What Is The Best Time To Workout: AM or PM?

You either want that extra 30mins in bed or after a hard day in the office you just want to go home and veg. But, the question that remains is when is the best time to train or hit the gym – mornings or evenings? While some experts feel that working out early in the morning is better, others professionals feel that evenings are more beneficial. With scientific data backing both, let's look at the advantages of both and help you decide what works best for you.

Advantages Of Morning Workout

1. Regularity

Dedicating an hour in the mornings is easy for some people as they have more activities lined up towards the evening. Hitting the gym early allows you to make time in the evenings for family and friends. Some people may even work late or get delayed in commuting or may not have the energy after a long day at work to exercise. It is easy to be more consistent and regular at the gym if you workout in the mornings, once the day unfolds who knows what can come up.

2. Less Crowded

This is not necessarily the case for every gym however evenings are usually the rush hour at fitness centres. Gyms can get crowded and you may not have instant access to the equipment that you want. With comparatively less crowd in the mornings, you can easily complete your regime. Though 6-8 a.m. can witness an increase in footfalls, they spend less time chatting and leave quickly for work, making room for others.

3. Often more Convenient

Getting dressed in the morning does not take much time as you can often get out of bed in your workout clothes and hit the gym straightaway. Whereas after work, you must change from your business attire and change into gym clothes and visa versa.

4. It can wake you up and promote fat loss.

Nothing wakes you up in the morning quite like a workout. Working out in the morning prior to eating can kick start a deep fat burning process and can keep your nutritional intake more balanced. Also, you consume more water through the day, which is a healthy habit. Working out in the morning can set you up for a healthy eating habit.

5. Sleep Better

An early morning workout ensures that you go to bed early and prevents you from staying up late at night. Just like in the old proverb, sleeping early and waking up early has plenty of health benefits. Lack of sleep can cause people to eat more. Sleep deprivation increases the stress hormone cortisol, which leads to overeating. So, to control your weight, it is important to sleep early and get sufficient sleep.

Advantages Of Evening Workout

1. Conserve Energy

For night owls with a delayed circadian rhythm getting out of bed and straight onto the treadmill, while still half asleep, may result in injury if they lose concentration. Those who exercise in the evenings, conserve the energy through the day and could use it to burn fat at the end of the day. Such people have more stamina during evening workouts and they focus all their energy towards a rigorous session. Since they don’t drain their energy in the mornings, one argument is that they could be more energetic through the day.

2. Relieve Stress

An evening workout can be a great way to relieve stress after a tiring day at work. Increase in stress can lead to the release of the stress hormone cortisol, which makes people eat more than they should and contributes to excess weight through poor hormone signalling. So, taking out the pent up anger and frustration on the gym equipment can not only help you overcome stress, but also enable you to burn more fat and sweat it out.

3. Find Partners

Finding a suitable partner for the workout could be easier if you exercise in the evenings. Having a partner can make you compete with them, spot them and encourage them and thereby, you sweat it out better. Not many people are willing to wake up at five in the morning just to match your pace on the treadmill. Since more people workout in the evenings, it is easier for you to find an exercise partner. Although with no time pressure for getting work and chatting, workouts can be drawn out and longer than they need to be so be carful and both aligned in your goals.

4. More Options

Gyms often provide many other classes such as yoga, meditation, dance, martial arts among others, which you can sign up for. These classes may not be as available early in the mornings. So, you could begin your evening with a work-out and then go in for a relaxing massage and return home refreshed.

5. Hitting the sack!

After a hard workout you may find that a spike in energy and the happy hormone serotonin you will start to come down to a nice slumber. stretching before bed is a great way to elevate stress and help with recovery.

So, here are the advantages of working-out in the mornings and evenings. These points should help you decide what works best for you. It depends upon your work routine and lifestyle and whatever aids with your adherence to a plan. Personally I’m a morning trainer but it’s important to change them up every now and then to keep the body guessing.