Ever wonder what is the best time of day to workout? Well the experts are weighing in on the question with a good old fashioned pro and con list to help you out. This comes from the sport nutrition gurus at Bulk. They say in large part, it depends on your goals. Lets break it down.
We begin with the positive, the advantages to working out early in the morning. By early, we are talking about 5am to 8am.
While you might feel groggy, you are actually more alert in the morning due to the hormone cortisol. It is said to peak around 8am. In addition, morning workouts are said to be best for fat burning if dropping pounds is your goal. Piggybacking on this, morning workouts are said to help with appetite control.
On the other end of the spectrum, here are the advantages to working out later in the evening, from 7:30pm on. More energy is one of them. Evening workouts are also said to best if you are looking to develop your muscle tone and strength. This time of day is also great for stress relief and contrary to what some believe, working out later will NOT keep you from sleeping. Instead, it might just help
There are also disadvantages to both morning and evening workout times. Here they are to help you determine the best time of day to workout.
Disadvantages To Early Morning Workouts
Sleep. Muscles need time to recover and if you stayed up late, it probably didn't happen. Less warm up time is a problem that can lead to injury. Morning workouts also boost metabolism early in the day, which means it slows down again in the evening when many people have their main meal.
Disadvantages To Late Night Workout
A big disadvantage is consuming your post-workout fuel. It happens late which can mess up your metabolism. It's also harder to get in your stretching if you need to rush to get home. But perhaps the biggest disadvantage to evenings is consistency. Things come up during the day that can sideline you. Or at the end of the day, you've just run out of steam.
Best Time Is...
At the end of the day there really is NO bad time to workout. The best time is the time that works best for you and your lifestyle. As long as you are moving your body. The key to making changes and maintaining health is consistency.
