What Time of Day Do You Train?

I’m a morning trainer or late morning trainer. I like to get it out of the way, feel energized for the rest of the day, and get in the gym when it’s not super busy. You won’t find me there at 6:00am…more like 10ish…which is when I’m good and awake, warmed up, and at my best. A lot of people believe that the morning is the best time to train, but is that scientifically true? Time to Google ...

What did I find? There is absolutely no reliable evidence that suggests that one time of the day is better over another to workout. I did find that there are some different benefits to training at the different times.

Morning: If you train in the mornings you can lower your triglycerides levels for the entire day, which helps decrease the risk for heart disease according to a study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise reports. Other research suggests that people who exercise exercise first thing in the morning, tend to be the most consistent because they complete their workout before other obligations interfere.

Midday: Do you get in an after noon slump? Maybe you should workout in the middle of the day. Doing so will keep your adrenaline pumping throughout the rest of the day. Just be sure to eat your lunch after you workout, and not before. I used to workout during my lunch break, shower, then eat my prepared lunch of spinach, chicken, and brown rice at my desk. At the time, this was the best schedule for me.

Evening: There are benefits to working out in the evening, however keep in mind that if you have any trouble at all with getting to sleep at night you should probably avoid working out in the evening. Exercising raises your heart rate, body temperature, and adrenaline. All of which is not conducive to sleep. On the other hand, the higher core body temperature which occurs at this time of day may allow for better muscle performance when strength training.

The bottom line? Schedule your workout during a time of day that you’ll stick with and that’s best for you. If you’re not a morning person don’t train at 6:00am. You’ll just end up dreading it. Finding motivation is hard enough. Make it easy for yourself and do what works best for you!