The main rule for successful exercise is regularity. In addition, experts usually advise exercising at the same time. But what time is better to choose? When is it better to exercise: morning or evening? Let's try to understand these issues.
What is the best time to exercise?
The human body obeys circadian rhythms. By nature, our body is programmed to be active at specific times and rest at specific times. Moreover, these periods may differ for different people: some feel a surge of energy in the early morning, while others experience maximum productivity in the afternoon. Therefore, there is no exact recipe for when it is best to exercise. Training will be most effective if it coincides with a person’s individual rhythms.
During activity, two important parameters for a person fluctuate:
- Physical activity in which the muscles can perceive the load positively or not very well.
- Psychological activity in which the brain can actively perceive everything new or resist receiving any stimuli.
It is important to choose the time for training taking into account your biorhythms. Observe how you feel for 2-3 weeks to identify when you usually become drowsy, apathetic, or irritable. Training at this time will not be very useful: even if you force yourself to go to work out, your body will only get very tired.
And vice versa, if you notice that you have a strong desire to move and be active, try to schedule sports at just such a time. Training at the peak of activity, in which the muscles will enjoy the work, will contribute to the active burning of fat and the acquisition of beautiful muscle mass.
To track such periods of your well-being, you can keep a special diary.
By determining daily biorhythms, you can correctly distribute active activity and rest. During periods of activity, plan sports and other activities , including mental ones, for periods of its decline - daytime sleep, meditation or just relaxation.
In accordance with biorhythms, people are conventionally divided into “night owls” and “larks”:
- Larks are people who get up easily in the morning and are most active in the first half of the day, but find it difficult to stay awake at night.
- For owls, everything is different: they have an extremely difficult time getting up in the morning, feel tired and apathetic, but in the afternoon their performance improves.
- There is also a third type called the pigeon. People who use it can work equally effectively both in the morning and in the evening, without feeling a lack of energy.
Thus, the best time to exercise will be determined by biorhythms. It is better for larks to train in the first half of the day, for owls - in the second. Then the training will take place with maximum benefit and pleasure.
It also happens that a person’s rhythm gets lost. This may be affected by factors such as working in shifts, moving and flying, time changes, having small children, pregnancy, and so on.
But in the course of certain studies it was revealed that the rhythms can be changed. For example, if a person starts exercising regularly in the morning, over time his body will get used to it and be ready for it. Experts insist that adjusting the biological rhythm is especially important for athletes who are preparing for certain competitions. They advise rescheduling training for the time of day at which the upcoming competition is scheduled.
Research
In the scientific world, there are discussions and new theories regularly appear about the appropriate time for sports, bodybuilding or fitness.
There are a number of scientific studies that find out the time of day that would allow the body to tolerate the load well with less activation of the mechanism of destruction of muscle protein to amino acids. The results of scientific tests have demonstrated that athletic performance can change by 25% during the day. At the same time, our bodies are able to adapt to the training regime literally 14 days after regular exercise at the same time. The peak of activity will coincide with the hours at which the training usually takes place.
What is the best time to exercise?
Scientists believe that the optimal time for fitness is when normal body temperature is maximum and muscles are warm and elastic. For most people it is 16-17 hours. In addition, there is evidence that in the middle of the day a person is 5% stronger than usual, and in the afternoon - more resilient.
In the morning, body temperature is considered reduced, and it is not recommended to resort to serious activity - simple exercise is enough. In other time periods, biorhythms have the following features:
- 10-12 noon. At this time, the concentration of adrenaline is maximum, so sports that require endurance and attentiveness are optimal.
- 14-15 hours of the day. Activity decreases, and it is better to rest during this time.
- 15-16 hours of the day. Muscle tone is increased, you can resort to strength exercises.
- 16-19 hours. You can run, swing, and resort to aerobic activities - at this time the body reacts to the load as favorably as possible.
- 20-22 pm. Body temperature gradually decreases, energy decreases, and fatigue is felt. It is better to postpone serious loads at this time - you can do yoga and other activities that promote relaxation.
Speaking about what is the best time of day to play sports, it is also worth considering the relationship between the time of playing sports and eating food. It all depends on your goals, but, as a rule, all trainers advise eating light food a couple of hours before class. But you can’t exercise immediately after eating - it will be too hard for the body. The only exceptions are gainers and proteins, which athletes usually consume before or after training.
Morning: "against"
You won't have time to have breakfast. Exercising in the morning on an empty stomach is ineffective and can lead to fainting. Without breakfast, you only have enough energy for light exercise. So what, get up two hours earlier, eat and wait an hour for breakfast to digest? This won't suit anyone. True, you can drink sweet tea with a piece of chocolate, coffee with sugar, juice, eat a banana, a handful of raisins or dried apricots. These products will be absorbed while you are getting dressed.
Thick blood You did not drink for at least 8 hours during sleep; during this time, some water was excreted in the urine and, possibly, in sweat. Once the fluid is gone, it means the blood has become thicker; increasing its circulation in such an “undiluted” form means overloading the heart and veins. Therefore, before training, be sure to drink 1-2 glasses of liquid and wait 5-10 minutes for the moisture to be absorbed.
In the morning, the body is still asleep. After sleep, blood circulation throughout the body is slowed down, the lungs are narrowed, and the nervous system is inhibited. Therefore, it is necessary to start charging with a warm-up, gradually increasing the load. Beginners are not recommended to give themselves serious exercise such as running or strength exercises in the morning; it is better to take a walk, ride a bike, or swim.
