AM or PM workouts

I work a 8-5 job , able to workout either before or after work. I'm weighing out my pros & cos workout in the am or pm. What do you prefer?
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Replies

  • BarbieFromHellx
    BarbieFromHellx Posts: 758 Member
    I much prefer mornings. My gym is always emptier, and for some reason I have more motivation. I can never be bothered to work out in the evenings especially if I've had a busy/stressful day.
  • SomeNights246
    SomeNights246 Posts: 807 Member
    I start my day out with light cardio. Usually 15 minutes of it. It helps wake me up. Other than that, I prefer PM. Some say PM makes it hard for them to fall asleep. I don't know... I've always struggled with sleep, and have found it actually has the opposite effect on me.
  • runningagainstmyself
    runningagainstmyself Posts: 616 Member
    I tend to do PM workouts, but that's mostly so no one can see me running all undignified and huffing and puffing while I desperately try to get back into shape. Haha!!

    EDIT: It also helps me sleep really well at night.
  • woofer00
    woofer00 Posts: 123 Member
    PM - helps me unwind from whatever crappy day I had. Zen out on the stairmaster/treadmill/whatever.
  • moraiwebird
    moraiwebird Posts: 71 Member
    I like doing a little something in the morning to wake myself up and get going, but I'm finding I prefer evenings. Our gym seems emptier then and about an hour after I work out I can fall into the deadest, best sleep ever.

    Though, as I'm finding myself become more of a morning person, this might change.
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
    I much prefer AM. I feel sick to my stomach if I workout after eating. Even if I wait an hour or even two.
  • jessmart83
    jessmart83 Posts: 283 Member
    I prefer PM. I have a pretty stressful job, so it helps relieve any stress from the day.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    I definitely prefer AM. I am so ready to just relax after 4pm.
  • Michelle_Padgett13
    Michelle_Padgett13 Posts: 417 Member
    I don't have this problem, but my husband does. His commute is only about 7 miles round trip, so he either bikes or runs to work for his cardio. Then, after work, he comes home and lifts weights before dinner. We've gotten to where we plan family time around his workouts so he can get them in. Sometimes we lift together, and our 6 year old son joins us (he sucks at weightlifting, but he rocks pushups).

    If you can't turn your commute into a workout, maybe alternating cardio and lifting days will help.

    AM or PM is up to you, really. Sometimes a morning workout is just what I need to get going for the day. But sometimes a PM workout blasts away any stress that built up from the day at work.

    Good luck! And great job making a commitment to health despite your busy schedule. :drinker:
  • MrsJennaKwasniewski
    MrsJennaKwasniewski Posts: 204 Member
    I prefer the AM for 4 reasons.... (1)it is less crowded (2)I could have the best intentions of working out after work but it wouldn't happen (3)I'm more tired after my day so my workout after work is not as good (4)to get it done and over with so I can just focus on the rest of the day without worrying about having to workout to meet my calories or whatever at the end
  • nesto610
    nesto610 Posts: 107
    I prefer to workout in the pm after work. And I mean as soon as my *kitten* gets home from work, otherwise said *kitten* would find its way to the couch and not leave it all night.

    Also, I need food in me to have a decent workout and I get nauseous if I eat too early after waking up. I have no idea why, but I have always been that way.
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
    I prefer mornings, but will do a workout whenever I can get one in.
  • kingneptune45
    kingneptune45 Posts: 8 Member
    My gym is open 24 hours a day. I prefer the nighttime workouts... especially after dinner. This way I know the only thing I need to be consuming after my workout is a protein shake.
  • JustSomeEm
    JustSomeEm Posts: 20,287 MFP Moderator
    I do both. I PREFER AM workouts. I think its a great way to start the day. BUT, after a long frustrating 'I want to kill a particular coworker' day at the office, an evening run makes me feel better.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    AM because I feel like I do better then than after work. Unfortunately, on the weekends my gym doesn't open until 8 and I go into work at 5 or 6, so those days I have to hold off until mid-afternoon.
  • Shylin
    Shylin Posts: 109 Member
    I've never been much of a morning person and find I have the best energy in the evenings so I tend to workout about an hour after dinner.
  • ploppersdf1
    ploppersdf1 Posts: 89 Member
    i like doing pm workouts they help me sleep better, i don't have to wake up early, they are more convenient with my husbands schedule and they help me unwind after a long day.
  • AM for sure! Get in, get fit, get out!
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
    I prefer PM because I already have to get up at 5 AM just to get to work as it is.
  • Swiftlet66
    Swiftlet66 Posts: 729 Member
    On days when I'm off from work, I do AM workouts. On days when I do work, I do PM. On days when I have both work and evening classes (5 AM to 10 PM straight), I can't exercise at all!! Lol. On those days, I'll try to do some mini exercises during breaks/lunch time at work but it's difficult when those days run together because I get very drained. Next fall, it'll be Monday through Thursday with this schedule and I have no idea how that's gonna work out. :( Overall, it's actually harder for me to be motivated in the evening though because usually I'm just so darn tired, I'd rather just eat and go to bed.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    But enough about me, let's talk about you. Which do YOU prefer?
  • LazSommer
    LazSommer Posts: 1,851 Member
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  • thepetiterunner
    thepetiterunner Posts: 1,238 Member
    Why not do both? Double days rock!

    I prefer the mornings though. It sets up the rest of my day and I feel so productive. The end of my day, I'm beat and usually some other thing has derailed me. Get in and get it done.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,347 Member
    I'm useless in the mornings, I have far more energy and motivation in the afternoons. I find that before I eat in the mornings I'm weak and have no energy, but I'm too lazy to get up, eat, then work out, so I just do it at lunch or after work :)
  • michelleepotter
    michelleepotter Posts: 800 Member
    I like mornings, partly because there's less chance of getting tired or sidetracked and not getting around to working out. But also because I like to walk and run outside, and for a significant portion of the year it's scorchingly hot outside after the sun comes up.

    That said, I also do aerobics in the afternoon, just because that's when I had a free spot in my schedule. It's harder to get motivated, but I'm trying to stick with it.
  • MBrothers22
    MBrothers22 Posts: 323 Member
    Well depending on when you work out and when you go to bed, it can make it harder to fall asleep if they are too close together. Awakening your muscles is not what you want when you have to sleep.
  • tanyoshka
    tanyoshka Posts: 50 Member
    I am soooo not a morning person, so most people who know me would be shocked to hear this, but I actually prefer to work out in the morning. I wake up at the crack of dawn, throw on my workout gear and go. It gives me a full hour to wake up without actually having to talk to anyone, and sometimes I'm too tired to care that I'm busting my butt at the gym. There's nothing like walking out of the door with the hardest part of the day behind you.
  • sexymamadraeger
    sexymamadraeger Posts: 239 Member
    I do both, but I do my intense workout and weight lifting in the morning. My kids aren't up yet at 6 AM and I can focus on myself. It's easy to make it a habit too. There's hardly ever a reason not to exercise that early every morning.
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
    I prefer after work, especially if I'm lifting weights. I have very little energy just before work (I can barely make it in! :laugh: ). My grip is weak and my endurance is ow. I am much better off doing HIIT/cardio at lunch and weight lifting after work.
  • jobaby894
    jobaby894 Posts: 21 Member
    There is no way I am doing an AM work out; I can hardly get out of bed without pressing snooze 5 times. LOL I do walk on 30 minutes walk on my lunch and then when I get home I workout. :smile: