Exercising before or after work?

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Replies

  • woolyentity
    woolyentity Posts: 2 Member
    It depends of the type of training. Weight training I do in the morning - I'm at the gym around 6:30AM. There is no people, and after work I am phisically and mentally too tired.
    Running for me is after work because in the morning warm-up take too much time ;)
  • Pipsqueak1965
    Pipsqueak1965 Posts: 397 Member
    At the moment I do the same as you and go in my lunch break - however, I'm leaving this job early next year and will probably have to find a new routine that works for me - dreading it actually ...
  • RovP6
    RovP6 Posts: 108 Member
    Like you, I used to workout at lunchtime, but also like you that became a non-option several years ago. I now workout in the evenings, at around 7:30pm. Mornings are out for me as I'm out the door at 7am taking the kids to nursery. I also have to wait until the kids are in bed before I workout, hence the 7:30 pm start time. I find it's a good time to workout becuse my body is well warmed up from a day of actvity and it also tires me out so I sleep really well.
  • girlwithcurls2
    girlwithcurls2 Posts: 2,257 Member
    I'm terrible in the morning. I'm also not inclined to work out after I get home. So I go straight from work.
  • Buff_Daddy_Regie
    Buff_Daddy_Regie Posts: 73 Member
    Every person is different how they wanna do it.all that matter is no matter how bad your day will go is you still go out there and workout..
  • GreenValli
    GreenValli Posts: 1,054 Member
    I go in the mornings, too. I actually do not like to exercise but I still make it to the gym at least 3 times a week because I know it is good for me. "Do it and get it over with!" Music makes it a little easier. Artsie Sarah, hope you find a good plan that works for you.
  • gewel321
    gewel321 Posts: 718 Member
    I take a class two times a week in the evening. My strength training days I go at night after my kiddo goes to bed. I didn't want to give up time with him to work out. Yeah it sucks to be home for a few hours before I get back out and go to the gym but I know I have to do it.

    I will say that I do a Saturday morning swim class and I feel great all day long. I can see the pull of going in the morning. I just cant get out of bed early enough for that!!
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
    You're looking at this wrong.

    While you have 2 not so hot options...

    ...you also have 2 equally GOOD options!

    Most of us don't have magical schedules that are optimal for exercising. We have to make a commitment to a schedule and adapt our lives to this. But it seems that you've identified 2 time periods that work for you and THAT IS AWESOME.
  • emsmiley12
    emsmiley12 Posts: 22 Member
    In my opinion, this really is going to be personal preference. I would say make a strong effort of trying a couple weeks of each for trk and error.

    I am a workout at night person. I much rather get up in the morning and have my routine: Coffee, news, meditation, get ready. However, If you like to stick to a bed routine and go to bed fairly early, getting that boost at night may not be best served. It’s great for me because I’m normally up until 1-2a.

    Trial and error, but do what feels best. It’ll prob take about a month to know what will be best for you. We are all different but kudos for you for getting a workout in regardless of a busy schedule :)
  • Casympere
    Casympere Posts: 4 Member
    I'm not a morning person and I prefer to work out at 8 pm (after work).
    I think if the "morning option" does not suit you it is better to work out in the evening.
  • jim_golfer
    jim_golfer Posts: 4 Member
    Morning for me and get it done early.
    Gym @7am, start work 8:30 am..... (Gym I use is absolutely rammed in evening).
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
    Hey all,

    Recently my schedule has changed and it's been hard trying to figure out what's a good time to exercise. I used to have an hour lunch break and I'd exercise at that time which was a perfect way to beat afternoon grogginess. I literally had nothing else to do with that free hour!

    I don't have that long lunch break anymore and I need to figure out if I should work out before or after work. I seem to be tired either way. I'm not a morning person, I can barely get up for work as it is, and then I'm beat after work and I just want to wind down and have dinner! What is everyone else's routine?? I feel like I have to choose between 2 not-so-hot options.

    Being a morning person, is just a term that ppl use it's not a real thing (IMO). If you want to workout early just go to bed earlier and wake up earlier, you adjust your sleep schedule so if you require 8hrs of sleep to feel good go to bed at 8PM and then wake up at 4AM and then go workout before work. You adjust it, more or less.

