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Vitality
Time Of Day And Fitness Goals: Why Working Out In The Morning Is Best For
Stress, Not Muscle Size
Sep 10, 2015 10:52 AM By Lizette Borreli @lizcelineb
Woman lifting weights
The decision of whether to do morning workouts or evening workouts
depends on your fitness goals. Adrian Fallace, CC BY-ND 2.0
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Whether you like to break a sweat during a 6 a.m. workout or burn off
steam with a 6 p.m. visit to the gym, exercising regularly at any point
of the day helps keep you healthy and fit. Everyone has their own
theories and preferences regarding the “best” time of the day to train,
but does it really make a difference whether you work out in the
morning or the evening?
It all comes down to what your fitness goals are. Are you working out
for a good night’s sleep? Maybe you’re trying to lose weight or
increase muscle mass. The best time of the day for you to work out
depends on your answers to these questions. If you know what your goals
are, look below for the best times.
Weight Loss: Morning/Evening Workout
When it comes to shedding the pounds, it’s a tie between morning and
evening workouts. A 2010 study published in The Journal of Sports
Medicine and Physical Fitness found evening strolls led more
post-menopausal women to lose weight and fat mass than women who went
on morning strolls. Evening strolls were also found to change women’s
dietary habits; they ate more in the mornings. Eating breakfast in the
morning can reduce the likelihood of obesity, stabilize blood sugar
levels, and even suppress appetite later on in the day.
Conversely, a 2010 study published in the Journal of Physiology found
exercising before breakfast helps dieters achieve better weight loss
results because the body burns a greater percentage of fat for energy
during exercise rather than depending on carbs from food. This study
was the first to show that fasted training is more beneficial than fed
training to energize the body and improve glucose tolerance in a
fat-rich diet. Morning workouts prime the body for an all-day fat burn.
To lose weight, it all comes down to when you’re the most available to
commit to a regular workout routine.
Boost Muscle Strength: Evening Workout
A rule-of-thumb is that muscle strength tends to be at its lowest in
the morning, and then increases gradually until it reaches peak levels
in the early evening. A 1998 study published in the journal Medicine
and Science in Sports Exercise observed how time of day affected
muscular performance in a cohort of untrained men in their early 20s.
The men performed a series of strength tests at different times,
including 8 a.m., 12 p.m., 4 p.m., and 8 p.m. Muscle strength was
greatest in the evening, but only during exercises that involved faster
movements. In other words, maximal muscle strength varies with the time
of day and is contingent on the speed of the workout.
Boost Muscle Size: Evening Workout
One question many fitness gurus have is whether an evening or morning
workout will help them build more muscle and lose fat faster. A 2009
study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
found there are greater gains in muscle size when trainers work out
during the evening hours. A group of young men were trained between 5
p.m. and 7 p.m. for the first 10 weeks of the study. Then, for the next
10 weeks, the men were divided into two groups: a morning group (7 a.m.
to 9 a.m.) and an afternoon group (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.). The researchers
found all men gained size and strength, but the afternoon group gained
an average of 3.5 percent more, compared to 2.7 percent more in the
morning group.
These findings are best explained by a phenomenon known as temporal
specificity, in which muscular strength adapts to be at its strongest
at the time of the day the training occurred. If you’re consistently
training in the evening, it will improve your muscle strength in the
evening.
Boost Work Performance: Afternoon Workout
To boost your work performance, especially if you’re in an afternoon
slump, work out in the afternoon. A 2009 study published in the journal
Chronobiology International found evening exercises delivered more of
an energy boost to cyclists who worked out at 6 p.m. rather than 6 a.m.
The afternoon is better for high-intensity exercises, such as swimming,
running, or biking, rather than walking. In part, this is because core
body temperature is higher in the afternoon, which means muscles and
joints are readier for exercise — there’s also a lower chance of
getting injured at this time.
Improve Sleep and Reduce Stress: Morning Workout
Setting up your alarm clock for early morning workouts can actually
give you a good night’s sleep and reduce your stress levels. A 2011
study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
tracked blood pressure levels and sleep patterns in participants
between the ages of 40 and 60. Each participant exercised moderately by
walking on a treadmill at 7 a.m., 1 p.m., and 7 p.m. for 30 minutes
three times a week. The researchers found that all of the participants
who exercised at 7 a.m. experienced an overall 10 percent reduction in
blood pressure and a 25 percent drop in blood pressure at night.
Morning workouts also helped the volunteers sleep longer and go through
deeper sleep cycles when compared to exercising at other times of the
day. The morning group spent up to 75 percent more time in the deep
sleep stage at night. These early birds not only increased their
cardiovascular health, but also decreased their stress and anxiety
thanks to a good night’s sleep. Basically, the more deep sleep the body
gets, the more time the body has to recuperate.
Regardless of the time of day you work out, consistency is key. In
theory, this means it’s best to work out whenever you’re able to stick
with it on a daily basis. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) suggests 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic
activity every week and muscle-strengthening activities on two or more
days a week that include all the major muscle groups, such as legs,
hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms. However, breaking it
up into smaller chunks of time during the day, about 10 minutes, at a
time is fine.
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Lizette Borreli
Lizette Borreli
Liz is a Senior Reporter at Medical Daily who is an outdoorsy sports
enthusiast focused on sexual health, relationships and healthy living.
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