Best time to work out and do you skip a day if you're sore?

Shelley6591

Kinda new to the whole working out thing and I have to admit I'm kind of getting addicted Just wondering if it's more beneficial to do it in the morning or the evening and if you have a day when you are really sore is it best to take a day off or keep going and work through it?

Thanks :flowerforyou:

2013sk

I don't think it really matters - Morning/night.

I do my workouts in the evening - Normally arrive at the gym anywhere from 7pm when every one is eating there dinner : )

If your sore don't work out - Include your rest days, and don't over do it!!!!

LeGaCyGiAnT124

Working out works best when you fit it in your schedule. I have the most energy later at night, so that's when we go.

I workout on days I am sore, but define sore? If my ankles are killing me then I will workout a different part of my body. Don't make working out another job, just do it as much as you can/ feel you can.

ReturnToRunning

It is all a personal preference and where you can fit it in. I'm a night person and prefer to workout at night, but due to my work schedule, I work out early in the morning everyday.

As far as being sore, . . . When you're starting out and when you eventually start building milage or adding weight, you will have sore days. Make sure you have one day set as your off day every week and you should have a light/"easy" day in the middle of your week to give your body some recovery. If you are sore, you can workout . . .but if you hurt. . .don't!

Just make sure you always listen to your body!

Zomoniac

Define sore. Bit of DOMS or stiffness, I work through it. Tendon or ligament pain, absolutely not.

vmatare

I make sure I do something that's exercise every day even if it's walking. I get in most of my exercise at work. However, I try to do weights at least every other day if possible. I do some long walks outdoors usually in afternoon when the weather allows. Sometimes I just do some aerobics or dancing to music I like. I truly try to do a variety so I don't get too bored. I don't really like to exercise, so that's part of why I've fallen off the bandwagon a few times. You can count housecleaning as exercise too. I usually do exercise at home in afternoon or evening. Mornings don't work on days that I'm working since I get up @4:45am & barely get out the door on time (have to be at work@6). Refuse to drag myself out of bed any earlier.

steve_mfp

http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/best-time-to-work-out/

tl;dr

• Your circadian rhythm is a 24 hour cycle of biological activity set by your internal clock. Your sleep-wake cycle is one of many systems influenced by your circadian rhythm.
• Your hormonal milieu, gene expression and core body temperature have a circadian rhythm. Together, they result in peak physical condition to train and recover in the late afternoon to early evening.
• The best time to work out is generally between 14:30 and 20:30 h if you have a regular sleep-wake cycle.
• You can determine the optimal time to train by monitoring your maximum resting heart rate and training performance.
• If you can’t train when your body is primed to do so, supplement with caffeine pre-workout and schedule your workouts when you can always train.

Mom_of_X

Define sore. Bit of DOMS or stiffness, I work through it. Tendon or ligament pain, absolutely not.

THIS.

DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) is normal and expected, especially when you are first starting out or increasing your training/goals. if it really bothers you, do 2 days on, one day off, until you get used to it.

NEVER try and push through PAIN.

Good luck!

richardheath

There is a sign in my gym that says people who work out in the morning are more likely to stick to it. Especially if you have kids etc. I know that by the time I get home, cook dinner, help with homework etc I'm not in the mood to lift weights!

That said: Do it whenever you can. Whatever time actually fits your schedule the best is the best time.

Try and stick to the plan. Some soreness (Delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS) is to be expected at first when you start a new routine. Stretch well, and try to work through it. Even a bad workout is better than no workout. But if you are truly too sore or have a pain (rather than a general soreness) do take a rest, or work a different part of the body. If you are on a reasonable weight lifting plan, for example, then it won't have you doing the same muscles on adjacent days.

Zomb1eMummy

IMO, working out 1 hour after breakfast is the best for me. I am most motivated then and I have the most energy. I have only 1 rest day a week right now, and I always chose a day when I know I am too busy to workout. If I am sore, I chose a less intense workout or yoga. I try not to skip exercises unless my doctor tells me I need to. Basically just listen to your body. The first week will be rough for you if you are just starting out but keep pushing through that. Trust me, it gets easier.

JADENSMOMMA728

In the past, (I have had to lose 60 lbs after each of my first 2 pregnancies) I noticed that I always had better results working out first thing in the morning before you eat. Working out in the afternoons is just as good im sure but I heard on an old Jillian Michael's workout video that working out first thing in the morning will kick start your metabolism so once you do eat (wait 30 min after the workout) your metabolism is already running and burns fat easier. Hope this helps but ultimately doing anything at anytime is better than nothing at all!

ascrit

Kinda new to the whole working out thing and I have to admit I'm kind of getting addicted Just wondering if it's more beneficial to do it in the morning or the evening and if you have a day when you are really sore is it best to take a day off or keep going and work through it?

