Many people start to play sports spontaneously - some were recommended by doctors, for some, sport is an opportunity to regain a good figure, but some just bought beautiful and fashionable sneakers on sale. Whatever the motivation for doing sports, one of the most difficult issues- what time of day is it better to study? Here it is worth considering the state and physical fitness organism, availability of free time, time of main work or study, schedule of classes in the gym, if you want to work out in a team. 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, to withstand the loads. It is this factor that determines the type of person - "lark" or "owl".

In order to understand what time of day it is better to do it, let's try to figure out the nuances of morning and evening workouts.

Features of morning workouts

Many associate morning workouts only with jogging. However, this is not always the case. Many major fitness centers are open early in the morning to provide clients with the opportunity to practice any kind of sport before work. But why do people prefer physical activity to a pleasant morning sleep? To do this, let's try to figure out the pros and cons. morning classes sports.

1. The most important reason why people go in for sports in the morning is the presence of a lot of strength. Confess how many times you promised yourself to go jogging after work. However, a hearty dinner and fatigue are doing their job and training remains only in the plans. And if you get up early in the morning, you will get time only for yourself - when the children are asleep and do not bother you, when it is too early to run to work, and you have so much energy that you can move mountains!
2. Any physical activity produces a huge amount of endorphins. This means that after a workout, the mood rises significantly, you get a boost of vivacity and Have a good mood for all day.
3. If you decide to work out in the morning, you need to know one main rule. After waking up, at least half an hour must pass before training, otherwise the heart simply will not have time to "warm up" for active work. After all, blood circulation slows down at night, even the body temperature drops slightly. In no case should you wake up and immediately run for a run. With morning workouts, you need to devote more time and attention to the warm-up.
4. Another feature of the morning workout is the lack of glucose in the blood, since it usually takes about 10 hours from the last meal. If you want to build mass, it's best 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, right after the body has used up glycogen. But in the morning, the 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.
5. Morning workouts are very beneficial for those who do not control their appetite. In a European scientific institute, a study was carried out in which thousands of people took part. People who jogged in the morning consumed fewer calories during the day, they just didn't feel like eating. Among those who ran in the evening, such results were not achieved. Scientists have suggested that morning jogging somehow affects appetite. Whether this is true or not has not yet been proven, but after a morning run, many people really don't want to eat.
6. If you are planning an intense strength training session that requires a lot of energy, you can drink water with honey and lemon immediately after waking up. This will give you fuel to get active. If this is not done, your eyes will darken from the load, and even fainting may occur.
7. Morning workout has a number of disadvantages, one of which is blood density. After all, the body did not consume water and food for more than 10 hours in a row! Therefore, when getting out for your morning run, do not neglect the water - you need to drink both before and during your workout.
8. Another feature of the morning workout, or rather, its advantage is that few people are engaged in the morning, about 25% of total mass athletes. 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 be in time for everything, most likely, morning workout will not become hard labor for you. Try to work out one morning. If you like it, then you are an undoubted early bird.

Why classic? Because most people still choose evening workouts. And there are many reasons for this.

1. Many people do it in the evening, because they cannot take away precious time from their morning sleep. In the morning you need to get up to work, to study, spend time on the road. And in the evening after supper it remains free time, which many devote to sports.
2. Most people cannot exercise in the morning because they feel overwhelmed throughout the day after such a workout. After a morning workout, they have to work and study, fatigue forces them to make many mistakes, a person becomes distracted, concentration decreases. But after an evening workout, you can happily go to bed and know that tense muscles continue to work and burn fat for several hours after exercise.
3. All athletes know that nutrition is closely related to sports loads... If you eat in the hours following your workout, we will focus on building muscle. And if you fast for at least 3 hours after exercise, then there will be fat burning and drying. Many girls choose evening workouts, because they can immediately go to bed after them for the benefit of their figure. But after the morning workout, you need to have breakfast, which does not entirely support the theory of weight loss.
4. An evening workout is a great way to speed up your slowed-down metabolism towards the evening. So you can "work out" the cakes and sweets eaten during the day.
5. Evening workouts have their drawbacks - after an intense load, you will not be able to fall asleep for a long time, since a huge amount of adrenaline and kartisol is released into the blood. Moderate exercise shortly before bed, on the other hand, will make your sleep deep and long.
6. If you only have late evening time for training, you need to give preference to less aggressive sports - swimming, yoga, body flex, Pilates, etc.
7. Another significant disadvantage of an evening workout is fatigue after a working day. If the day turned 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 an evening workout.

