat storage and muscle burning, peaks in the morning and decreases throughout the day.

    In other words, the testosterone-cortisol ratio (when testosterone is highest relative to cortisol) is better in the early evening than in the early afternoon.

    Since testosterone is so important for muscle growth and strength, in theory this makes the evening a less "catabolic" time to exercise. But this is just in theory, because short-term changes in hormone levels don't really mean much. Our body is very highly adaptive, and everything is very individual. Moreover, in addition to this, there are many much more important factors that influence the final result.

    Results

    To determine the best time to work out at the gym, you don't have to be an expert on circadian rhythms. Just try training in the morning, afternoon or evening and choose what suits you! The most important thing, according to experts, is choosing the time of day when it is easiest for you to stick to the regime.

    When is it better to exercise – in the morning or in the evening? Neither trainers nor medical luminaries have a definite answer. Let's try...

    Practice shows that those who find it easy to wake up early are the most active in insisting on the benefits of morning exercises. There are 20–25% of such larks. But 30–40% of people are night owls, and they prefer going to the gym in the evening. The rest are just lucky - they don’t care when to get up.

    Morning: “for”

    • Decreased appetite throughout the day
      Scientists from the UK compared data from surveys conducted among runners. It turned out that those who ran in the morning felt less hungry during the day than fans of evening jogging. Scientists have suggested that morning exercise suppresses the release of hormones responsible for appetite. This means that for those who tend to overeat, after a morning workout it will be easier to cope with the habit of chewing something all the time.
    • It's easier to burn fat in the morning
      During physical activity, carbohydrates are first consumed and only after twenty minutes of movement the muscles receive energy from fat. That is why long workouts, no shorter than 40 minutes, have always been recommended for weight loss. However, recent research from the American College of Sports Medicine shows that just 20-30 minutes of exercise in the first half of the day is enough. In terms of fat burning effect, this will be identical to 40 minutes after lunch. The reason is that until 17 o'clock in the afternoon our metabolism is set to consume energy, including fat. And after 17 hours the intensity of metabolic processes fades away, hormonal and other systems are already focused on replenishing reserves. Therefore, in the morning, stubborn fat deposits are more easily consumed.
    • Lower risk of injury
      After a morning workout, fatigue goes away faster and muscles recover better, according to a new study from the University of Toronto. Doctors observed 3,000 people who were passionate about fitness and found that after morning training, the pulse returned to normal on average 20% faster than after evening training. In addition, a blood test showed that with the same intensity of training, microtrauma to muscle fibers and associated blood changes in the morning occur less frequently.

    Morning: "against"

    • You won't have time to have breakfast
      Exercising in the morning on an empty stomach is ineffective and can lead to fainting. Without breakfast, you only have enough energy for light exercise. So what, get up two hours earlier, eat and wait an hour for breakfast to digest? This won't suit anyone. True, you can drink sweet tea with a piece of chocolate, coffee with sugar, juice, eat a banana, a handful of raisins or dried apricots. These products will be absorbed while you are getting dressed.
    • Thick blood
      You did not drink for at least 8 hours while you slept; during this time, some water was excreted in your urine and, possibly, in your sweat. Once the fluid is gone, it means the blood has become thicker; increasing its circulation in such an “undiluted” form means overloading the heart and veins. Therefore, before training, be sure to drink 1-2 glasses of liquid and wait 5-10 minutes for the moisture to be absorbed.
    • In the morning the body is still asleep
      After sleep, blood circulation throughout the body is slowed down, the lungs are narrowed, and the nervous system is inhibited. Therefore, it is necessary to start charging with a warm-up, gradually increasing the load. Beginners are not recommended to give themselves serious exercise such as running or strength exercises in the morning; it is better to take a walk, ride a bike, or swim.

    Evening: “for”


    As you know, in the evening the metabolism slows down, which is why a chocolate bar eaten for breakfast will have almost no effect on your figure, but a cake at dinner immediately shows up in the waist area. Moderate physical activity is a good way to speed up your metabolism. However, the load must be moderate, no records!
  • At night after training, fat will be consumed
    We know that burning calories doesn't stop when you finish your workout! By inertia, the muscles continue to consume energy for recovery for at least another 12 hours. Now imagine that after your workout you ate a light dinner and went to bed. There is no more food, new energy is not coming in, which means the body will be forced to turn to stored fat. And so on until the morning. And in the morning, metabolism also has no time for reserves, which means weight loss is inevitable!

