Is late night workout as effective as a morning one?

The time of the day isn't really relevant. Your workouts will be most effective if you do them on an empty stomach. The longer you've gone without eating, the more effective your workout will be. For most people, the longest they fast is while they're sleeping, so their morning workout is most effective.

If you have children, alternating your fasting patterns probably wouldn't work since you would eat with them.

I don't eat between 11pm and 4pm. At 3pm, I workout, go home and eat until I'm stuffed. My work is more effective because I fasted for 16 hours, then worked out on that empty stomach.

So short answer: No, but just work out a little harder to make up for it.

Your workouts will be most effective if you do them on an empty stomach. The longer you've gone without eating, the more effective your workout will be. For most people, the longest they fast is while they're sleeping, so their morning workout is most effective.

This has been debunked over and over again.

I have found that the late night workout is FAR more effective than the no-workout-because-I-didn't-have-time-until-it-was-too-late plan.

Calories in vs. calories out is the main thing. Maybe not the only thing, but it really is the main thing. The most effective workout is the one you will DO. And I will not DO a 6am workout, lol. I am a night owl. I just have to go with it.

About half the time it gets done after I get all the kids to bed (after 10 pm). If all I do is shower and go to sleep after my workout, Is my workout being as effective as if I had done it at 10:00 in the morning?

Sure. Time does not exist in the real world. It's a man-made concept that is of no significance to the biological process.

To answer your question, yes. The only difference is that you might find it a little more dificult to fall asleep at night. But, working out is better than not working out.

The main thing I find with exercising late at night is that I'm already completely knackered by the end of the day, and I feel I don't put as much effort in as I would in the morning. Granted, as many have pointed out, ANY workout is better than no workout!

The longer you've gone without eating, the more effective your workout will be.

This is not only wrong (as another poster already mentioned) but it is completely in the opposite direction. It seems like a good intuition, but the most recent real research on this topic has shown that actually eating a light snack just BEFORE you work out will help you burn more calories in the long run. It not only provides you with the energy to perform, it will tell your body that you aren't starving so it's okay to burn calories.

I've found I can eventually get a good workout on in a fed state, but I'm more sluggish getting warmed up.


I think if you choose random subjects, you might find fed workouts to be the same or superior, but if you took a bunch of people like me, you would find that fasted workouts are superior. They also keep me busy until I break my fast. Which means less chance of eating too early, which means higher chance I will stick to my planned diet because I won't spend that many waking hours tempted to eat. Perception wise, I am happier doing fasted workouts and more motivated. Also, no issues planning my pre workout meal so I'm not throwing up in my mouth.


However, that said, the best program is the one you stick to.

Here's a great article by Lyle McDonald which helps put it in perspective:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/fundamental-principles-versus-minor-details.html

Basically, too many people worry about minor details without having the fundamentals in place. It's like trying to put the finishing touches on a house when the walls haven't even been built yet. The "fundamentals", in this particular case, are consistent proper workouts. Any slight edge in effectiveness due to workout timing may matter to an elite athlete, but it's not going to make any difference for the average beginner/intermediate trainee. As Lyle says in the article, "Just Do Something".

Awesome post, thanks!

Personally i do a slightly better job on mornings which i do Saturday and Sundays and on public holidays or when i'm on leave from work. Probably becuase i've had a good sleep and a feed, but it's not that far off in the evenings which is my Monday to Friday workout regime depending on how tired i am after work it's a bit harder to maintain a steady flow. as for best on an empty stomach thats bull crap and dangerous. you need fuel to give you the energy to workout harder.

You might lose more weight that way but it will be mostly muscle

Saying that when i was doing martial arts 7x2hr classes a week in my late teens to mid 20's i never ate til i finished but that was primarily cause i felt bloated if i ate and then did high intensity karate for 2hrs. Now i need something or my stomach aches and i feel sluggish doesn't have to be a meal, just a snack

Also, I find that I'm more likely to put my all into it and go that extra mile or lift that extra set when I'm overly tired. I call this state Super Tired. I'm already tired, that extra set isn't going to make me any more so. When I'm half asleep and bleary eyed, I want nothing to do with exercise or putting in extra effort. I just want to pull the covers over my head.