Answering the question of what time it is better to go to practice, you need to turn to your body. If you easily wake up earlier than others, get out of bed quickly and do not lie down in the first rays of the sun, then by all means try to work out in the morning. Many people literally get enjoyment and pep from morning sports. If you have a hard time getting up at the alarm clock, walk half a day like a sleepy fly, but work great at night, your time for sports is evening. Children are better off doing sports in the afternoon, but not too late so that exercise does not lead to overstimulation of the empathetic nervous system child. It is best to do it a couple of hours after the end of the lessons, so that the baby has time to rest and gain strength.

Before you start practicing, you need to pay attention to the little things. The choice of the sport, the gym and the coach, the choice of the time of day for sports, the choice of a partner is very important. After all, it is from these little things that your attitude to classes is formed. If all goes well, you will fall in love with sports, as many activists love it. healthy way life. If something goes wrong, you will force yourself for a while, but sooner or later give up this venture. Go in for sports, love sports, be with sports on "you"!

Video: what time of day is it better to train?

When talking about the best times to train, it's important to split up strength training in the gym for muscle growth and weight loss. These are fundamentally different activities that imply different metabolic processes - which is why it is extremely difficult for the body to burn fat and build muscle at the same time.

Weight loss workouts are aerobic (that is, oxygen-consuming cells), while strength training for muscle growth is anaerobic. The effectiveness of cardio for burning fat is increased when blood glucose levels are low (this literally forces the body to waste fat stores), whereas strength training is not possible under such conditions.

In other words, morning workouts are the perfect choice for fat loss and endurance, while muscle building workouts are recommended in the afternoon. However, you can also swing early in the morning - you just need to follow the advice described in our material (for example, take a portion of a gainer before training).

Why is it hard to train in the morning?

Strength training in the early morning is much more difficult for most people than training in the afternoon. The main reason for this is that the body simply does not have enough energy in the morning - muscle glycogen stores and blood sugar levels are minimal, and the energy of fat stores cannot be used to perform strength exercises.

Let's say you are doing - a minute ago the body did not know about the upcoming load, but now it needs energy. The source of this "fast" energy can only be the stores of glycogen from the muscles working in this movement, but not the fat stores. It will take your body at least 15-20 minutes to get energy from fat.

How to swing correctly in the morning?

If you exercise early in the morning without sufficient glycogen stores, your blood sugar will drop, making your workout much more difficult and leading to mental blurredness or even fainting. For a full-fledged strength training for muscle growth, the body needs at least 100-150 g of carbohydrates, stored in the form of glycogen directly in the muscles.

A hearty breakfast an hour and a half before strength training will help energize muscles, but in real life, not all athletes have time for such a breakfast. The situation is aggravated by the fact that in order to successfully gain mass at the end of the training, the body again needs calories to close - or a second breakfast in the case of morning workouts.

Strength training early in the morning

For strength training early in the morning (especially when there is no time for a hearty breakfast), it is critical to take it immediately after waking up - otherwise the body simply will not have enough energy. By the time you enter the gym, carbohydrates from sports nutrition will already be assimilated and their energy will enter the bloodstream.

However, after the end of the morning strength training, it is still important to have a full breakfast and provide your muscles not only with carbohydrates and proteins, but also vitamins and minerals. Also keep in mind that it will take your body about 1-2 weeks to get used to such a training regimen, and do not despair if the first days seem too difficult for you.