    • Evening: “against”

    • Tiredness after work
      Not everyone can force themselves to do exercises after work or drag themselves to the pool. Some people don’t have enough motivation to break the usual pattern and do something active in the evening, while others are really too tired physically.
    • I really want to eat after a workout
      Experts from the Swedish School of Sports and Health Sciences believe that this is an indicator of the wrong training. It was clearly either too intense or too long. Replace running with a walk, aerobics with an exercise bike. Shorten the session from an hour to 40 or 30 minutes.
    • It's hard to sleep
      The reason is too intense training and increased tone.

    So, let's summarize. Both morning and evening have their pros and cons. So proceed from your own preferences, as well as from your work schedule. Moving when you feel comfortable is much healthier than not moving at all. And the negative effects can be easily negated by using the advice we have given.

    The question of when it is better for a person to exercise - in the morning or in the evening - has been discussed by experts for a long time, but there is no definite answer to it and, probably, there cannot be. Still, an individual approach is needed here.

    "Owls" train in the evening, "larks" - in the morning

    If life just begins for you in the evening, and getting up in the morning is equivalent to execution, then the best time for you to train is the evening. If you are a “morning person” and have been accustomed to getting up with the first rays of the sun since childhood, then morning workouts will be optimal for you.

    Choose your workout time depending on your activity

    If you are primarily engaged in mental work and spend most of the day in a chair in front of a monitor, then it would be nice for you to stretch your bones in the gym in the evening. But if you spend the whole day running around visiting clients or carrying bags, then it’s better to train in the morning, because in the evening you won’t have the energy to train.

    Choose your workout time depending on your health condition

    Much depends on the person’s health status. For example, if you have heart problems, don't try to exercise in the morning.

    When we sleep, our heart also rests because blood circulates more slowly. For several hours after sleep, the human body experiences such phenomena as increased heart rate, accelerated metabolism, and increased blood pressure. And the additional load can lead to adverse consequences.

    Choose your training time depending on your goal

    Set a goal for yourself. If this is weight loss, then you need to train in the morning. This is due to the fact that after sleep, blood sugar levels are low, and if you exercise before breakfast, the body will be forced to draw energy not from carbohydrates, but from fat. Therefore, morning workouts allow you to lose weight three times more effectively than evening workouts. And training on an empty stomach burns 300% more fat than training after eating.

    What time of day to train – morning, afternoon or evening – depends on the person’s physiology. If you are a night owl, train in the evening, if you are a lark, train in the morning. There is no need to torture the body by doing the opposite. There will be no benefit from this. And if you have chosen a certain time, do not change it in the future.
    Max Rinkan, expert man.tochka.net

    If your goal is to gain muscle mass, then it is better to train in the afternoon or evening, but not until late.

    I train when I can

    Most people train when circumstances and sometimes finances allow it. It's no secret that the main stumbling block to going to the gym is work. If you have a normal work schedule - from 9 to 18, then it is not possible to train in the morning and during the day, although, according to experts, the peak time for muscle activity is during the daytime. But, as a rule, a person has only the evening to train.

    If a person has the opportunity to train in the morning, he happily grabs this option, since the attendance of the gyms in the morning and in the evening is incomparable (there is no crowd there in the evening), and it costs him less.

    In any case, if you have decided on a time to visit the gym, then let it be stable. Build your routine so that exercising at this time of day brings you benefits.

    In conclusion, let’s summarize all of the above, giving recommendations that will help you choose the optimal time for training.

    Train in the morning: if you are a morning person, if you don’t have to go to work early, if you don’t have heart problems, if your work is mobile, if you want to lose weight, if you want to complete the entire planned program in the gym, avoiding a large influx of people, if you want to free up your evenings for other things.

    Morning workout advocate:“I train in the morning, three times a week, from 10 to 12. At this time I feel a surge of strength and a desire to train. All the exercise equipment is available, there are not many people. I worked out, and the whole day is free, including the evening.”

    Train during the day: if your working hours allow it and you are confident that you can do it regularly; if there is a gym in the office or near it.



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