Last semester, my routine was very consistent in terms of going to the gym. I was up at 5AM every morning and at the gym by 6AM, right when the doors opened. I would workout for 1.5-2 hours every morning, shower, eat, and head to class at 9AM. I thoroughly enjoyed this part of my day as the gym was close to being empty and afterwards, the endorphins keep you motivated to get through classes up until lunchtime. Not to mention, you get to see beautiful sunrises like this one: 
Sunrise after my morning workout at 7AM on December 2nd.
My parents always tell me to sleep in because that is very important for someone my age, especially with my engagements. However, each time I go back to everything I have read on how morning workouts are better for cognition and energy during the day. I kept to this routine for the majority of the semester, taking a break when I had exams or when a rest-day was much needed.
This semester though, I decided to try something different – working out later in the day, closer to dinner time. These past three weeks I have gone to the gym about 5 times every week and my views are mixed. For starters, the physical act of getting myself into the gym is not as hard since I am coming from class and not straight from my bed. I have also noticed that I have a lot of energy to get into the gym, as if I don’t complete this task of my day, I will go crazy. Also, from reading about nighttime exercise, there are many benefits, including minimal time constraint (you aren’t rushing before class), greater endurance, and increased energy levels.
The biggest, and arguably most off-putting downside of later workouts is how busy the gym is. You would think students have homework or other commitments to attend. No. Every living soul is in that gym. On average, my wait time for a squat rack is 15 minutes and 20 minutes for a normal bench. It gets annoying because I just want to get my workout in without having to wait.
Many of my friends suggested that I should forego the White Building and try going to Planet Fitness (closer to Target), LionHeart CrossFit, or even the Hepper gym close to Rec Hall. Those are all valid options, however, I don’t want to spend any more money than I already do, so Planet Fitness and CrossFit are out. As far as Hepper, well just look at the map and I think it speaks for itself:
Direction and travel time to Hepper Fitness Center from Simmons (Image from Google Maps).
Making the almost 20 minute walk around 9PM or 10PM is not the most ideal, especially if I am alone. I think for now, I will have to settle with the White Building and its huge student crowd. After all, working out around more people helps build a strong fitness community and also boost personal sense of belonging. Looking at it this way, it doesn’t seem like the worst place… Plus, you get used to the smell of sweat so at least that isn’t a problem anymore 🙂
February 10, 2023 at 2:25 pm
Choosing if a night workout or a morning workout is better is something I have also been trying to figure out for a long time. Over the summer I would go in the morning, but now I only have time to go at night because I am too lazy to get up early enough. I definitely agree that getting yourself to go at night is significantly easier. However one of my favorite things about going in the morning was that I could go about the rest of my day without knowing that I had a 1-2 hour obligation later in the day.