Morning, Afternoon or Evening Exercise... When is best?

rusty01hc
rusty01hc Posts: 58
edited February 10 in Fitness and Exercise
During my work week, I like to try and get to gym before work for 45 minutes or so.
Other days, I simply cant myself out of bed.

Do people find it easier (and more beneficial to their weight loss) if they exercise before work, in the afternoon, or of an evening?

Replies

  • AdrianBry
    AdrianBry Posts: 138 Member
    MORNING or anytime before your first (if you're Intemiteent fasting like me) you burn more fat that way by forcing you body to focus more on using your fat stores instead of storec carbs or glycogen for energy (which mostly gets burnt while sleeping and more is burnt while fasting before breakfast or before you break-your-fast)
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    I find it easier to get the job done first thing in the morning before I start my day. This way I have got it out the way and cant find excuses later for not doing it. I did start off doing my exercises last thing before bed and then I had so much energy took me ages to sleep.
  • Seajolly
    Seajolly Posts: 1,435 Member
    I say that whatever time is more convenient for you - do it then! :smile:

    However, there are a lot of people that believe working out in the morning on an empty stomach is best.

    But it's really a personal preference!
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    The most beneficial time will be what you can feasibly stick with long term.

    If you're not a morning person and you force yourself to get up begrudgingly at 5am to workout, you probably won't stick with it.
  • Never2EZ
    Never2EZ Posts: 53
    I prefer doing it in the morning right when I get up. When you make exercise the first thing you do, you avoid making excuses that could come later in the day. Besides that, I always find it easier to make time for it. You can always wake up early... It's harder to do it later for me because when I get tired throughout the day, I'm losing that motivation.

    Either way, you have to find out what works best for you. Test all stages in the day and you'll find a time that keeps you motivated!
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Any time is fine--there is abosolute ZERO difference in the effect on weight loss.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,378 Member
    There is very little evidence I have seen that shows an advantage to exercising at a particular time of day over other. Basically, the best time to exercise is when you will actually do it and keep doing it. If you will get better long term compliance with your exercise goals doing it in the morning, do it then. If at some other time, do it then. The only other thing I would add is that for some people exercising later in the day will negatively effect their ability to fall asleep and sleep well.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,865 Member
    Do people find it easier (and more beneficial to their weight loss) if they exercise before work, in the afternoon, or of an evening?

    I run, and find mornings much harder work. I'm unfuelled and generally find my knees and ankles are a lot stiffer so I don't get the benefit. I tend to run at about 1800-1900 for 60-90 minutes.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    "Fasted exercise" has no real effect on burning stored body fat. Fuel substrate usage is primarily determined by intensity of exercise. If you do two identical high-intensity workouts, you can't "force" your body to burn more fat by exercising on an empty stomach. The demands of the exercise will result in higher glycogen usage. If you do happen to run out of glycogen, then you will be forced to significantly reduce the intensity of exercise (see: marathoners "hitting the wall" for an example of a true "fat burning" workout).

    Under some circumstances, fasting will cause the body to burn a higher percentage of fat during a workout. However, over 24 hours the body will alter its rate of fat oxidation so that, at the end of the day, there is no difference in the amount of actual fat burned. In other words, if you burn more fat during exercise, you will burn less the rest of the day and vice versa.

    The only time that "fasted cardio" might have even a minor beneficial effect is in the case of extremely lean individuals trying to temporarily get leaner. But that's true for only a tiny percentage of individuals under limited conditions, so it is not relevant to the average person trying to lose weight.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    "Fasted exercise" has no real effect on burning stored body fat. Fuel substrate usage is primarily determined by intensity of exercise. If you do two identical high-intensity workouts, you can't "force" your body to burn more fat by exercising on an empty stomach. The demands of the exercise will result in higher glycogen usage. If you do happen to run out of glycogen, then you will be forced to significantly reduce the intensity of exercise (see: marathoners "hitting the wall" for an example of a true "fat burning" workout).

    Under some circumstances, fasting will cause the body to burn a higher percentage of fat during a workout. However, over 24 hours the body will alter its rate of fat oxidation so that, at the end of the day, there is no difference in the amount of actual fat burned. In other words, if you burn more fat during exercise, you will burn less the rest of the day and vice versa.

