Calories Burned: AM vs. PM?

jaimejean478

I'm wondering if there's a method behind this madness.... the time of day I workout is very schedule dependent. Some days I workout at 6am, some at 9pm. I'm starting to compare some calorie burns (I have a Polar HRM), and am noticing that I burn about 50-80 more calories with a first of the morning workout, vs. the same at a later time in the day.

Example:
6am Zumba - 520 calories burned - 7:30pm Zumba, 462 calories burned
6am Run/Walk - 530 calories burned - 8pm Run/Walk - 430 calories burned

Is there a science behind this? Anyone do morning workouts specifically for this reason?

youngtweezy

You probably have more energy to work out, work harder and thus burn more calories.

therealangd

That's what I was thinking too. More energy in the morning.

JPRobocker

You're metabolism changes throughout the day depending on when you eat. That might have something to do with it.

Lbiacono

It does not really matter at which time you do your excerise. But I have heard in the morning it helps set you off for the day and when you have less food in your system it burns off more of the fat you have. .. Apparently this is what some guy told me at the gym

jonikeffer

Your cal burn is dependent on HR, and what your HR is for the exact same workout/intensity can vary from day to day. Depends on how you are well rested, when you last ate and what, etc. I've done the same workout and had an average HR once of 145 and once 160, and that was even the same time of day!

talysshade

Whenever i can i workout in the morning, too.. just because it energizes me and helps me feel better.

SJHiker

I agree with everyone. The HRM does a simple calculation based on the beats per minute, with the statistics you entered (height, weight, etc.) The harder you work the faster your heart beats and the more calories burned. The same workout for 30 minutes at Curves was usually 200cals. When I worked out extra hard it showed I had burned 274 cals. Love it! There may be a metabolic rate that changes throughout the day, but the HRM doesn't actually measure that. Keep up the good work. Now, I'm more motivated to work out earlier in the day!

jaimejean478

Thanks all for your input. I guess I'll take it for what it is, enjoy the extra calorie burn, and try to get to the gym in the morning more often!