What is the best time of day to exercise? It’s not when you think.
- Author:Robert J. Davis
- Source:Washington Post
- Release on:2017-07-03
Some fitness gurus recommend working out first thing in the morning because that’s when you’re least likely to have scheduling conflicts and therefore more likely to exercise regularly. Plus, early exercisers often say that a morning routine leaves them feeling more energized and productive during the day.
But if you are not a morning person and shudder at the thought of getting out of bed for a 6 a.m. workout, there’s good news: People tend to perform best at exercise (especially high-intensity exercise) later in the day.
Research shows that strength and flexibility are greatest in the late afternoon and that perceived exertion (meaning how hard you feel that your body is working) is lowest. Scientists attribute these effects to our circadian rhythm, the body’s 24-hour clock, which causes body temperature to rise slightly throughout the day and peak in late afternoon.
Of course, none of this means that you’re doomed to a subpar workout if you exercise in the morning. By doing so consistently, you can eliminate the morning performance gap, according to research, which shows that athletes who train in the morning improve their performance to levels seen in the afternoon. That’s worth keeping in mind if you’re planning to run, say, a 5K with a 7 a.m. start time. Your performance will be best if you train at that hour.
But if you are not a morning person and shudder at the thought of getting out of bed for a 6 a.m. workout, there’s good news: People tend to perform best at exercise (especially high-intensity exercise) later in the day.
Research shows that strength and flexibility are greatest in the late afternoon and that perceived exertion (meaning how hard you feel that your body is working) is lowest. Scientists attribute these effects to our circadian rhythm, the body’s 24-hour clock, which causes body temperature to rise slightly throughout the day and peak in late afternoon.
Of course, none of this means that you’re doomed to a subpar workout if you exercise in the morning. By doing so consistently, you can eliminate the morning performance gap, according to research, which shows that athletes who train in the morning improve their performance to levels seen in the afternoon. That’s worth keeping in mind if you’re planning to run, say, a 5K with a 7 a.m. start time. Your performance will be best if you train at that hour.
Some people do aerobic exercise first thing, before they’ve eaten, because they think it will help them burn more fat. There is some evidence that this practice, sometimes called “fasted cardio,” may boost fat burning — but only fleetingly. Over the course of days or weeks (which is what counts), research shows that it doesn’t seem to offer any advantages. For example, in a four-week trial that randomly assigned young women to either fast or drink a 250-calorie shake before their aerobic workouts (while otherwise eating a low-calorie diet), both groups lost the same amount of fat and weight. Similarly, a study involving overweight women who did high-intensity interval workouts for six weeks after either fasting or eating found no differences in fat loss.
All in all, the best time to work out is whenever you can. If you exercise at different times of the day, be sure to note the hour as you’re tracking your progress. That way, you’ll know when your body clock may be to blame for a less-than-optimal workout.