Working out is working out…whether that be in the morning, afternoon, or evening, engaging in physical activity will be beneficial regardless, however, are there certain times of the day that are better than others? According to one study , it appears as though working out at night is the best time of day to maximize performance. Body temperature, heart rate and blood pressure all decrease as the day goes on, thus reaching their lowest points at night time. Muscle power increases as body temperature decreases, thus improving stamina and performance. Furthermore, muscles become more relaxed as the day progresses which allows for greater flexibility during a workout. In addition to greater flexibility, the relaxation of muscles greatly decreases chance of injury. Protein synthesis, whereby more biological cells create new proteins, peaks at night as well.
In a separate study, a Women’s Health magazine concluded that enzyme activity and muscular function increase as well, even further aiding to an increase in workout performance.
While some may argue that working out at night can cause insomnia, working out at night can actually help in one’s ability to sleep through the night. In a recent study , while there have been connections found between working out right before bed and an increased inability to fall asleep, there are also connections between working out late at night and sleeping through the night. When one works out at night, the increase in body temperature caused by the workout relaxes muscles. The sensation has even been compared to the sensation of taking a warm bath before bed.
In the graph above, one can see that the results were drastically greater for those than exercised later in the day rather than in the morning.
While exercising at any time of day will be a beneficial and rewarding activity, it seems as though there are indeed times throughout the day more beneficial for overall performance than others.
I’m confused because this study by Appalachian State University says that it is actually better to workout in the morning, though the Men’s Heath Article contradicts this study by saying it is better so exercise at night. It’s possible that the Men’s Health was referring to another study that just happened to be by Appalachian but it’s hard to tell since they don’t leave a live link or a source for their references. Also the first source by Six Pack Fitness does not actually give a direct answer on which time is better to workout. It simply compares the two options and says both can be beneficial. It seems like you have a lot of information here, and I’m really interested in the topic but I’m kind of confused. I’m guessing that people have different preferences of fitness achievements and that could be why it is difficult to come to a clear answer on what is best.
The problem with working out at night is you won’t be able to eat enough food before bed, which will make your recovery time longer. Your body needs a lot of nutrients through food after a workout to recover and if you go to bed right after you will be sacrificing that.
This post was really informative for me considering I like to work out a lot. Unfortunately with classes and other stuff going on right now, the night time is really the only time I have to go to the gym. I always thought it was better to work out earlier in the day, so it’s good to know that I am actually working out at the best time of day. Thanks!
This makes me so glad because I always would work out during the night and I thought it was a bad thing! It always made me tired, but my mother always said that it would keep me up at night. Some other great things about working out at night is that there are no lines at the gym, gym workers are more relaxed, and you can let out your frustrations from the day into the workout! Doesn’t that sound great?