    The only time that "fasted cardio" might have even a minor beneficial effect is in the case of extremely lean individuals trying to temporarily get leaner. But that's true for only a tiny percentage of individuals under limited conditions, so it is not relevant to the average person trying to lose weight.
    Stop it with this science lark. This is no place for it
  • rusty01hc
    rusty01hc Posts: 58
    Thanks for the feedback guys... much appreciated.
    Here is another curve ball for you all...

    1 x 1.5 hour session, or 2 x 45 min sessions?
  • Primeval_Princess
    Primeval_Princess Posts: 52
    It's personal preference. I for one am no good in the morning. Picking up heavy things not fully awake would result in injury for me and not lifting to my potential. I lift much better on some calories and being fully awake.
  • southerndream24
    southerndream24 Posts: 303 Member
    Do what works best for you. For me it's lifting at 5:30am along with running a few nights a week depending where I am in my marathon training.

    It's about finding what you can stick to long term.
  • Mother_Superior
    Mother_Superior Posts: 1,624 Member
    I would say, go when you've got the most energy. You'l be able to do more, recover better, and it will likely be more sustainable in the long run.

    As far as the 1, hour and a half work out vs. 2, forty-five minute workouts, I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you're on a structured plan take however long you need to get the work done. I could be wrong on this, but some sources vary on how long you should rest between sets depending on your goals. Naturally this will affect how long a workout is. If you're lifting heavy, rest as long as you need to to be ready for the next set (typically a couple of minutes). For more hypertrophy oriented routines, you would typically rest less between sets (between 45 seconds, and a minute).

    ETA: I don't think there's any advantage to splitting a workout up, if you have the time for a longer one. But I could be wrong on that.
  • rusty01hc
    rusty01hc Posts: 58
    I guess I should have been a little more detailed in my second question regarding 1 x 1.5 hour session or 2 x 45 min sessions.
    I was really referring to cardio sessions.

    Would people be more incline to push harder (and therefore burn more calories) over 2 x 45 min sessions than they would knowing they needed to last the 1 x 1.5 hour session.

    I guess part of that really does rely on the fitness level of the individual. Thoughts?
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
    I cannot work out on an empty stomach. I need energy (at least a banana!) 30-60 minutes before exercising, otherwise I'll get dizzy and shaky.

    I cannot work out first thing in the morning because I love to sleep and I can't just eat a banana, wait 30-60 minutes, then exercise, followed by a shower and finally getting ready for work.

    For me, I have to get away from my desk at noon. I'll do anything as long as I get to get up off my seat. I do HIIT (M&W), running (Tu/Th), and yoga (F). Saturdays from spring to fall I take a late morning/early afternoon run around the neighborhood.

    M, W, F I also lift after work. I find that I'm to weak in the morning to lift heavy, especially my arms. My grip is really week for the first few hours of the day.

    Exercising has no effect on weight loss. It doesn't matter when you burn the calories. My PERFORMANCE is affected by the time of day. I can burn more calories later in the day when I'm not so feeble. I can lift heavier and run longer when I'm not groggy.
  • Mother_Superior
    Mother_Superior Posts: 1,624 Member
    I guess I should have been a little more detailed in my second question regarding 1 x 1.5 hour session or 2 x 45 min sessions.
    I was really referring to cardio sessions.

    Would people be more incline to push harder (and therefore burn more calories) over 2 x 45 min sessions than they would knowing they needed to last the 1 x 1.5 hour session.

    I guess part of that really does rely on the fitness level of the individual. Thoughts?

    It depends really on your goals, and the kind of workouts you're doing. If I'm not mistaken, HIIT workouts are less effective after 30 minutes or so. Really intense tabata style sessions are typically most effective in the 15 to 20 minute window. Sustained cardio like distance running can really go as long as you like depending on how far you want to go. The likelihood of how intensely you work depends on what you want to do, and how you feel when doing it.

    Lyle McDonald has a lot of good stuff on cardio duration here: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/index.php?s=cardio+duration
This discussion has been closed.

Categories