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Working out in the Morning vs. Night
Replies
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When I'm home, morning.
When I'm in China, 40 minutes before work, then 6.6km swim after work.
Weekend, 10am because the gym in China doesn't open until 10 in weekends.0 -
Whichever any particular individual will stick with/be more likely to do is the better option.
For me personally, that means a morning workout. When I get home from work, all I want to do is cook my dinner and eat (I'm usually pretty hungry) and I'm already mentally drained, so much better for me to get that workout done in the morning!
While I'm not a "morning person" and HATE getting up early, I simply have proven to myself that I will not stick with an evening workout routine. A morning workout will happen. So, for this gal, morning it is.0 -
I say whatever fits your schedule. I'm most productive in the am. Therefore, I workout in at 5am each morning....works best and it's done and outta the way. I'm not sure of their's a science behind either. IDK.0
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Found this answer and how lifting weights closer to the time you wake up might be problematic for power lifters because of how fluid in the spine settles after waking up, but otherwise the best time is when you have the time.
https://www.quora.com/Is-a-morning-gym-workout-better-than-an-evening-gym-workout0 -
jennierodriguez10 wrote: »I have watched so many YouTube videos on this theory. Is it better to workout in the morning or after 5pm? What are some pros and cons? What’s your experience?
I prefer the morning but as far as what's the best? My answer is, it depends.
My follow up question for you is, best for what?0 -
I watched a program where the results were that whether you were a morning or night person would reflect in your training.
I’m not 100% sold on this idea but I think it makes sense and does depend on the person.
I find swimming in the morning but gym in the evening works best for me.2 -
I think there might be advantages for elite athletes trying to squeeze every advantage they can out of their training to timing their exercise. But most of us aren't elite athletes.
Most of us are people trying to live better, more health-conscious lives. Any timing that encourages exercise to become a habit is what's best. This will vary from individual to individual based on their circumstances and preferences.8 -
I think it is very person dependent. I personally prefer to do it in the morning. If I get up and get moving right away I am much more likely to get it done then if I have all day to get tired/come up with excuses not to do it.1
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Husband and I started going to the gym at 530 am about 18 months ago. Haven't missed a work day since. For me the key was getting the workout in and not having a late meeting as an excuse.
This fall, I started going to classes at a small studio in the evening. The key to consistency is the smallness which feels like a family. But also the knowledge that I have the am workout so if I have a late meeting it's okay to miss the class. I don't shame myself so it's easier to go back the next day.
Do what works for you.1 -
I think it is very person dependent. I personally prefer to do it in the morning. If I get up and get moving right away I am much more likely to get it done then if I have all day to get tired/come up with excuses not to do it.
It is very person dependent. I'm not a morning person, and if I try to do early morning workouts I end up blowing them off more often than not. My wife goes to the pool and swims at 5:30 am. There ain't no way I'm getting up that early and jumping into a pool, I don't care if it's indoors and heated or not. I do either the mid-day or evening swim sessions, same with my weight training, running and cycling.1 -
I feel like I have more energy in the evenings (I'm a night owl and hate getting up early) but recently my gym has become packed at the time that I like to go (6/7pm) so I might switch to mornings again and drag myself out of bed.0
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depends on what is on the plan for the day - if i'm swimming i'l try to do it at work in the morning; especially in the winter with reduced public access hours - weights normally evening (unless i can escape the office at lunch to workout) - cycling at night in my basement....running depends on weather0
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Successful people prioritize critical activities early to ensure these are finished first, so the evidence strongly favor morning workouts.
