If you’re procrastinating starting a program of regular exercise because you’re not sure whether you should workout in the morning or another time of day, stop it! No matter what time of the day you workout, it will do you more good than sitting in your Lazy Boy debating the issue. While each time of day has its benefits, there is a drawback to working out right before bed. You’ll end up wired and find it difficult to sleep. Aside from that, there are benefits to every workout session, regardless of when you do it.
Should you workout before you go to the office, at lunch or after work?
As noted before, each time of day has benefits. If you choose to workout the first thing in the morning before you eat, you’ll get the benefit of working out on an empty stomach. That means your body will have to hit your stored fat for energy. You’ll be burning fat during aerobic workouts and train your body to burn fat more efficiently. However, it’s best for low intensity workouts. To avoid muscle breakdown when you’re trying to build, take a protein shake within a half hour of working out.
For the best aerobic performance and improved endurance, train when you have adequate stores of glycogen.
The early evening, afternoon or late morning is best for a workout when you’re training for a marathon or anytime you want more endurance. Your glycogen stores in your liver and your muscles are at maximum at these times. That occurs hours after you’ve consumed a full meal that has carbs. If you eat a hearty breakfast, then in the late morning or lunch is best. If you’re a breakfast skipper, it’s later in the day. It helps you avoid that “hit-the-wall” feeling that can occur when you run out of fuel.
Want to lift more and build power and strength, check your body temperature.
If you’re pumping iron, you don’t want to jump out of bed and hit the gym. It could be dangerous. When you sleep, your body temperature drops. The discs in your back also fill with fluid. After you’re awake a while, your body temperature rises and the fluid in your spine goes back to normal. Now it’s time to get in that power lifting. Waiting for your body to wake up and normalize is especially important if you have back problems.
- No matter what your need, if the best time to workout for your needs doesn’t work with your schedule, choose convenience first or you’ll find yourself missing workouts.
- Consistency pays off. Find a workout time that works for you and make it a permanent one in your schedule.
- Everyone’s body is different. If you find you can sleep better after a night workout, by all means, do it. Just make sure you have a store of glycogen available for recovery.
- If your morning workout is going to be strenuous, grab a banana or something light that can help supplement your depleted glycogen reserves. There’s ways to make any time of day work well.