The question of when it is better for a person to exercise - in the morning or in the evening - has been discussed by experts for a long time, but there is no definite answer to it and, probably, there cannot be. Still, an individual approach is needed here.
"Owls" train in the evening, "larks" - in the morning
If life just begins for you in the evening, and getting up in the morning is equivalent to execution, then the best time for you to train is the evening. If you are a “morning person” and have been accustomed to getting up with the first rays of the sun since childhood, then morning workouts will be optimal for you.
Choose your workout time depending on your type of activity.
If you are mostly busy mental labor and you spend most of the day in a chair in front of the monitor, then it would be nice for you to stretch your bones in the gym in the evening. But if you spend the whole day running around visiting clients or carrying bags, then it’s better to train in the morning, because in the evening you won’t have the energy to train.
Choose your workout time depending on your health condition
Much depends on the person’s health status. For example, if you have heart problems, don't try to exercise in the morning.
When we sleep, our heart also rests because blood circulates more slowly. For several hours after sleep, the human body experiences such phenomena as increased heart rate, accelerated metabolism, increase blood pressure. AND additional load may lead to adverse consequences.
Choose your training time depending on your goal
Set a goal for yourself. If this is weight loss, then you need to train in the morning. This is due to the fact that after sleep, blood sugar levels are low, and if you exercise before breakfast, the body will be forced to draw energy not from carbohydrates, but from fat. Therefore, morning workouts allow you to lose weight three times more effectively than evening workouts. And training on an empty stomach burns 300% more fat than training after eating.
What time of day to train – morning, afternoon or evening – depends on the person’s physiology. If you are a night owl, train in the evening, if you are a lark, train in the morning. There is no need to torture the body by doing the opposite. There will be no benefit from this. And if you have chosen a certain time, do not change it in the future.
Max Rinkan, expert man.tochka.netIf your goal is to gain muscle mass, then it is better to train in the afternoon or evening, but not until late.
I train when I can
Most people train when circumstances and sometimes finances allow it. It's no secret that the main stumbling block to going to the gym is work. If you have a normal work schedule - from 9 to 18, then it is not possible to train in the morning and afternoon, although, according to experts, peak times muscle activity is just daytime. But, as a rule, a person has only the evening to train.
If a person has the opportunity to train in the morning, he happily grabs this option, since the attendance of the gyms in the morning and in the evening is incomparable (there is no crowd there in the evening), and it costs him less.
In any case, if you have decided on a time to visit the gym, then let it be stable. Build your routine so that exercising at this time of day brings you benefits.
In conclusion, let’s summarize all of the above, giving recommendations that will help you choose optimal time for training.
Train in the morning: if you are a morning person, if you don’t have to go to work early, if you don’t have heart problems, if your work is mobile, if you want to lose weight, if you want to complete the entire planned program in the gym, avoiding a large influx of people, if you want to free up your evenings for other things.
Morning workout advocate:“I train in the morning, three times a week, from 10 to 12. At this time I feel a surge of strength and a desire to train. All the exercise equipment is available, there are not many people. I worked out, and the whole day is free, including the evening.”
Train during the day: if your working hours allow it and you are confident that you can do it regularly; if there is one in the office or near it gym.
As in life, so in sports, everything should have its time. The best time to train is the most effective in terms of achieving results. If you choose the wrong one, then training will not help you achieve your desired goals. What's the best time to gain weight? When is it better to go to the gym, and when to work out?
All this depends on the goals being pursued. What does a person want: to keep his body in good shape, lose weight or, conversely, gain? It is these goals that determine the best time to train.
Scientific research
Scientists different countries They constantly conduct all kinds of research related to identifying the most suitable period of time to play sports. And what did they come to?
American researchers stated that the best time to train the body is determined by its body type. People are divided into three main types: If a person belongs to the third type, then he has a very slow metabolism and is more susceptible to gaining extra pounds. For this type of person, the best time to exercise is in the morning. This is from approximately 7 to 10 o'clock. At this time, the body has very little glucose and glycogen, and it is forced to take energy by oxidizing fats.
When a person is an ectomorph, his metabolism is very fast and there is a predisposition to thinness. For this type, the best time for training is in the evening, as the body has enough energy and strength. And he really needs them during training.
