Master of all site and fitness trainer | more >>

Genus. 1984 Trained since 1999. Trained since 2007. CCM in powerlifting. Champion of Russia and the South of Russia according to AWPC. Champion Krasnodar Territory according to IPF. 1st category in weightlifting. 2-time winner of the championship of the Krasnodar Territory in t / a. Author of over 700 articles on fitness and amateur athleticism. Author and co-author of 5 books.

This question is asked quite often, both to me personally and in general on the Internet. It is understandable. Indeed, for many people, the importance of the time of day for training is greatly exaggerated. This is due to the fact that many coaches quite categorically outline the intervals of 2-3 hours when you need to train. And the rest of the time, like, training will be down the drain. Let's see if this is the case.

Of course, day and night are the same for everyone. The sun rises and sets for everyone at the same time. But the biorhythms of each individual person are individual. I think that you have already heard about “owls” and “larks” even without me. For this fact alone, it is impossible to strictly outline any identical framework for everyone.

But there are also fluctuations in activity during the day. Some hours are less active, some more. And this activity largely depends on what time a person goes to bed and gets up. Yes it is. I agree. But, firstly, it is impossible to accurately calculate the time of this activity, since it also depends on other factors and constantly fluctuates. Secondly, few people have the opportunity to adjust their workouts to the peaks of activity. Since besides training there is also work, family and many other important and urgent matters.

Yes, by the way, these peaks of activity themselves do not appear just like that at one particular time or another. You yourself, with your daily routine, accustom your body to one or another chrono-biological cycle. Why am I saying all this?

Moreover, if you constantly train at the same time, then the body itself will adapt to you over time. And the peaks of your activity, in a few months, will coincide with the time of training. But, I repeat once again, for this to happen, you need to constantly train at about the same time (+ - 1 hour) for at least 2 months.

The second important note: you can not exercise during the first hour after waking up. No matter how hard you try, the peak of activity cannot come immediately after you wake up. It must take at least 1 hour for all body functions to fully engage in work. And better 1.30 -2 hours. Of course, here, too, everything is individual. But from waking up to starting a workout, at least 1 hour should pass.

And third: you need to finish your workout no later than 2 hours before bedtime. The body needs time to tune in to a calm mood. And he can't do it in 10 minutes. Yes, no matter how late you train. You can, of course, work out right before bed. But you still won't fall asleep before 1.30 - 2 hours.

1. Train always at the same time.

2. There should be at least 1 hour between waking up and starting a workout.

3. Between the end of the workout and sleep should be at least 2 hours.

4. Everything else is up to you and of great importance does not have.

By the way, you can order yourself from Timko Ilya - the author of this article and this site.

There is still heated debate among professional athletes about what time of day is best for training and playing sports. It would seem that there is nothing to argue about. Professional athletes train from 8 to 17, that is, a full-time work day, with a lunch break, of course. And there is nothing to be surprised here, because sport is not only their hobby, it is their job.

But we are not interested in big sports, because we are only amateurs, and our time is limited - work, household chores, children, a store, etc. etc. But with all this, we really want our training to be the most effective. And each of us pursues a special goal: someone desperately wants to lose weight, someone to gain weight, and someone to build muscle. And there are those who want it all together.

Where lies the truth?

Of course, the training itself is already good, no matter what time of day it is carried out. It's better than none at all. However, some more or less experienced in this matter shake their heads disapprovingly when they see a man running in the morning. before the person, while others twist their fingers at the temple, in the wake of a person who came to the gym at 21 o'clock to practice. So which one is right? Let's figure it out.

First, you need to decide on the type of training. That is, aerobic or strength training is assumed. Many scientists, based on studies, argue that, depending on what result the training is aimed at, you need to choose the right time of day for it, since in different time The body reacts differently to certain influences.

The best time for aerobic exercise

The most suitable time for aerobic exercise is the morning. Scientists argue that the morning hours are the most favorable for this type of training because the human body spends the largest number energy and calories, mostly own fat. The argument for this is the fact that in the morning the human body experiences the most severe deficit calories, of course with the condition that you exercise on an empty stomach. And this is the main condition of aerobic training. If he ate before that, then the body uses fast and easy-to-use carbohydrates as energy, and not fat cells. In this case, the loss of adipose tissue will be minimal, and then taking into account the fact that the training will continue long time, more than 1 hour. In the morning, I’ll tell you, not everyone will decide on such a workout. To be in time for work, you will need to get up at dawn.

