Morning vs. evening workouts

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sshintaku
sshintaku Posts: 228 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So the morning exercise thread got me thinking: what, if any, is the difference between working out in the morning vs working out in the afternoon/evening? I leave for work at 6am, and tried to workout in the morning for awhile but it made me miserable so I stopped. Now, I workout in the afternoon when I get home from work and it's great. Apparently a lot of you work out SUPER early in the morning. Is there a particular reason?

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  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
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    I think it's just personal preference. I'm an early riser and I like morning workouts, although lately I've been doing both with weight lifting in the mornings and bike rides in the evenings.
  • m0radell
    m0radell Posts: 26 Member
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    I like to workout in the mornings because if I workout in the evening, I end up taking my sweet time doing it. Sometimes it can take me 3 hours to get done what should get done in 1 and a half. If I'm working out in the morning, I usually have a time I need to be done by.
    It's also nice to have the workout out of the way, so that I don't have to worry about it later.
    AND I LOVE the post-workout burn, so if I workout hard enough I can feel it all day.

    That being said, even though I love morning workouts, I'm usually too lazy to get up early enough to get it done.
  • ebayaddict0127
    ebayaddict0127 Posts: 523 Member
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    I've TRIED AND TRIED wake up early to workout. My main reason for wanting to do the am workouts? It's done and I only have to shower once. If I workout after work, then there's a 2nd shower for the day. Plus I'm so tired after work.
  • nuttyduffy
    nuttyduffy Posts: 255 Member
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    I usually work out in the afternoon when I'm done with work but on the holidays I always get up and workout first thing in the morning. I've been off this week and have found for the same exercises I get a higher burn in the morning!!!!

    I'm not sure if this is because I'm doing it fasted or what but it made me feel good. Just wish I could get my lazy butt out of bed earlier in the morning but I can't it's just too darn comfortable :laugh:
  • sigsby
    sigsby Posts: 220 Member
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    I fit my workouts in where I can. Some days it is at 4:30 AM and some days it's at 7:00 PM. Some days it's both. I like a good morning workout because I get a good start to the day.
  • craftywitch_63
    craftywitch_63 Posts: 829 Member
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    Working out is working out. If I worked out in the morning I would have to get up at 3 am to get to the gym by 5, get showered, made-up, hair done, etc., to get to work by 8. That's insane, so I exercise after work when I have all evening. The only drawback is because of my job I sometimes have to work late, or sometimes I'm just too tired to workout, so I use those days to rest or I do some light yoga at home. On weekends I usually work out in the morning.

    In the end, working out is working out and whatever schedule you can sustain is the right schedule.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    It doesn't matter...I like to workout when I can give it 110%...for me, that doesn't happen early in the morning. I generally lift in the evenings after work and I usually do my cycling during the lunch hour at work. I spin on Saturdays at 9:30 (because that's the instructor I like) and I do my long ride on Sunday mornings while my wife is at the gym with the kids (drop in childcare facility is awesome).

    Some people are morning people...some people aren't. There is no advantage to working out at any particular time other than whatever time you are able to crush it.
  • caitconquersweight
    caitconquersweight Posts: 316 Member
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    It doesn't really matter. It's not going to sabotage you if you don't work out in the morning. I personally work out mid-afternoon. I've done it so many times that it's practically a routine now. I have the most energy after lunch and working out gives me energy for the rest of the day.
  • sbarella
    sbarella Posts: 713 Member
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    It's up to you. I like to workout in the morning but my performance is better in the evening.
  • dmclark77
    dmclark77 Posts: 1 Member
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    I always work out at night because that's the best time for me during a day. I don't have anything against morning workouts. Just not a morning person.
  • Xsadia
    Xsadia Posts: 20 Member
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    I like to have breakfast then get my housework done first , so early afternoon for me ;) I have a break for a while afterwards, then take the dog for a walk. Works out well for me.
  • CrisAlex
    CrisAlex Posts: 236 Member
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    It all depends on personal preference and schedule. I very much prefer the evenings but often get up early in the morning to do it because that is all the time that I will get due to my hectic work schedule and my last push to submit my Ph.D. dissertation by the end of this week.
  • TwirleySlims
    TwirleySlims Posts: 112
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    I have been exercising in the evenings but this morning I did a morning workout & it was much better as you can then get on with your day. Having said that I love my evening walks too!
  • fercar3000
    fercar3000 Posts: 286 Member
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    I do my workout in the morning then go to work ... if I leave it for the evening I may be too tired and I'm sure I will try to put it off lol
  • Itskaleena
    Itskaleena Posts: 157 Member
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    There's no difference. It's just preference. I prefer morning work outs after I have breakfast. Sometimes I do afternoon work outs though because of school or other obligations. If it's better for you to work out in the afternoon then do it:)
  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    From an eating back the calories point of view I would prefer to do morning work outs because it would then be easier to spread the calories out throughout the day.

    But due to the fact that I am not a morning person I do them in the evening after work. That also fits better if I am away for work in a hotel with a gym.

    At the end of the day its down to personal preference
  • mitchiejo
    mitchiejo Posts: 179 Member
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    I do morning workouts to get them out of the way. If I wait until after work it's too easy for me to skip it.
  • terizius
    terizius Posts: 425 Member
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    I found that even though I "feel" better throughout the day if I workout in the morning, my workouts are better in the evening (after 7pm). But, I sleep better at night when I workout in the morning.. I still havent decided which is better for me overall..

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