I used to work out first thing - the "butt crack o' dawn" at 0430 every morning and found it much easier to hit my daily goals and this fed into my larger goals. Currently I'm married with 3 kids and my wife and I split up our time - she works out first thing in the morning and I work out in the afternoons. This makes it challenging and I often run into conflicts when things come up.1 -
I prefer working out in the mornings when I have more energy. I’m up on my feet teaching for 8 hours so I would definitely not be up to working out afterwards.0
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I go depending on my schedule- but I notice I am tired later in the day if i have an intense cardio session in the morning. (I also work a non traditional schedule. )If I go early evening - I sleep really well that night!!0
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Have done both throughout my life; nighttime only (oddball times 2am) for the past 5 years now. No significant difference in terms of performance, physique changes, ability to lose/gain weight, etc. Adherence/adjusting schedule seems like a critical factor (simply having the time & planning)1
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I say whatever works for your work-life balance.0
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I've done morning, lunchtime, and evening. Lunchtime is currently working best with my schedule, so that is where I am consistent these days.
BTW, I once had a limited gym membership - I think it was just T, Th, S and Sun. I found I went more regularly than if I could go any day of the week. It was easier for me to create a habit when the availability was limited.1 -
I do it at night around 5-6 pm after I am all done my eating.0
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I think you do whats best for you!!! For me, mornings don't work, I don't feel my works are as good. Afternoons or evenings work best and I feel my energy level is much higher and I get a better workout!!1
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I work 8-5, so I prefer to bring workout gear with me in the morning so I can go immediately after I get off work. If I go home, I might not leave the house again, and if I wait too much longer, I'm too tired. I hate mornings, so I will never choose to get up any earlier than I have to.1
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The best time to workout is the time that you will actually work out.
If morning vs evening isn't a factor for you from a convenience standpoint, try both and see which feels better.
It's a personal decision.1 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »The best time to workout is the time that you will actually work out.
If morning vs evening isn't a factor for you from a convenience standpoint, try both and see which feels better.
It's a personal decision.
Yeah, this. I'm another person who won't go once I get home (but I get home late and want dinner immediately). Instead, I either manage to run in the morning (easier in the summer or when I'm in a good habit of doing it, as I was before it snowed right after Thanksgiving and I stopped again) or run home (again, in the summer, too dark now) or go midday or immediately after work. Because of this my gym is super close to my office and not close to my home.
On the whole I find I prefer working out in the morning since I'm less likely to let other things interfere and I tend to feel better all day when I do -- puts me in a good frame of mind. But that's individual.0 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »The best time to workout is the time that you will actually work out.
100% agree! My dad was recently expounding that if you want to make something a consistent habit you have to do it in the morning before you start your day, and he ticked me off. I tried many times but could never stick to a morning workout routine. But then I finally tried doing it after work, and I've been consistently working out for 4 years now. I told him that plenty of people work out after work, and he insisted that we are just exceptions to his rule. (Whatever, dad.)4 -
bobsburgersfan wrote: »Carlos_421 wrote: »The best time to workout is the time that you will actually work out.
100% agree! My dad was recently expounding that if you want to make something a consistent habit you have to do it in the morning before you start your day, and he ticked me off. I tried many times but could never stick to a morning workout routine. But then I finally tried doing it after work, and I've been consistently working out for 4 years now. I told him that plenty of people work out after work, and he insisted that we are just exceptions to his rule. (Whatever, dad.)
I know the gym is a lot fuller at 4:30 pm than it is at 5:30 am. I try to lift in the mornings on lift days, but run after work on run days. Anytime I miss the morning lift and go after work, there are people waiting for the squat rack.1 -
short of a natural disaster, I'm not getting out of my comfy bed any earlier than I have to.4
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Successful people prioritize critical activities early to ensure these are finished first, so the evidence strongly favor morning workouts.
I used to work out first thing - the "butt crack o' dawn" at 0430 every morning and found it much easier to hit my daily goals and this fed into my larger goals. Currently I'm married with 3 kids and my wife and I split up our time - she works out first thing in the morning and I work out in the afternoons. This makes it challenging and I often run into conflicts when things come up.
Disagree with the bolded conclusion.
Successful people tend to be better at planning, committing to and executing their plan, that's not dependant on time of day at all.
And realistically workouts are not at the top of most people's list of critical activities.