However, if you follow all the prescribed rules and train on an empty stomach, then fat-burning training is guaranteed to you. True, you should not start training intensively. Your body has not yet fully awakened and the muscles are not warmed up, so you risk injury. It is necessary to increase the intensity gradually, and also gradually reduce it towards the end of the workout. The optimal duration of the workout will be from 30 to 60 minutes.

The best time for strength training

Strength training is aimed at increasing strength and endurance, as well as developing muscles. This means that strength training should be done when a person has the highest energy levels. The human body, its muscles, joints and skeleton are subjected to powerful loads. Needless to say, the morning for this is not quite the right time of day. Try to clench your fist with all your might in the morning? And nothing will work for you. Scientists say that even our body temperature in the morning is 2-3 tenths of a degree lower than in the evening. This can be easily checked and verified for yourself. And if you are not new to this business, then you know how dangerous it is to start training on unheated muscles. That is why we do a 10-minute warm-up before training.

This is on the one hand. And on the other hand, evening, that is, late evening - after 21 hours, is also not the best time to train. This is because the body has its own biological rhythm and by this time it naturally slows down, and everyone slows down metabolic processes organism. By the evening we have no strength left. Even the sick always feel worse in the evening. And even if you found the strength in yourself and practiced at such a late time. After training, you should definitely eat, and more than once. Because it is after training that intensive recovery occurs. muscle mass. This means that you will not go to bed before 24 hours. And if we assume that you get up at 6 in the morning, then there can be no question of a full recovery.

Therefore, scientists have deduced the optimal time for strength training, when the body is most capable of powerful loads. This time period is from 15:00 to 18:00. It is during this period that you will be able to give your best and conduct the most effective training.

Advantages and disadvantages of morning workouts

Pros:

• Increased metabolic rate
• Decrease in appetite, which contributes to weight loss
• Burning fat reserves, after 7-8 hours of fasting (sleep)
• Energy charge for the whole day
• Free up time for the rest of the day
• In the morning, outside plans will not be able to cancel your workout
• Gyms at this time of day are almost empty, exercise machines are free

Minuses:

• The body is deficient in energy
• Body temperature is lowered
• Muscles are not warmed up, there is a risk of injury
• Effective Strength Training Impossible
• Loss of muscle mass due to prolonged fasting
• Many gyms start working only from 10 am.

Advantages and disadvantages of evening workouts

Pros:

• The body has maximum energy
• Strength indicators are much higher than in the morning
• The post-workout time is ideal for rest and recovery.
• Carried out cardio training after such classes gives a good fat burning effect.
• Muscles and joints are warmed up and ready to perform their immediate functions, the risk of injury is minimal

Minuses:

• The gyms are overcrowded at this time of the day.
• Intense evening workout can lead to insomnia
• Metabolic processes slow down in the evening
• Little time left for post-workout meals

Optimal choice

Of course, besides the fact that morning and evening workouts have their pros and cons, we cannot be guided only by this acquired knowledge when choosing the optimal time for our own training. Here, a number of other factors come into play that influence our choice. These are family circumstances and work, and the material component and our own daily routine.

It is easier for someone to wake up in the morning and do everything that he is capable of, and for someone it is very difficult to wake up an hour before work, and even at the same time expose your body to such incredible loads. It depends on what your own biological rhythm is.

If you wake up early in the morning in a cheerful state, then, undoubtedly, morning training will benefit you.

If you go to bed late and cannot close your eyes until the night, and in the morning you and cannon shot If you don’t wake up, then your choice is in favor of evening training.

However, it is very important to choose the time for training, not only guided by external circumstances(Work, household and family chores), but also their own feelings. If it is most convenient for you to exercise in the morning, but it affects your well-being Negative influence, then it is worth abandoning this time of day. If, on the contrary, evening time adversely affects your health, sleep quality and recovery, then you need to abandon evening workouts.

In general, the choice of time of day for the most effective workouts for each individual, but the best mode is the following:

• Morning (6-7 a.m.): 10-15 minutes of cardio or regular morning workout
• Evening (15-18 hours): 40-60 minutes of strength training
• Evening (6-7pm): 15-20 minute cardio workout

Important!!! Regardless of what time of day you train, you need to remember about a balanced and good nutrition and long recovery. This will help your body meet your needs at any time of the day.

Well, if you still have not started playing sports, then shame on you and shame! Start right today or tomorrow morning with this video, and then get involved.

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 for you the best time for training is evening. If you are a “lark” and have been used to getting up with the first rays of the sun since childhood, then morning workouts will be optimal for you.

