Finding time to exercise can be challenging, as can determining the best time to work out.
Whether your goal is weight loss or building muscle, having a consistent workout routine is essential.
In the age of the internet, it can be hard to know what’s fact or fiction. Does when you work out even matter? Though there is never a bad time of day to work out, many factors can determine the best time to work out in the day.
No matter how or when you like to work out, at POW8R, we have a plan for every preference.
In this blog, we will explore the best time to work out in the day.
Working Out in the Morning
It’s no secret that working out in the morning has plenty of benefits. However, some people may be sceptical about starting a morning exercise routine because if they have a 9 to 5 job, they will have to get up even earlier for the day.
There are solutions for making it easier to complete a home workout, such as following a routine or making the workout shorter.
We will go through the pros and cons of working out in the morning so that you can decide for yourself.
Pros of Working Out in the Morning
Better mood
A major benefit of working out in the morning is elevating your mood for the rest of the day; when you work out, your body releases endorphins that leave you feeling happy and positive, which can set you up for a great day.
Scheduling
Once you complete a workout in the morning, you have the rest of the day ahead. This means that you are free to do whatever important work you need to do.
Working out on an empty stomach may lead to better results
A study completed by Harvard Medical School has determined that working out after fasting may lead to better results. After a night of sleep, if we exert energy, our body has to get it from our fat reserves, making it easier to burn fat.
Cons of Working Out in the Morning
Fatigue
If you overexert yourself in the morning, it may deplete your energy reserves for the full day. This is especially true if you suffer from a chronic condition that makes you more susceptible to fatigue.
Risk of injury
Before you workout, it is important to stretch to ensure that you do not injure your body. Stretching can be time-consuming, so people skip it in the morning. Not taking the time to stretch can be detrimental to your physical health, so if you are not willing to do it in the morning, don’t work out.
Afternoon Workouts
When people discuss the best time to exercise, they always choose between working out in the morning or the evening; nobody considers the afternoon a viable option.
If working out in the morning or the evening doesn’t work for you, working out in the afternoon may be the perfect solution. Here are the pros and cons of working out in the afternoon.
Pros of Working Out in the Afternoon
Convenient for parents
If you are a parent, you will know it can be near impossible to get a moment for yourself in the morning or evening. After having children, working out to maintain your physical and mental health is important. Working out in the afternoon is great for any parent, as a quick home workout can be fit into a single lunch break.
Allows you to train harder
By the afternoon, you should have eaten two meals. This means that your glucose levels are at their highest, so you have much more energy to work out with. You can push yourself to work harder and build more muscle.
Cons of Working Out in the Afternoon
It is inconvenient to schedule if you work
If you work a full-time job, you likely only have 30 minutes daily for a break in the afternoon. With such limited time for yourself, finding the motivation to exercise can be challenging, making it unsustainable in the long run.
Makes planning ahead difficult
Consistency is vital to maintaining an effective workout routine. Picking your workout time in the middle of the day puts you in a position where you may struggle to maintain the schedule.
If you have an ever-changing schedule, an afternoon workout may not be the best option for you.
Evening Workouts
Arguably, the evening is the most popular time of day to work out. If you are a regular gym goer, you have likely experienced a drastic increase in visitors after 5 p.m.
Though the evening appears to be the most popular time to work out in a day, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is the best time to work out. Here are the pros and cons of working out in the evening.
Pros of Working Out in the Evening
Provides better sleep
Working out in the evening is often considered the best time of day because it can make it easier for a person to sleep. When you work out, you expend energy, which can help you fall asleep quicker and improve the quality of your sleep.
It can help you destress from the day
When you work out, you release endorphins; endorphins flood your body and leave you feeling fantastic. Because of these endorphins, you can disconnect from your worries temporarily. An evening workout session is also an excellent opportunity to reflect on and process the day’s events.
Easier to maintain
A big selling point for working out in the evening is that it is much easier to maintain. Getting out of bed in the morning can be incredibly difficult, so people tend to skip their morning workouts.
Working out in the evening usually fits into schedules better, so it is easy to maintain.
Cons of Working Out in the Evening
Intense exercise can make sleep harder
Though exercise can help you sleep, it can also have the opposite effect. Vigorous workouts can lead to the production of endorphins, which will make you feel much more energetic than you should before bed.
It is recommended that you do not work out less than an hour before bed because of this.
Less opportunity for classes
A major drawback of working out in the evening is the lack of workout classes. A lot of people find it easier to do a workout under instruction, but workout classes do not run late into the night.
A great way to address this issue is by doing a home workout. At POW8R, we offer a complete workout plan and challenges that can be completed at any time of the day, so you won’t have to worry about missing out.
How Gender Impacts Workout Times
Before deciding the best time to work in the day, you should consider the difference gender can make to the argument.
Though you may not have initially thought of it, it makes a lot of sense. Male and female anatomy have distinct differences, and how we store weight and develop muscle differs.
Here is how working out at different times of day impacts different genders.
Best Workout Time for Women
Academics at Skidmore College carried out a study that determined that women burn more fat when they work out in the morning.
Working out in the morning can give women a testosterone boost, which can significantly help them build muscle and lose fat.
Morning workouts are also associated with improved blood pressure and a sense of calm throughout the day, which is especially beneficial when dealing with hormonal fluctuations.
Given the evidence, working out in the morning is the best time for women to work out.
Best Workout Time for Men
Working out in the evening is the best option for men. Studies on men showed that working out in the evening significantly lowered their cholesterol levels, a growing concern for men.
Strength, endurance, and flexibility tend to peak in the evening for men, so their bodies are in optimal condition for exercise.
Power output is generally higher in the evening, so men can get the most out of their workouts later in the day.
Be Ready to Workout Anytime With POW8R
One of the significant determining factors when it comes to picking the best time to work out is convenience.
When people think about workouts, they often imagine themselves in the gym, which makes working out challenging to fit in a day.
However, if you want a good workout, you are no longer limited to the gym. At POW8R, our carefully curated workout resources mean that any time of day is a good time to work out.
If you would like to learn more about our resources, contact a member of the POW8R team today to learn more about our memberships.