Morning workouts to burn fat

Once again, remember that fat burning occurs exclusively when blood glucose levels are low. The reason lies in the fact that insulin, raised by sugar, is necessary for the formation of energy reserves, while the hormone adrenaline is needed to remove this energy from cells (1). At the same time, insulin and adrenaline cannot be synthesized by the body at the same time.

For this reason, it is recommended to lose weight for at least 30-40 minutes - in this case, the body first spends stores of glycogen and carbohydrates, lowering the level of insulin, and only then adrenaline rises, activating the processes of fat burning. The good news is that this process is much faster in the morning.

Cardio on an empty stomach

In most cases, immediately after waking up, glycogen stores in the body are minimal - which is why slow cardio performed in the early morning leads to maximum fast weight loss... At the same time, any breakfast (even a protein isolate that does not contain carbohydrates) will make the body first of all burn the calories of this breakfast, and all fat reserves.

The main rules of morning workouts for weight loss are an empty stomach and the most moderate pace of load (running is definitely not recommended) lasting at least 30-40 minutes. Immediately after the end of such a fat burning workout, it is recommended to take 2-3 capsules, while a full breakfast is acceptable no earlier than half an hour later.

Can I train in the evening?

Unfortunately, late evening is the worst time for both strength training and weight loss training. Fat burning training will be ineffective due to the presence of sugar in the blood (glucose levels decrease only 4-5 hours after the last meal), and strength training can cause sleep problems due to overexcitation of the central nervous system.

If you have absolutely no other choice, and you can only go to the gym in the evening, plan a large meal 2 hours before the evening training for muscle growth, so that after it there is only a light dinner. Also, carefully study the composition of sports nutrition, making sure that it does not contain other stimulants that interfere with sleep.

***

Morning workouts on an empty stomach are best for losing weight, but before strength training for muscle growth in the morning, it is recommended to take a portion of the gainer. Exercising late at night is the worst option - the presence of glucose in the blood will block fat burning, and the general fatigue of the day will prevent you from maximizing strength training.

Scientific sources:

1. The Stubborn Fat Solution, Lyle McDonald,

What is the best time to train in the gym - this is one of the most frequently asked questions. While some people lace up their sneakers at dawn and go to train, others cannot get themselves out of bed until noon.

Opinions also vary among experts. Someone claims that it is better to do this in the morning, and someone in the evening. Everyone is trying to give their reasons. But what does science say about this? Let's try to figure out what is the best time to work out in the gym? In the morning, afternoon or evening?

BIOLOGICAL RHYTHMS

The daily rhythm is regulated by the Earth's 24-hour rotation pattern. This affectsbody functions playing important role in its readiness for physical activity: blood pressure, temperature, hormone levels, metabolism and heart rate. These fluctuations in the intensity of various biological processes in connection with the cycles of sleep and wakefulness of a person are called circadian rhythms.

The circadian rhythm of our body determines whether we are an owl or a lark. Therefore, our chronotype plays an important role in deciding when to train. It is easier for owls to exercise in the evening, while larks exercise in the morning. Once you have such a clear preference, it is fairly easy to decide which schedule is right for you. While the scientifically proven fact is interesting that no matter what time we think is the best, almost all of us are physically stronger and more enduring at the end of the day.

Scientists have found that although circadian rhythms are innate, we can change them based on our behavior. For example, using alarms, meal planning and exercise. Research shows that our ability to maintain high intensity training will adapt to the timing of the exercise. People who constantly exercise in the morning have accustomed their bodies to work at this time of day. And when they do evening exercises, they don't feel so strong. Therefore, if circumstances do not allow you to exercise at your preferred time, this is not a reason to be upset. You can change your rhythms and your body can adjust to the new training time. However, it can take about a month to reset the internal clock.

BENEFITS OF EVENING TRAINING

Body temperature is an important factor in conductingquality workout. A cold body is tight muscles that do not give the opportunity to work as efficiently as possible, moreover, they are susceptible to sprains. The increased body temperature makes the muscles more elastic. It usually increases during the day, reaching a peak in the evening. In the afternoon, on top of everything else, better time reactions, speed. Heart rate and blood pressure are low. All of this increases productivity and reduces the likelihood of injury.