Choose the time of training depending on the type of your activity

If you are mainly engaged in mental work and spend most 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 customers all day or carry bags, then it’s better to train in the morning, because in the evening you won’t have the strength to train.

Choose your workout time based on your health condition

Much depends on the state of human health. For example, if you have heart problems, do not try to train in the morning.

When we sleep, our heart also rests, because the blood circulates more slowly. For several hours after sleep in the human body, phenomena such as rapid heart rate, accelerated metabolism, increased blood pressure. And the additional load can lead to adverse consequences.

Choose your workout time according to your goal

Set a goal for yourself. If this is weight loss, then you need to train in the morning. This is due to the fact that after sleep, blood sugar levels are lowered, and if you exercise before breakfast, the body will be forced to draw energy not from carbohydrates, but from fat. Therefore, morning workouts can 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, afternoon or evening, depends on the physiology of the person. If you are an owl - train in the evening, a lark - in the morning. No need to torture the body by doing the opposite. There will be no benefit from this. And if you have chosen some time, do not change it in the future.

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

I train when I can

Most people train when circumstances and sometimes finances allow. It's no secret that the main stumbling block of visiting the gym is work. If you have a regular work schedule - from 9 to 18, then it is not possible to train in the morning and afternoon, although, according to experts, the peak time for muscle activity is just the daytime. But, as a rule, only the evening remains for a person 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 (there is no crowding there in the evening), 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 regimen so that classes at this time of day benefit you.

In conclusion, we 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 you don’t have heart problems, if your work is mobile, if you want to lose weight, if you want to complete the entire program in the gym without a large influx of people, if you want to free up evenings for other things.

Proponent of training in the morning:"I train in the morning, three times a week, from 10 to 12. At this time I feel a surge of strength and a desire to train. All the simulators are available, there are few people. I worked out, and the whole day is free, including the evening."

Practice during the day: if the working day allows, and you are sure that you can do it regularly; if there is a gym in the office or not far from it.

Not sure what time of day is best to exercise? After reading this article, you will determine the most optimal time for classes in gym.

Drawing up a training process is not an easy task. It is necessary to provide for many subtleties and nuances. Proper nutrition, list effective exercises, recovery time, sleep, discipline and more will help you build a beautiful body.

Few people know that in order to achieve the desired result, it is necessary to correctly choose the time for training. The fact is that not all hours during the day are equally suitable for sports. Let's look at what can affect the choice of time for training, and what part of the day is the most fruitful.

Target

What do you want to achieve from visiting the gym? Everyone knows what they want and you are no exception.

Properly chosen time for training contributes to the accelerated achievement of the final result.

And are the most desirable goals that have settled in the minds of many people who have decided to work on themselves and change for the better.

• Fat burning

The human body is designed in such a way that after waking up, the blood sugar level is lowered, and the metabolism is accelerated.

If you train at the beginning of the day, then it is fat that will become the main source of energy, not carbohydrates. Therefore, in the morning you will be able to burn much more fat than during an evening workout.

If you exercise before breakfast, your body will lose more calories than after breakfast.

But I must say that doing on an empty stomach, you will have a lack of strength, therefore, you will quickly get tired. Therefore, do not overload your body, otherwise you will drive it into a state of stress.

Thus, morning sports will be much more effective if you decide to lose weight. But the training process must be approached wisely and correctly calculate the load.

Useful article:.

• Mass gain

Evening workouts contribute to a set of muscle mass and an increase in strength indicators. As you know, hormones such as testosterone and cortisol have a strong influence on muscle mass gain. If testosterone promotes muscle growth, then cortisol, on the contrary, destroys muscle fibers.

Testosterone levels after evening workouts are much higher than after morning workouts. The level of cortisol, known as the stress hormone, on the contrary, is much lower in the evening than in the morning.

Therefore, exercising in the evening, it is likely to gain muscle mass much faster than exercising in the morning.

Useful article:.

Kind of activity

If you sit in front of a computer all day long and sedentary image life, then at the end of the day you need to stretch your body. In this case, evening training is the best remedy from muscle atrophy. Physical exercise raise testosterone , will improve blood circulation and help keep muscles in good shape.

If you are physically hard work associated with constant travel, active movement and weight lifting, you will not have the strength for an evening workout. Therefore, morning workouts are for you. the best choice. By exercising at the beginning of the day, you are guaranteed to cheer up and activate brain and muscle activity. The main thing is not to overdo it in training, otherwise you will not be able to effectively cope with work responsibilities.

Schedule

Also, the choice of time for training is influenced by the daily routine. Each person lives in his own rhythm and organizes the day in a way that suits him.