People with an average body type are called mesomorphs. Their metabolism is normal. There is no tendency to be overweight or thin. These people are the luckiest, since for them the best time to workout can be any: morning, afternoon and evening. Everything depends only on desire and well-being.
Other scientists from the city of Williamsburg carried out a series of experiments, dividing the day into four periods: 8, 12, 16, 20 hours. At certain times, several participants performed exercises with heavy weights. It should be noted that these people had not previously been involved in sports.
The experiment showed that they were most effective in the evening. This is due to the contraction and work of fast muscle fibers. They are most productive during evening weight training, when body temperature is slightly higher. Other important reason that was identified during this study were testosterone and cortisol levels. The first is responsible for the growth of muscle mass. The second is for destruction.
At rest, testosterone levels are highest in the first half of the day. When training is underway, its level increases significantly more precisely after evening classes. Conclusion: if the goal is to build muscle mass, then it is better to train in the evening.
The best time to exercise to burn fat and promote weight loss is in the morning, as cortisol levels are higher. But it's not that simple. This will be discussed in more detail below.
Early Bird Workout
When a person wakes up very early, for example at 5 o'clock, feeling full of energy, then early training is suitable for him. You just need to take into account the lower body temperature at this time. Ligaments and joints are not very elastic in the morning, so the most active exercises Not best option. Well breathing exercises and yoga is a great choice. Little energy is spent, and the body is charged with strength for the whole day.
From 7 to 9 we burn fat
It is these morning hours that are suitable for burning fat and cardio training. Cortisol levels are high at this time, glycogen is low, and the body takes energy from adipose tissue. It is best to spend no more than 40 minutes at moderate intensity. If a person does not have problems with blood pressure and heart, you can increase the pace and cut the time in half. You need to focus on how you feel, since not everyone can exercise in the morning.
Aerobic exercises - from 15 to 16 hours
At this time, body temperature begins to actively rise and by half past four it reaches its peak. Perfect for this watch active species fitness activities, which include cycling, aerobics, dancing and running. They will have a beneficial effect on the fat burning process, and will also help strengthen the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.
High-intensity and strength training - from 17 to 18 hours
This is the best time to train with heavy weights. During these hours you need to go to the gym or do interval and high intensity training. They require a lot of endurance. In the evening, body temperature is higher, as is the level of the hormone testosterone. All these factors have a positive effect on strength. This increases productivity during training.
Training after 19:00
At this time, body temperature begins to decrease, and bodyflex, yoga, tai chi, and stretching are suitable for the body. They have a calming and healing effect, contribute to the formation of correct and beautiful posture, strengthening deep muscle layers, development of endurance and flexibility, and also have a positive effect on the psyche.
Conclusion
Considering all of the above, we can say that the best time for training depends on the individual characteristics of the person’s body, as well as his goals. The best hours for losing weight are morning hours, and evening hours are best for pumping up muscles. Just before you start training, you need to visit a doctor to find out more about your body and make sure that there are no contraindications. And while playing sports, it is important to monitor your diet and sleep, since the result will appear only when the right approach to all three components. If at least one of the factors is left unattended, then even if you choose the best time of day for training, you can spend a long time torturing yourself with exercises, but still end up with excess or, conversely, insufficient weight.
Many people start playing sports spontaneously - some were recommended by doctors, for some, sports are an opportunity to regain a good figure, while others simply bought beautiful and fashionable sneakers on sale. Whatever the motivation for playing sports, one of the most complex issues– what time of day is best to study? Here it is worth considering the condition and physical fitness body, availability of free time, time of main work or study, schedule of classes at the gym, if you want to work out in a group. In addition, you need to pay attention to the individual time of psychological activity. This is the time during which we are ready to perceive something new and withstand stress. It is this factor that determines the type of person - “lark” or “night owl”.
In order to understand what time of day is best to exercise, let’s try to understand the nuances of morning and evening workouts.
Features of morning workouts
Many people associate morning workouts only with jogging. However, this is not always the case. Many large fitness centers are open from early morning to provide clients with the opportunity to exercise any kind of sport before work. But why do people choose physical activity over a good morning sleep? To do this, let's try to understand the pros and cons morning classes sports.