This is supported by scientific evidence. For example, a study published in 1998 in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, studied the effect of time of day on muscle performance in a group of young untrained men. Each of them performed a series of endurance exercises at 08:00, 12:00, 16:00, and 20:00. The performance was overhigh in the evening.

And in a study published in 2009 in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, a group of young men showed greater increases in both muscle over 10 weeks (3.5% versus 2.7% with morning group), and strength during classes in the evening (from 17:00 to 19:00).

BENEFITS OF MORNING TRAINING

Research shows. What optimal time for training - this is the evening. But if you have problems planning and consistency in your workout routine, then morning is best. In the afternoon and evening, exercise often conflicts with other responsibilities and activities. Plus a whole day of stressful work can do serious damage to willpower.

Morning exercise can also be a good option for improving your sleep quality. If you have trouble sleeping, read the article ““. Insofar as physical exercises increase heart rate and body temperature, exercising too late can disrupt sleep, while a 2014 study published in the journal Vascular Health And Risk Management found that physical exercise 7 a.m. (versus 1 p.m. or 7 p.m.) can help you sleep more soundly at night.

And in an experiment published in 2011 in The Journal of Strength And Conditioning Research, levels were tracked blood pressure and sleep in people between the ages of 40 and 60. Each participant did moderate walking on a treadmill at 7:00, 13:00, and 19:00 for 30 minutes, three times a week. The researchers found that all participants who exercised at 7 a.m. showed a 10% overall decrease in blood pressure and a 25% decrease in nighttime blood pressure.

Morning cardio - one of the first assistants in fat burning. A 2013 study published in The British Journal of Nutrition reports that people can burn as much as 20% more fat by exercising on an empty stomach, which is much easier to do in the morning than in the evening. This once again confirms the popularity of hungry cardio. So if you are a morning person or prefer to workout in the morning for some other reason, feel free to go to the gym, just make sure your muscles are warmed up.

ADVANTAGES OF DAY TRAINING

A great way to take a break from mental work in the middle of the day is if there is a gym near your work. Daytime workouts are good because you have already woken up, but have not yet had time to get tired mentally and physically. Also, this training option is suitable for those who work late or get too tired after work.

Hormone levels are also important in determining the optimal training time. Hormones such as testosterone and cortisol change throughout the day. Testosterone peaks in the morning and drops towards the end of the day. But despite the fact that the level of this hormone reaches its lowest point in the evening, its level after training is higher in the evening than in the morning. In addition, the stress hormone cortisol, which plays a large role in fat storage and muscle tissue burning, peaks in the morning and decreases during the day.

In other words, the testosterone-to-cortisol ratio (when testosterone is highest relative to cortisol) is better in the early evening than in the early afternoon.

Since testosterone is essential for muscle growth and strength, in theory this makes the evening a less "catabolic" time to workout. But that's just in theory, because short-term changes in hormone levels don't really tell much. Our body is very highly adaptive, and everything is very individual. Moreover, in addition to this, there are many much more important factors that affect the final result.

Outcomes

You don't have to be a circadian rhythm expert to determine the best time to work out in the gym. Just try to work out in the morning, afternoon or evening and choose what is right for you! The most important thing, according to experts, is choosing the time of day when it is easiest for you to stick to the regime.

Every person who starts doing fitness at some point asks the question: What is the best time to exercise? This question depends on many factors, but we will try to answer it as clearly and understandably as possible.

I would like to note that everyone who has pulled himself together and is engaged in any kind of sport is already on the right path, and it does not matter what time of day he is engaged. The main thing is that he does it! You need to understand that even after reading our recommendations, you yourself choose the training time in accordance with your employment and your desire.

Scientists have proven that the best time to work out in the gym is 4-5 hours in the afternoon. (Based on scientific research published in “Sports medicine” magazine). But who said that you cannot study at any other time? Let's take a look at the pros and cons of exercising at different times of the day.

