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Best workout time for best results

clairealyssa7
clairealyssa7 Posts: 9 Member
in Debate Club
Am or pm? I have heard am gets you burning, And continues to all day long

Replies

  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    Adherence is king for results, so personal preference is best.
    Some research shows performance peaks in the evening:
    http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/best-time-to-work-out/
  • TK6299
    TK6299 Posts: 502 Member
    senecarr wrote: »
    Adherence is king for results, so personal preference is best.
    Some research shows performance peaks in the evening:
    http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/best-time-to-work-out/

    Thanks for sharing!
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    senecarr wrote: »
    Adherence is king for results, so personal preference is best.
    Some research shows performance peaks in the evening:
    http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/best-time-to-work-out/

    Totally agree about personal preference and adherence.

    Goals might also matter. I think I run best in late afternoon, but if I'm training for a morning event it can be helpful to run in the morning under similar conditions (eating the same thing I'd eat before, etc.).

    Also, it may affect sleep to workout too late or, on the other hand, an early evening workout might help one sleep or make one more or less hungry at dinner time. Lots of variables.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I agree with adherence.. I can barely put one foot in front of the other in the mornings, my workouts would suck and would not be worthwhile for me.
  • bclarke1990
    bclarke1990 Posts: 287 Member
    I feel like if you could develop the habit of working out early in the morning it sets you up for a goal-driven production day/routine, but like everyone has said, do what is going to work best for you.

    I can work out at 7am after a cup of coffee in the summer and I feel so productive, but in the winter *kitten* that; I'm sleeping in b/c it's cold :S
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    shell1005 wrote: »
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    I agree with adherence.. I can barely put one foot in front of the other in the mornings, my workouts would suck and would not be worthwhile for me.

    While I mostly agree that it true, there is also a lot to be said for consistency and pattern.

    I used to say that my workouts in the mornings just sucked. I said that I didn't like moving with purpose before 11am. I wasn't as productive and they often just felt like garbage. However then I started training for a race and needed to run 4 times a week. It was also the middle of a humid summer, so if I didn't get up at 5am to go running, it wasn't going to happen. The first few weeks it felt like garbage, but I kept getting up and kept going...and now, I can get up and have a really great run.

    It does change my workout sweet spot though....I still prefer running at 10 or 11am, but with practice and dedication....anytime can be an optimal workout time.

    Haha this is exactly what i say! Plus it's heading into winter here and I feel even more suckier :tired_face:

    I guess if I made morning workouts a habit I would eventually get in to a groove.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited March 2016
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    I guess if I made morning workouts a habit I would eventually get in to a groove.

    That's what happened to me, but I still am terrible about doing them in the winter. I have to go by 6 am at the latest, and it's dark here then in most of the winter, and morning+cold+dark is just tough for me to overcome.

    In the summer I have come to love morning workouts and do feel great all day when I do them (same with winter, in the rare times I manage).

    It's finally the time of year (here) when I want to work out in the morning again.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    clairealyssa7 wrote: »
    Am or pm? I have heard am gets you burning, And continues to all day long

    you heard wrong, it is personal preference and what you can make fit into your schedule.
  • Hawkian
    Hawkian Posts: 87 Member
    This is probably restating what has long been said, but studies have shown that when in particular doesn't make all that much difference, though getting into a routine of working out around the same time every day does have tangible benefits.
  • speerickson
    speerickson Posts: 8 Member
    It all depends when you have times and what works out best for you. I like going early in the morning before work to get my workout in and so I don't have to worry about many other people there. However when I workout in a crowded gym I get a great workout as well.

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