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What time of day is best to practice different sports?
The answer to the question of what time of day and how long after eating is best to exercise will depend on what type of activity we are talking about. Let's take a closer look:
- Run. If you want to run for the purpose of losing weight, then it is best to do it in the morning, before breakfast, after drinking a cup of tea or coffee - this way the body will begin to actively burn fat reserves. You can run in the evening, but preferably no later than 2-3 hours before bedtime, otherwise insomnia is possible.
- Charger. Exercise is a classic start to the day. It helps you wake up faster, stretch your muscles and the whole body, so it is recommended to do it in the morning, before breakfast, after taking a shower and washing your face. After eating, any stress can cause digestive disorders.
- Workouts to gain muscle mass. For those who want to accelerate muscle growth, the optimal time is the second half of the day. During the period of 14-16 hours, the muscles are maximally susceptible to stress, and the metabolism is maximally active, and as a result, the exercises will be very productive.
Researchers agree that physical activity helps improve sleep quality. And at the same time, it is not so important what time you train. But it is better to try to avoid strong activity immediately before bedtime - the body may not have time to adjust to rest, which will provoke insomnia. In general, vigorous exercise at least an hour before bed will not have a negative effect, so as such there are no restrictions on how long you can exercise. But keep in mind that lack of sleep will negatively affect your activity and training results.
Evening: “for”
Physical activity speeds up metabolism As you know, in the evening the metabolism slows down, which is why a chocolate bar eaten for breakfast will have almost no effect on your figure, but a cake at dinner is immediately found in the waist area. Moderate physical activity is a good way to speed up your metabolism. However, the load must be moderate, no records!
At night after training, fat will be consumed . It is known that burning calories does not stop when the workout ends! By inertia, the muscles continue to consume energy for recovery for at least another 12 hours. Now imagine that after your workout you ate a light dinner and went to bed. There is no more food, new energy is not coming in, which means the body will be forced to turn to stored fat. And so on until the morning. And in the morning, metabolism also has no time for reserves, which means weight loss is inevitable!
Features of effective sports for early risers
If you are a morning person, then the best time for you to exercise to lose weight is in the morning. At this time, you will be active and productive, training will bring joy and good results. You can use exercises for all muscle groups, outdoor running, swimming, and cardio equipment.
also use a hoop with massage balls to combat excess fat deposits in the morning. By rotating it for 15 minutes to energetic music, you will not only get a slim waist, but also a great mood for the whole day.
Morning workouts have many benefits. They help you wake up faster, set you up for an active day and charge you with energy, leaving your evening free.
In addition, the morning is considered the optimal time specifically for losing weight. Glycogen reserves in the body are very low, so it is fat that will be burned. But to build muscle mass, it is better to exercise in the afternoon, but so that it coincides with your physical and psychological recovery. Classes should be intense, but not too intense, because you still need to leave energy for the whole day.
It is recommended to include protein foods in the first meal after training, which will help muscle fibers recover.
Minuses
- You can forget about regularity
Postponing your workouts until the evening means you may miss your workout due to unexpected random events. You may also feel tired during the day, your day may be stressful, or you may have to stay at work longer than expected. All this can be a reason to completely cancel the workout.
Working out in the evening or during the day becomes all the more difficult if you have to plan for the next day. After a long day, you want to relax and unwind, rather than go to the gym.
- Expect the gym to be packed.
If you go to the gym after work, expect there to be a lot of other athletes who are also done with work and have decided to exercise too. There will be queues, and shells will be in great demand.
- We'll have to prepare
If you exercise after work, you will have to watch your food intake. Pack extra snacks so you don't get hungry while exercising.
This also means that you will carry a backpack with sportswear, food containers and other necessities.
Features of training for night owls
What time to exercise? After noon. In the morning his body will be completely unprepared for stress. In addition, if a person’s hormonal levels “sway” slowly, activity in the morning can even provoke a strong deterioration in well-being.
The first training session may take place over a period of 12-16 hours. Usually this is a lunch break, which can be replaced by a gym or aerobics.
It is better to schedule strength training after work. In the evening, the owl, unlike the lark, is full of energy and can exercise with benefit and pleasure. After training, it is recommended to have a protein-rich dinner.
Evening workouts also have their benefits. The working day is already over, you can take your time and give your best, besides, the muscles and ligaments are already sufficiently warmed up, which minimizes the risk of injury. After training, you can fully relax, and your body will recover overnight.
Thus, at what time it is more effective to exercise, everyone can choose individually, depending on their biorhythms. But remember that in any case, regularity, consistency and a sense of proportion are very important.
Body type
Oddly enough, your body type also affects the choice of time to work out in the gym.
- Ectomorph
People with this constitution have a fast metabolism. Ectomorphs are usually tall, thin, with long limbs, narrow bones and long muscles. If you are one of them, then train in the evening, since it is by this time of day that your body will have accumulated a sufficient amount of calories that can be used as a source of energy.
- Mesomorph
People with such a physique, as a rule, have average proportions, close to normal. Mesomorphs have muscular legs and arms, as well as broad shoulders and chest.
This body type is universal, so the benefits of morning workouts are approximately equal to the benefits of evening workouts. Again, I would like to mention that the goal and work schedule will mainly determine the choice of time for classes.
- Endomorph
People of this body type are usually prone to gaining excess weight.
If you are an endomorph, then your body has a slow metabolism. It is recommended that you exercise early in the day to burn off that stubborn fat as much as possible.
