Best time of the day to work out?

50poundshed
50poundshed Posts: 34
in Fitness and Exercise
I have had a lot of different responses to this. When is the best time of the day to workout ? I had a trainer tell me that first thing in the morning before you have ate anything because its best to workout on an empty stomach. When do y'all workout?

Replies

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I like to workout first thing in the morning but, in reality, the best time is whatever fits your personality and your schedule.

    There is a modicum of truth to the idea that you burn a bit more fat from fasted cardio but the difference is so small it's not worth mentioning.
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    Some trainers are ****ing idiots....

    It doesn't make any difference if you workout on an empty stomach. In fact, exercise requires energy, and a proper meal before working out can really help.

    Don't worry about this, just workout when you want/can. More important than any of that is diet anyhow. If you're overeating calories, it doesn't matter at all what exercise you do.

    If I can give you some advice as you get into fitness and dieting, it's to ignore all these little "tips". Weight loss is really simple, limit your calories to a safe deficit, and keep it up for a while. That's IT. Anything more is just special advice and in the long term it doesn't matter.

    Since you're just starting out, I HIGHLY recommend you buy and read New Rules of Lifting for Women. It's a very accessible book with tons of information for women on exercise and dieting (does a lot of myth busting too, which is great). I would start here no matter what you endup doing. The exercise routine at the end of the book is good too.

    If you do this, you will be off to a great start. Let us know how it goes!
  • Escape_Artist
    Escape_Artist Posts: 1,155 Member
    Good god this is why I dumped my trainer, some of them are such idiots it's not even funny.

    It doesn't change anything at what time you workout. Empty stomach or not doesn't matter it's a personal choice

    Exercise when you want and don't over complicate things :)
  • 50poundshed
    50poundshed Posts: 34
    Ok we'll that makes me feel better because honestly working out in the morning on an empty stomach is never appealing! Actually my favorite time to work out is around 7-8 pm and he told me that it's not that affective to work out at that time ?
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    The best time is the time you have. I don't have time (well, I'd rather sleep) to workout in the morning, I work all day, have 2 busy kids and a husband, so I work out in the evenings. If I didn't, I wouldn't work out at all..

    If exercising in the morning makes you not want to exercise, then it's not the best time of day to do it! (same goes for afternoon/evening)
  • FrnkLft
    FrnkLft Posts: 1,821 Member
    Ok we'll that makes me feel better because honestly working out in the morning on an empty stomach is never appealing! Actually my favorite time to work out is around 7-8 pm and he told me that it's not that affective to work out at that time ?

    Well he's an idiot so nevermind what he says but...

    Like I said, if there is any benefit to eating at certain times or working out at certain times, while standing or not standing on your head... it's minimal and not worth the effort to worry about it.

    Just focus on your long term goals and eat at a deficit. All I ever do is workout in the evenings, and I have had great results... because it doesn't matter.
  • MissAnjy
    MissAnjy Posts: 2,480 Member
    The best time to workout, is the time you have that works best.

    I workout in the evenings. It works for me.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    Any time.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    The best time to workout, is the time you have that works best.

    This^.

    I personally prefer morning because I don't get a chance to "talk myself out of it", plus once it's done I have the rest of the day to get all my other crap done. lol.
  • awtume9
    awtume9 Posts: 423 Member
    There is no way I can lift well on an empty stomach. I go to the gym after work, full of food and ready to go!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    The best time to workout is whenever you can kill it. I lift best in the evening...therefore I lift in the evening. I would love to cycle in the morning but my schedule allows for me to cycle during lunch...so that's when I cycle.

    The timing is irreverent though...if you're at a deficit, you're at a deficit period. You're going to oxidize fat period...it doesn't matter if you work out fasted or not...you're not going to oxidize any more fat than you otherwise would working out later in the day...you're going to oxidize the same amount of fat in a 24 hour period as dictated by your energy deficit not your workout timing.
  • rabblerabble
    rabblerabble Posts: 471 Member
    Most days, as soon as I get up I eat a quick breakfast of oatmeal, berries, and some protein powder and then it's off to the gym. After my workout is done, I have the entire day to reflect on the fact I made a healthy start to the day.

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