- The most important reason why people exercise in the morning is the presence large quantity strength Admit it, how many times have you promised yourself to go for a run after work? However, a heavy dinner and fatigue take their toll and training remains only in plans. And if you get up early in the morning, you will get time only for yourself - when the children are sleeping and don’t bother you, when it’s too early to run to work, and you have so much energy that you can move mountains!
- Any physical activity produces a huge amount of endorphins. This means that after training your mood improves significantly, you get a boost of energy and good mood for the whole day.
- If you decide to work out in the morning, you need to know one main rule. After waking up, at least half an hour should pass before training, otherwise the heart simply will not have time to “warm up” for active work. After all, at night blood circulation slows down, even body temperature drops slightly. Under no circumstances should you wake up and immediately go for a run. When training in the morning, you need to devote more time and attention to warming up.
- Another feature of morning training is the lack of glucose in the blood, since the last meal usually takes about 10 hours. If you want to gain mass, it is better not to exercise in the morning. But for drying and fat burning, morning is the time. Everyone knows that fat begins to burn only after 20 minutes of running, immediately after the body uses up glycogen. But in the morning, fat will begin to burn almost immediately, since there is no glucose in the blood. Therefore, even a 20-minute run will be very effective.
- Morning workouts are very useful for those who do not control their appetite. A study was conducted at a European scientific institute in which thousands of people took part. People who ran in the morning consumed fewer calories throughout the day; they just didn't feel like eating. Among those who ran in the evening, similar results could not be achieved. Scientists have suggested that morning jogging somehow affects appetite. Whether this is true or not has not yet been proven, but many people really don’t want to eat after a morning run.
- If you are planning an intensive strength training, which requires a lot of energy, you can drink water with honey and lemon immediately after waking up. This will give you fuel for active work. If you don’t do this, your vision will become dark from the strain, and you may even faint.
- Morning training also has a number of disadvantages, one of which is the thickness of the blood. After all, the body has not consumed water or food for more than 10 hours in a row! Therefore, choosing morning jog, do not neglect water - you need to drink both before and during training.
- Another feature of morning training, or rather its advantage, is that few people do it in the morning, approximately 25% of total mass athletes. And this means that treadmills and other simulators will be free!
But the most important thing to pay attention to is your well-being. If you prefer to leave all important things for the morning, like to wake up early and get everything done, most likely, morning training will not be hard labor for you. Try working out one morning. If you like it, then you are definitely a morning person.
Why classic? Yes, because most people still choose evening workouts. And there are many reasons for this.
- Many people exercise in the evening because they cannot take away their precious morning sleep time. In the morning you need to get up for work, study, and spend time on the road. And in the evening after dinner it remains free time, which many devote to sports.
- Most people can't work out in the morning because it leaves them feeling groggy throughout the day. After morning training, they have to work and study, fatigue forces them to make many mistakes, the person becomes distracted, and concentration decreases. But after an evening workout, you can go to bed with pleasure and know that tense muscles continue to work and burn fat for several hours after exercise.
- All athletes know that nutrition is closely related to sports loads. Eating in the immediate hours after a workout will put the emphasis on building muscle. And if you fast for at least 3 hours after exercise, you will notice fat burning and drying. Many girls choose evening workouts because they can go straight to bed afterward to benefit their figure. But after a morning workout you need to have breakfast, which does not entirely support the weight loss theory.
- Evening exercise is a great way to speed up your metabolism, which slows down in the evening. This way you can “work off” the cakes and sweets you eat during the day.
- Evening workouts also have their drawbacks - after intense exercise, you will not be able to fall asleep for a long time, since a huge amount of adrenaline and cartisol is released into the blood. But moderate exercise shortly before bed, on the contrary, will make your sleep deep and long.
- If you only have late evening time to train, you need to give preference to less aggressive sports - swimming, yoga, bodyflex, Pilates, etc.
- Another significant disadvantage of evening training is fatigue after a working day. If the day turns out to be nervous and difficult, you don’t even have the strength to think about training, let alone go to the gym.
These are the main features, disadvantages and advantages of evening training.
