Over the years there have been plenty of magazine articles telling us about the ‘best’ time of there day to exercise, but is there any truth in the claims, or are they exaggerated health claims designed to chase social media likes and followers?
Let’s investigate…
When is the best time of day to exercise?
There are many factors to consider when choosing a time of day to exercise, including your personal preferences, your schedule, and your goals. We all have different physiological cycles - some of us are wide awake at 5am, others are only getting started at 10pm!
Making this work for you is important.
In a study titled Circadian Rhythms in Exercise Performance: Implications for Hormonal and Muscular Adaptation, researchers looked at whether or not time of day influenced the hormonal and performance outcomes of exercise.
The researchers concluded…
‘The current review has presented evidence that biological and psychological rhythms exert a major effect on physical performance. Although enhanced performance is most frequently seen in the early evenings, taking into consideration an individual’s chronotype and using specific time-of-day training seems to be an effective method in improving physical performance at a particular point of time.’
In English, this means that most people will be at their best in the early evening, but we have to take into account individual circadian rhythms. Some people will be at their best early, others in the evening. The main takeaway is that doesn’t appear to be a ‘best’ time to exercise, more a best time for the person.
However, there is some scientific evidence to suggest that certain times of day may be better for exercise than others when it comes to particular outcome measures…
In a 2022 study titled Morning Exercise Reduces Abdominal Fat and Blood Pressure in Women; Evening Exercise Increases Muscular Performance in Women and Lowers Blood Pressure in Men, researchers assigned different workout times to members of the study group. Some trained early (6.00 - 8.00) or later (18.30 - 20.30), and the outcomes were measured.
The conclusions were…
Morning exercise (AM) reduced abdominal fat and blood pressure and evening exercise (PM) enhanced muscular performance in the women cohort. In the men cohort, PM increased fat oxidation and reduced systolic BP and fatigue. Thus, ETOD may be important to optimize individual exercise-induced health and performance outcomes in physically active individuals and may be independent of macronutrient intake.
What we can take from this is that there are benefits of training at ANY time of the day!
Morning workouts - what are the benefits?
Morning workouts can help you wake up and feel more alert throughout the day.
Another study, published in the journal BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, found that people who exercised in the morning had a higher resting metabolic rate (RMR) than people who exercised in the evening. RMR is the amount of calories your body burns at rest, so a higher RMR means that you burn more calories throughout the day, even when you're not exercising.
Evening Workouts - what are the benefits?
Evening workouts can also have some benefits. For one, they can help you sleep better at night. Exercise can help to tire you out, which can make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. Additionally, evening workouts can help to improve your mood and reduce stress levels.
A study published in 2021 titled Effects of Exercise on Sleep Quality and Insomnia in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials concluded…
In conclusion, our systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that regular exercise exerts beneficial effects on sleep quality and insomnia in adults, primarily in subjective sleep measurements.
The main conclusion to draw is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the question of whether there is a best time of day to exercise. The best time for you will depend on your individual preferences, schedule, and goals.
Want to improve your health and fitness? Let the AdMac Fitness Personal Trainers help…
AdMac Fitness has been helping the people of East London transform their health and fitness for nearly a decade.
We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health forever. With our guidance and experience, you can relax knowing that your fitness journey is going to be guided by some of the best personal trainers in East London.
For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Our locations are…
AdMac Fitness Bow: Arch 457 Robeson St, London E3 4JA.
AdMac Fitness South Woodford: Unit 4 Marlborough Business Centre, 96 George Lane, South Woodford, London, E18 1AD.