When Is The Best Time To Workout?
Would you rather do more work for less results or less work for better results? You might think that’s a crazy question, who would ever want to work harder and not see the fruit of their labor? If you aren’t working out at the right time of day though, you might not be getting the best results possible. You may be putting in more time than you need to simply because you haven’t discovered the best time to workout.
Learning when you should workout to get your best personal results may take a little bit of trial and error, but once you discover what works best for you, your gains will improve dramatically.
Why Morning Workouts Work
1. Get Your Workout Out Of The Way
If working out is a challenge for you it may be helpful to work out in the morning so that you can get it out of the way. Once you set a routine for yourself of working out at a specific time of the day it may become easier for you to get up and going. You might even find that you stop thinking of your gym session as something you have to get out of the way early in the morning, but rather something you can’t wait to start your day with.
2. Set The Tone For Your Day
Have you ever noticed that when your alarm goes off and you hit the snooze button you are actually more groggy than had you gotten out of bed at the first tone? That’s because you are immediately setting the tone for your day to be delayed when you hit snooze. But when you get out of bed and head to the gym for an early morning workout you are setting the tone for your day to be energized and healthy.
3. Boost Your Energy Levels
Starting your day off with a workout session may sound like something that would immediately drain you of the energy you just restored with a full night’s sleep but it actually does the opposite. Thanks to the chemicals and endorphins that are released in your brain during a workout your energy levels are actually boosted instead.
4. Less Wait Time In The Gym
Knowing the best time to workout in your home gym can also be beneficial. For instance most gyms are relatively quiet in the early morning hours which means that you may have your pick of equipment without having to wait. The earlier you hit the gym the more likely it is that less people will be there. Mornings are a relatively popular time to workout so as more people wake up to start their day the gym will become more crowded.
5. Avoid Excuses That May Arise
It’s more likely that your friends invite you out after work than before work, which means that unless you are completely committed and dedicated to your fitness goals, morning workouts are your best bet for staying on track. Not to mention the fact that after work you may just want to head home and escape the stress of the day with a Netflix marathon. If your time in the gym is already logged it’ll be one less thing to worry about as you wind down your day.
Why Evening Workouts Work
1. Decrease Your Warm Up Time
Working out in the evening likely means that your muscles are (for the most part) already warmed up from the normal activities of the day. That means that you won’t have to spend as much time on your warm up routine as you would in the morning, when you need to stretch out your muscles after eight hours of inactivity to ensure that you don’t hurt yourself. Make sure that no matter what time of day it is when you workout you do always complete at least a light stretch and warm up routine.
2. Pre & Post Workout Meals Are Easier
Breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day and yet some people still skip out on this nutritional gold mine because they don’t like eating in the morning. Skipping out on breakfast has bigger implications when you prefer morning workouts to evening workouts though as pre and post workout meals are essential if you’re interested in getting the best possible results.
3. Sweat Out The Stress Of The Day
Whether you are a stay at home parent, a high powered executive, a coal miner or any other profession, at the end of a stressful day you need a tried and true way to relax and destress that works for you. An evening workout could be just what you need to sweat out the stress and irritation of a tough day, especially when you allow the struggles of your day to be the fuel behind your workout.
4. Shower At Home
Morning workouts end with a morning commute to work which means that you often have to use the bathrooms at they gym to shower and get ready. When you wait until after work to head to they gym though your commute ends at home, which means that you can skip the communal showers and enjoy a nice hot relaxing shower at home if you want. If you don’t want to drive home sweaty you can still rinse off at the gym and leave the real cleansing shower for when you get home.
Relax Post Workout Anyway You Like
While working out generally increases your energy levels it also tends to fatigue your muscles, especially if you’re working at a moderate to high intensity level. Whether you have a desk job or a job that requires manual labor, it can be uncomfortable to head straight to work after a workout that leaves your muscles fatigued. Evening workouts are a great way to avoid this issue so that you can relax post workout in any way that you like.
Your Best Time To Workout
The best time to workout is when you feel like you are getting the most out of your workout whether that means that you have to barrel through an early morning gym session or wait until after work to pump some iron. Morning workouts are not inherently more or less engaging that evening workouts, it just depends on which work better for you, individually.
If you are unsure which time of the day is the best time to workout for you, try switching it up and testing out different schedules until you find what you prefer. Maybe you’ll like morning workouts better, or maybe evening workouts are for you. Maybe you can work out any time of the day and can switch it up depending on your needs each day. To enjoy optimal results just make sure that you are working out at the best time for you.
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