Thanks :flowerforyou:

I am not really a morning person so I generally work out in the evenings during the week and mid-morning on the weekends.

I LOVE working out when I am sore. But keep in mind there is a major difference between being sore and being injured. As others have said, make sure you listen to your body very closely and get plenty of rest!

Good luck!! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

cwolfman13

Workout whenever you feel like it...it doesn't matter.

Your fitness regimen should include rest as well as days of varying intensity...you don't have to go balls to the wall 7 days per week...in fact that's a recipe for just getting injured and then having to sit on your *kitten* for several weeks. Ask me how I know...

If you're doing resistance training, your training days should either be splits or you should do full body 3x weekly every other day. You do not want to train the same muscles/muscle groups on consecutive days...if you are, you're basically wasting your time as the benefits of lifting/resistance work come with rest. Exceptions would be working muscular endurance/muscular stamina...but actual strength and physique work requires rest.

A typical, well rounded general fitness regimen would have you doing roughly equal parts of strength/resistance to cardio work. Most often people do these on alternating days...i.e.:

Monday - 45 - 60 minutes cardio (Go hard)
Tuesday - Strength/Resistance
Wed - 45 - 60 minutes cardio (Steady Tempo)
Thurs - Strength/Resistance
Friday - 45 - 60 minutes cardio (Steady Tempo/Recovery)
Saturday - Strength/Resistance
Sunday - Rest

That's just pretty basic, general fitness...from there, your personal fitness goals would dictate more or less or intensity of various bouts of exercise.

Being newish to fitness you may want to start out slower and include an additional rest day. I would also suggest to listen to your body. For the most part I get in 6 workouts per week similar to the above but there are someday where my body just isn't going to do it...and it's more than soreness...in those instances I do whatever I need to do.

This week for example I am dealing with a nagging foot issue that comes and goes...I'm not going to be able to get in all my rides this week because of it...so I'll just rest and not push it, that way by next week I should be right as rain...pushing it could end up knocking me out of the saddle for weeks instead of just a couple days off.

EATYOURKIMCHI

The best time to exercise is the time you personally feel is best. As for being sore, listen to your body. Soreness is telling you to don't do what makes you hurt. Wait until the soreness goes away.

Shelley6591

Sore as in I am sore today after my work out last night but totally mobile and it wouldn't hurt me to work out today. A few weeks ago I did a big run and walked funny for a day or two, I took a break then

just_Jennie1

I workout when I can. It could be early morning, mid afternoon, evening. It doesn't matter.

As for working out when sore, if I feel like I got run over by a truck and I'm "ow ow ow-ing" when I walk then I usually skip a day. Mild soreness no. I'll still workout because sometimes that makes it feel better.

KANGOOJUMPS

i start at 4am, and pain or pleasure,
i go hard 7 days a week, 2 to 3 hours cardio a day.

Quieau

My best performance is at 4:30 am when I wake up (my typical workout time). My performance degrades over the rest of the day and an evening workout is VERY hard to muster compared to early morning.

If you can get the same level of effort/intensity going, I don't think it matters. But watch your performance cycles for the answer to the question of what time of day is best for YOU --- depends on your sleep/eat/work schedules and how they affect your performance.

geebusuk

Workout any time you like working out at.

I'll do anything from a 9:30am to heavy lifting or punch bag work at 12:30am sometimes! (The benefits of having your own setup away from people ).

Normally weights workouts between 1pm-9pm.
I try and make sure I've had food before weights or serious cardio workouts. Don't mind not eating before a lighter cardio - but evidence has shown I really do need food before proper cardio; difference in eating and not eating before a fell run was very apparent with 2.2 miles further done in 5 minutes extra with nutrition!

As far as soreness goes - if it's going to detract from the workout it's self, might consider delaying it, but usually don't worry.
I find doing the same things I fairly quickly stop getting DOMS, even when working out with weights to limits - maybe less so for cardio, but been able to bash out decent lengths on adverse terrain and not notice too much recently.

anactoria27

As many have already stated, the best time to work out is when you'll do it. That said, I know that morning workouts were incredibly beneficial to me when I first started, because the hardest part of my day was over by 7AM. Now that I've been doing it a while, though, I actually kind of enjoy the workouts and will make time for them, so I don't need to be as strict with myself.

FrnkLft

Morning or night is your choice. Soreness will go away with time as you adapt to the new activity. Skip a day if you think it'll make you worse or prone to hurting yourself due to any limited range of motion.

A better idea is to make sure you're easing into your exercise, so that you're not getting too sore right away.