    If you find yourself super tired everyday as mentioned above go to bed earlier is all. As for when to workout the morning is usually allot slower then any other time at the gym from my experience, second slowest time is around 1:00 in the afternoon until about 3:00. After 5:00 is "no thank you" for me it's just to busy, but clears back out around 8:30
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 12,930 Member
    If left to its own, my body would prefer to sleep from about midnight to about 08:00. This creates a challenge for me four days per week when I have an appointment at 07:00 with my desk. My gym opens at 05:00, but it's not likely I'll take advantage of that. Gym employees tell me that's when it's actually most crowded, especially the pool.

    I like to go when I don't have to rush. I have three-day weekends, so I try to go mid-day on Mondays when it's really not crowded. That means it's also best if I go Saturday. It's also a less busy day. I try to go one or two evenings after work each week, but if I only get in two or three times in a week, it's fine. My gym isn't convenient, and we have some equipment at work, including some nice new machines. I can get some cardio at work on my half-hour lunch or quickly after work. I still like to hit my gym because I also can get in a swim and a steam. These are my little treats, and that's why I even BOTHER with a gym now that we have all the equipment at work.

    There's some evolutionary advantage to having a tribe where people's circadian rhythms aren't all the same. If everyone slept at the same time, there would be more time when the clan/tribe would not have eyes watching and could suffer attack from an animal or another clan. With some early birds and some night owls, there's fewer hours when the tribe is unprotected. Somewhere along the line, our culture has given more value to early birds. People who's clocks run later are often viewed as lazy. It's not true. It's just different biology.
  • katsheare
    katsheare Posts: 1,025 Member
    For me the day starts right if I'm up by 6 and either running or bodyweight exercising by 6:10. Have to get the family up and started by 7, and bedtime can last as late as 9, so if I want any time with my partner I only have the mornings.

    The trick to starting early is ending the previous day early. It all cascades.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
    I'm a morning person, and I always feel energised and ready to take on the day after my morning workout.
    Whatever time would work best for YOU is the answer, when is it most convenient? which time is likely to be more sustainable?
  • fittodress2018
    fittodress2018 Posts: 23 Member
    I tried doing the afternoon workouts and in many ways after a day of work you always seem to find an excuse not to completed. I start my work shift in a hospital at 6:30 am, so now I am waking up at 3:30 am and working out atleast 1 hour daily doing cardio on my elliptical. I lost more than 50 pounds 2 years ago and I have put some weight on I blame it a lot on stress.. but here I am at it strong 💪🏼
  • MarvinsFitLife
    MarvinsFitLife Posts: 874 Member
    Go to bed at 8pm up 4am give yourself some time to get in the rhythm...morning workouts are the best
  • Sarah412elizabeth
    Sarah412elizabeth Posts: 5 Member
    edited December 2019
    I’m a morning person, usually getting up at 4:00 to workout before the day starts, but recently started working at 5:00 am - so I’m trying to convert to an after work exerciser. It’s so tough. I just want to relax in the evenings!
  • Aermorgen
    Aermorgen Posts: 10 Member
    For me, before work and before the rest of the family gets up is best. I have 1.5 hours between 5 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. that I look at as "mine." It's too early in the day for my job to expect me to be working on things and nobody else is awake to distract or have needs for me to take care of. Later in the day-- anything can happen. A work crisis can come up, or a 1-hour meeting can run 2 hours and push the rest of the work day longer. Someone can get sick and be sent home from school. Even enjoyable everyday interactions can interfere: my husband wanting to talk about something he's doing, or me wanting to just hang out with the family once we're all home.

    For me, planning to exercise early in the morning means that it gets done, and nothing that occurs later in the day can take it away. It's the easiest time for me to protect and keep consistent. The drawback to the schedule is that I'm usually ready to drop by 9:45 p.m., an hour that would have seemed obscenely early pre-kids.
  • notmyachillesheel8
    notmyachillesheel8 Posts: 285 Member
    I far prefer before work. Just have to get up early but it’s worth it