Morning workouts

Morning workouts are incredibly enjoyable! For example, Dwayne Johnson always trains in the morning. Before dawn, at four o'clock in the morning, Dwayne goes for a run so intense that you can wring out your clothes afterwards. This early cardio helps him to feel energized and sets the right mindset for the rest of the day. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of morning classes.

pros

• Exercising in the morning speeds up your metabolism (metabolism).
• You get a charge of vivacity and positive energy for the whole day.
• Morning workouts are highly disciplined. As practice shows, it is much easier to accustom yourself to morning workouts than to daytime or evening workouts.
• Since everyone is still asleep, you will have much less time spent on distractions.
• In the morning, during exercise, first of all, there is a burning of fat reserves in your body, which means this is a great time for cardio workouts.

Minuses

• If you don't like or are not used to getting up early, it will be difficult for you to force yourself to exercise at a time like this.
• In the morning, the muscles are not yet warmed up, therefore, without a high-quality warm-up, there is a high probability of injury.
• If you are planning a strength workout, then you will have to get up even earlier for a good breakfast or a portion of the gainer, otherwise you will not have energy.
• If you are involved with high intensity, then by the evening you will feel very tired and your efficiency will greatly decrease.

If your goal is to lose weight, and it is not difficult for you to get up early, then the best time for training is morning. For a weight loss workout program, see our article on High Intensity Interval Workout for Burning Fat. Yoga or meditation classes are also suitable for this time of day. It should be noted that in the morning our joints have little elasticity, so active exercises should be avoided. If you do decide to do strength training in the morning, do not neglect the warm-up and be sure to eat 1-1.5 hours before training.

Let's take a look at what scientists have to say about the ideal time to exercise. Consider the opinion of scientists from Williamsburg - a city in the United States. Here, scientists chose 100 untrained men for an experiment who trained at 8:00, 12:00, 16:00 and 20:00.

The results showed that the activation of fast-twitch muscle structures, which is responsible for lifting weights, is better when the body temperature is higher, which occurs in the afternoon. Thus, they set the best time for training: from 16:00 to 20:00.

Now let's turn our attention to the study of scientists from Washington. They argue that exercise is necessary depending on your body type and metabolic rate. Endomorphs with a slow metabolism should exercise in the morning to consume their internal stores of energy and fat.

Ectomorphs with a lean physique are forced to train in the evening so that by the time of training they have the necessary energy and nutrients obtained from food. Mesomorphs, people with an average build and metabolism, can exercise both in the morning and in the evening. For more information on body types, see the article Body types.

Scientists from Washington say that you should listen to your own biorhythms, and also note that if you exercise at about the same time, your body will get used to it.

Day workouts

Daytime workouts are more suitable for schoolchildren or students, as well as those whose work schedule allows them to devote 1-2 hours to workout in the afternoon.

pros

• Body temperature is slightly higher than in the morning. It will be easier and more comfortable for you to get started.
• Muscle glycogen stores and blood sugar are good.
• Improves blood flow to the brain. After training, you will be able to work even more productively.
• Reduces stress levels after work, school. You can throw out all the negative energy in the hall.
• At this time, endurance increases. It is she who is important for training with weights.
• Research shows that our lungs are at their best during this time.

Minuses

• Distractions that may prevent you from starting your workout at the scheduled time.
• If you train at lunchtime, then the disadvantage will be time constraints, the training may turn out to be incomplete.

Summing up, it should be said that at this time the most effective classes will be strength exercises, stretching, crossfit and other exercises that require endurance and strength. Before such workouts, you should definitely take care of your food intake.

Evening workouts

Who is evening workout suitable for? They are ideal for those who feel sluggish and sleepy in the morning. They are also suitable for swimming and team sports.

pros

• Body temperature in the evening is ideal for exercise.
• In the evening, in training, you can get rid of the stress accumulated during the day.
• Your energy is at its peak from 6 to 9 pm. Place the main part of the workout during this period, for more late time you can leave the hitch and stretch.