Before you start practicing, you need to pay attention to the little things. The choice of sport, gym and coach, the time of day to play sports, and the choice of a partner are very important. After all, it is these little things that shape your attitude towards your studies. If everything goes well, you will fall in love with sports, as many activists do. healthy image life. If something goes wrong, you will force yourself for a while, but sooner or later you will give up on this idea. Play sports, love sports, be on friendly terms with sports!
Video: what time of day is best to train?
Greetings to everyone, dear friends. Today I will give you precise answers to the questions that concern you, namely: what time is the best time to exercise? physical exercise How to determine the most optimal time. You will also receive valuable recommendations regarding classes at different times. Are we getting started?
Before we start looking at specific times of the day, I want to immediately note that any type of training (morning, afternoon or evening, it doesn’t matter) has its positive and negative aspects. It’s up to you to decide which option to choose, but I don’t advise you to rush; it’s better to outline for yourself all the pros and cons.
Larks, owls and pigeons
So, you've probably heard that people are larks or night owls. I’ll tell you more, there are also pigeons. Who are pigeons? Oh, these are, in my opinion, universal people in terms of choosing training times.
Larks by nature get up early and go to bed early too. Owls... I think everything is clear here, it’s not for me to explain to you that these are nocturnal birds. And pigeons... The activity of a pigeon depends on its habits: if it goes to bed early for a long time, then it will not have problems getting up early. A similar picture emerges with wakefulness at night.
You might argue that both the lark and the owl can also become accustomed to certain conditions: the lark may stay up late, while the owl may wake up early. Yes, I completely agree with you - this is possible, but still it will be easier for the pigeon, and the formed conditioned reflex (not sleeping at night or waking up early) will be more stable, that is, you do not need to constantly fight with it and reinforce it. It was formed and that's it.
But that’s not what I started writing about. I was simply pointing out that when choosing a time to study, you need to start from your “nature” - you need to pay attention to this first of all. Monitor yourself for a week and note at what time you feel a surge of strength. If you want to exercise in the evening, then the choice of training time is obvious.
Let's take a more specific look at classes at different times of the day.
Classes in the morning
What makes morning classes stand out? First of all, the body absorbs the most in the morning. This time is great for gaining weight and losing weight. Both cases are different.
When losing weight, you must not eat at all - this will allow the body to feed on fat deposits.
During weight gain, on the contrary, you need to eat very little to avoid heaviness in the stomach during exercise, and immediately within 30 minutes after training you need to take it, and only then have a full meal. This will provoke the body to diligently absorb proteins and the elements it needs.
The disadvantages of exercising in the morning are that for the first month and a half it may be difficult for you to get used to this regimen. This, in turn, is a great stress for the body, which can affect the well-being and vital energy of an unprepared person.
But rest assured, once you get used to it, you won’t have any problems, you won’t have problems getting up, and your health will improve significantly. Just imagine, you are not just doing it, but you are fully engaged.
Daytime classes
Daytime activities are good because the body has already woken up, “warmed up,” and the brain is already working “to its fullest.” More the positive side daytime activities is the fact that after training the body and body systems have time to gradually return to normal without sudden jumps.
The model is something like this: activity – slowing down – calming down – normal state. But not like this: activity is a normal state. The absence of a slowing down and calming down phase also negatively affects the body. I will talk about this below.
Evening classes
Evening classes, as mentioned above, have one, but strong drawback - the absence of a calming phase. You cannot subject your body to such stress, forcing it to rapidly move into completely opposite states. This is similar to the case with water. If you create conditions such that water immediately turns from a solid (ice) state into steam, then the structure of the water will be disrupted.
But if you feel that a surge of energy occurs in the evening, and you want to exercise, then I can only advise this: do not immediately start resting, much less sleep.
Classes at any free time
I can say with confidence that this way of practicing is the worst. It does not allow the body to get used to any regime or adjust to the rhythm of life.
Imagine, today you trained at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the day after tomorrow at 7 o’clock in the evening, and a few days later in the morning. The body simply does not have time to get used to and prepare for subsequent stress. It is prepared for one time, and you reschedule the training time.
Therefore, I will repeat again: studying at any time is the worst way to study. Although, as they say, “no fish, no cancer, no fish.” Therefore, if you have no other opportunity, but only in your free time, which is constantly changing, then it is better to do this than nothing. Something is better than nothing.