For the majority of my working life my exercise had to fit in around my need to work (including getting enough quality sleep) and my family commitments. That meant my exercise got squeezed into workday lunchtimes and evenings, being sleep deprived and having awful quality workouts would have been a really poor choice for me.7 -
Successful people prioritize critical activities early to ensure these are finished first, so the evidence strongly favor morning workouts.
I used to work out first thing - the "butt crack o' dawn" at 0430 every morning and found it much easier to hit my daily goals and this fed into my larger goals. Currently I'm married with 3 kids and my wife and I split up our time - she works out first thing in the morning and I work out in the afternoons. This makes it challenging and I often run into conflicts when things come up.
Disagree with the bolded conclusion.
Successful people tend to be better at planning, committing to and executing their plan, that's not dependant on time of day at all.
And realistically workouts are not at the top of most people's list of critical activities.
For the majority of my working life my exercise had to fit in around my need to work (including getting enough quality sleep) and my family commitments. That meant my exercise got squeezed into workday lunchtimes and evenings, being sleep deprived and having awful quality workouts would have been a really poor choice for me.
I would agree with this additional specification, but it takes a well disciplined and experienced person to master time management. Certainly not applicable for someone just starting out.
It's a simple matter of conflicting priorities. If one intends to work out for 30 mins/day, the longer one delays this activity the greater the chance of failure.0 -
Successful people prioritize critical activities early to ensure these are finished first, so the evidence strongly favor morning workouts.
I used to work out first thing - the "butt crack o' dawn" at 0430 every morning and found it much easier to hit my daily goals and this fed into my larger goals. Currently I'm married with 3 kids and my wife and I split up our time - she works out first thing in the morning and I work out in the afternoons. This makes it challenging and I often run into conflicts when things come up.
Disagree with the bolded conclusion.
Successful people tend to be better at planning, committing to and executing their plan, that's not dependant on time of day at all.
And realistically workouts are not at the top of most people's list of critical activities.
For the majority of my working life my exercise had to fit in around my need to work (including getting enough quality sleep) and my family commitments. That meant my exercise got squeezed into workday lunchtimes and evenings, being sleep deprived and having awful quality workouts would have been a really poor choice for me.
I would agree with this additional specification, but it takes a well disciplined and experienced person to master time management. Certainly not applicable for someone just starting out.
It's a simple matter of conflicting priorities. If one intends to work out for 30 mins/day, the longer one delays this activity the greater the chance of failure.
There is a difference between planning something for later in the day and actually delaying that activity, though.
If I plan for a 5pm workout and then work out at 5pm, I didn't delay it. I executed as planned.
Now if I plan for 5pm, decide I'm tired and need a nap first, stop at the store on my way home and find myself trying to work up the gumption at 8:30pm to get back out and go to the gym, then I've delayed it and set myself up for failure.
It boils down to discipline and sticking to the schedule as planned.
Getting up early enough to work out before work takes a lot more discipline for me than making sure I go straight to the gym after work. I have more energy for my workouts in the evening than I do first thing in the morning, also.
For some people, the opposite will be true. There are morning people who are more energetic and efficient earlier in the day. There are evening people who struggle to focus in the early hours but become much more productive in the afternoon/evening hours when the morning people are winding down.
There are no absolutes or hard rules to the question "What is the best time to do X?" and thus there are also no exceptions. Everyone is different. We all have different strengths, methods and preferences and one person can be just as effective as another with just as much ease while approaching things from a completely different direction.4 -
I will be going back to my previous schedule of cycling or otherwise doing my cardio on my lunch breaks on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I haven't really been able to do that for the last year or so due to other obligations taking precedent, but that's definitely the schedule I was most consistent with.
The problem I have with afternoon/evening sessions is that often things just come up that are out of my control...or during the winter, it's dark and cold and I'm relegated to my indoor trainer which I do not enjoy all that much. And then sometimes I just get back to the house and I'm just kinda meh...gonna have a beer instead.
I'll still be lifting in the evening after work a couple days per week, but that's a little easier to manage because I don't go home first and my gym is on my commute.
I'm worse with early AM workouts than anything though.0
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