Minuses

• Evening workouts can cause sleep disturbances and you will need to change your workout schedule.
• Before the evening, you can come up with a number of excuses for not going to workout. The habit of evening classes takes longer to form than at other times of the day.
• Fat burning will be ineffective due to its high blood sugar.

The best time for strength training and weight training

The evening is the perfect time for strength training. You can familiarize yourself with weight training in our article Weight training program. However, you should provide for dinner 1.5-2 hours before training, so as not to burden your body with a heavy meal before going to bed.

It should also be remembered that there are many other equally important components of a successful training. The most important of these are:

• regular training
• good and proper nutrition
• recreation
• desire and belief in the result

If you have the opportunity to do at the recommended times the type of physical activity that is most suitable for this, then this is great: you naturally help your body achieve the desired result faster. If you do not have such an opportunity, then do not be discouraged, your body will choose the best time for training, the main thing is to listen to it well and help it find this time.

And in conclusion, a summarizing video on this issue from the leaders of fitness and bodybuilding in Russia.

We have analyzed all the pros and cons of training at different times of the day. Adjust the timing of your workouts to your goals and your well-being, so it will be easier for you to organize yourself and you do not want to miss workouts. One way or another, the main thing is not the time of training, but its content and consistency. Always work out at the same time, then your body will get used to the loads and adjust to your training schedule.

The question of when it is better for a person to train - 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 cannot be. Still, an individual approach is needed here.

"Owls" train in the evening, "larks" - in the morning

If life is just beginning for you in the evening, and getting up in the morning is equated with execution, then the best time for you to train is evening. If you are a "lark" and from childhood are accustomed to getting up with the first rays of the sun, then morning workouts will be optimal for you.

Choose the training time depending on the type of your activity

If you are mainly engaged in mental work and 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 run around clients all day or carry bags, then it is better to train in the morning, because in the evening you will not have the strength to train.

Choose the training time depending on your health condition

Much depends on the state of health of the person. For example, if you have heart problems, do not exercise in the morning.

When we sleep, our heart also rests, as the blood circulates more slowly. For several hours after sleep in the human body, phenomena such as a rapid heart rate, an accelerated metabolism, and an increase in blood pressure are observed. AND additional load can lead to adverse effects.

Choose your workout time based on your goal

Define a goal for yourself. If this is weight loss, then you need to exercise in the morning. This is due to the fact that after sleep the blood sugar level is lowered, and if you exercise before breakfast, the body will have 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 a meal.

What time of day to train - in the morning, in the afternoon or in the evening, depends on the physiology of the person. If you are an owl, train in the evening, and if you are a morning person, train in the morning. There is no need to torment the body by doing the opposite. It won't do any good. And if you have chosen some time, do not change it in the future.

Max Rinkan, expert at man.tochka.net

If your goal is to recruit muscle mass, it is better to train in the afternoon or evening, but not until late.

I train when I can

Most people train when circumstances permit, and sometimes finances. It's no secret that the main stumbling block of visiting 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 in the afternoon, although, according to experts, the peak time for muscle activity is just the daytime. But, as a rule, a person only has 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 halls in the morning and in the evening is incomparable (in the evening there is no overcrowding), and it costs him less.

In any case, if you have decided on the time of visiting the gym, then let it be stable. Build your routine so that classes at this time of day will benefit you.

In conclusion, let's summarize all of the above, giving recommendations that will help you choose the optimal time for training.

Exercise in the morning: if you are a morning person, if you don't have to go to work early, if there are no heart problems, if work is mobile, if you want to lose weight, if you want to complete the entire program in the gym, avoiding a large influx of people, if you want to free the evenings for other things.

Morning Workout Proponent:“I train in the mornings, three times a week, from 10 am to 12 pm. At this time, I feel a surge of strength and desire to train. All simulators are available, there are not many people. I worked out, and the whole day is free, including the evening.”

Exercise in the afternoon: if the working day allows, and you are sure that you can do it regularly; if there is a gym in or near the office.