Exercises before and after meals
Naturally, you need to exercise before eating. This is due to the functioning of the organs and systems of the body, and possible inconvenience. It’s not for nothing that they advise you to eat 2 hours before training, that is, so that the food has time to be digested to a greater extent.
Exercising after meals is fraught with heaviness in the stomach, possible nausea, and also feeling unwell. Do you feel a little sleepy after a heavy lunch? This blood drained from the brain and rushed to the stomach. Do you think you can train a lot in this state?
I hope you have determined for yourself best time for training, and if you don’t yet have a full training program, then pay your attention to the video course " For men" And " For women».
When is the best time of day to train with physiological point vision? Are you tired in the evening, but in the morning your body is somehow not ready? In other words, when is it better to exercise, morning or evening?
Morning workouts
What happens in the human body in the morning? You woke up, washed your face, finally woke up 🙂 and felt a surge of strength. Perhaps at no other time of the day do we feel as cheerful and energetic as we do in the morning.
This is explained, of course, by long sleep and hormones. In the morning, from about 6 to 8 o'clock, cortisol is intensely released in the body. This catabolic hormone helps actively break down fats, carbohydrates and proteins in the body. And this, among other things, is an important anti-inflammatory agent that protects us from various types of infections.
Increased energy, many hours of rest, increased secretion of cortisol - what could be better for training? Especially for terrain training.
I believe that morning is the ideal time for serious fitness training.
It is no coincidence that the majority professional athletes They conduct their training early in the morning. This is really correct.
For people involved in building muscle mass, the following advice will be relevant. To prevent increased cortisol secretion from damaging hard-earned muscle mass, immediately after waking up you should take a small dose of amino acids (for example, BCAA) or whey (fast) protein. Do this right before your morning workout. This really affects muscle mass in the best possible way.
After your morning workout, you should have a hearty breakfast. I am sure that even those who usually do not want to eat in the morning will feel healthy morning hunger after a good workout.
Meanwhile, many people feel that they shouldn’t train with weights in the morning. I myself came to this conclusion through personal experience. It's much easier to get injured in the morning if you don't take the time to warm up thoroughly. For many people, if they do workouts in the morning, then only aerobic, light ones strength training, static exercises. Most people have much less flexibility in the morning than in the evening. Therefore, stretching in the morning is less pleasant.
You must determine for yourself whether morning training is right for you.
Training in the evenings
In the evening, on the contrary, in many respects the body is better prepared for the load, but this fatigue...
Do you know that there are different types of fatigue? Analyze what are you tired of?
1. Have you been carrying bags of cement all day?
2. Or did you sit in front of the monitor all day? Is it really physical fatigue?
Or maybe you just forgot to have lunch or were nervous? Maybe it's emotional fatigue? And good physical activity will help you break out of vicious circle negativity and fuss?
If in the first case it can be said unequivocally that training is most likely out of the question. Then in the second - I’m sure of this - you need to take yourself by the soft spot and drag yourself into the hall! Fatigue will disappear as if by hand.
It also happens that it is difficult to understand whether it is worth training today or not. Here I recommend applying the old proven rule:
If you are in doubt whether to go to an evening workout or not, go
Just go to the gym and start training. If in the first minutes of training your fatigue only intensifies, just do a minimum of exercises with light weights and go home. But I am sure that most of these potentially lost training sessions will go off with a bang. You will be surprised at your energy!
The subjective perception of training is greatly influenced by habit. It is important to understand that man is an extremely flexible creature. We can develop the habit of exercising at any time of the day. The main thing is habit. And only if you really begin to notice that the chosen time is unsuccessful, then you should think about changing your exercise regime.
Workout twice a day
Sounds unexpected? Seems impossible? Suitable only for professionals? I don’t agree with you, because I know a lot of examples from ordinary people with a lot of things to do and troubles.
Two workouts a day are very effective for quick results. This principle is especially suitable for weight loss and quick cast get yourself into shape. Of course, this requires effort and sufficient time. But, I emphasize, this is very effective. For example, the program and my other training almost always require two sessions per day. One training session (morning) is our main one, the second (evening) is auxiliary and very short.
Two workouts a day is not fantasy or nonsense. It's just habit and determination.