If you work from morning to 5-6 pm, then, of course, you have no opportunity to train in the morning. You have nothing left to do but come to the gym in the evening.

If you have a relatively free work schedule and you can choose absolutely any time to work out in the gym, then you are fabulously lucky. Build your day the way you want, but do not forget that you always need to train at the same time. The body must adapt to consistently receive the next dose of load.

You should not train haphazardly: either in the morning or in the evening. Such instability will inevitably lead to stress, because the body will not be able to adapt to an ever-changing schedule. In this case, accuracy and method are important.

Proper organization of the day will bring you the benefits of exercising in the gym, as well as make you more disciplined.

Morning workouts have another advantage - a small number of people in the gym. In the evening, the halls are packed to capacity and look more like a jar of sprats than a sports club. Therefore, if you can go to training in the morning, then you have a unique opportunity to practice in an almost empty gym, and not stand in line for 10 minutes at the right simulator or projectile. In addition, in many halls, a morning subscription is much cheaper than an evening one.

It should be noted that in the morning your muscles and ligaments are less elastic and flexible than in the middle or at the end of the day. Therefore, before the morning workout, you need to devote enough time toto warm up muscles, stretch ligaments and tune nervous system for productive sports.

Do not neglect the warm-up during evening workouts, otherwise the risk of injury increases. It is much easier and easier to damage an unrumpled body in the morning than at sunset, but evening time is not insurance against injury.

body type

Oddly enough, but the type of physique also affects the choice of time for exercising in the gym.

• Ectomorph

People with this constitution have a fast metabolism.usually tall, thin, with long limbs, narrow bones and long muscles. If you are one of them, then train in the evening, because by this time of day your body will have accumulated enough calories that can be used as an energy source.

• Mesomorph

People with such a physique, as a rule, have average proportions that are close to normal. Mesomorphs have muscular legs and arms, as well as broad shoulders and chest.

This body type is versatile, so the benefits of morning workouts are approximately equal to the benefits of evening workouts. Again, I would like to mention that the goal and work schedule will mainly determine the timing of classes.

• Endomorph

People of similar build are usually prone to set excess weight.

If you are an endomorph, then your body has a slow metabolism. You are advised to exercise at the beginning of the day in order to burn the annoying fat to the maximum.

Conclusion

The choice of time for training is a purely individual thing. After analyzing your lifestyle, your goals and desires, you can easily decide on this. important factor, which will certainly help you in your difficult task.

The main thing is not to torture yourself too much. If you can’t wake up normally and recover in the morning, and your productivity in the morning is zero, then you don’t need to mock yourself - train in the evening. Conversely, if by the end of the day your strength is running out, but with the first rays of the sun you are full of energy, then train in the morning.

Remember, life should be enjoyed, and training and working on yourself is an integral part of your life.

As the old proverb says, "There is a time for everything." So it is in sports: there is both best time to exercise it is the most effective for obtaining results - both neutral and worst time for training, when performance decreases, and the effect of training, respectively, also falls. Today in this article we will look at best time to workout; we learn when is the best time to exercise in the gym, a when is it better to do aerobics for weight loss.

From what goals you are pursuing: losing weight, building muscle mass, keeping the body in good shape, training of cardio-vascular system etc. - it also depends in what is the best time to exercise, and what types of fitness to give preference. In order not to get confused in time, let's first listen to what different "smart" minds and scientists from all over the world think about this. What is the best time to exercise they distinguish and most importantly, what they are guided by in their choice.

Scientific studies on the best time to exercise

Research at the University of Washington, USA

Scientists from the University of Washington, who conducted numerous studies to identify the best time period for playing sports, announced the following results:

« Best time for training depends on body type.

If a person is an endomorph and has a slow metabolism (often prone to gaining excess weight), then the morning hours for sports are better for him (from 7 to 10), when glycogen and glucose stores are depleted in the body, and he has to eat the energy of fat oxidation .

If a person is an ectomorph, that is, genetically predisposed to thinness and has a fast metabolism, then for him best time to workout this is the evening time (from 16 to 19), when the body has a lot of strength and energy that will be useful to it in training.

If a person is a representative of the golden mean and is a mesomorph, that is, he has a normal metabolism without a tendency to either thinness or fullness, then both workouts in the evening and in the daytime are suitable for him. morning time. It all depends on the general well-being of the body and the desire to exercise.

According to the results this study best time to workout depends on what body type you have. But there are other opinions this issue. Let's get to know them for completeness.

Research by scientists from the Williamsburg Department of Kinesiology

Scientists conducted a series of experiments where they took 4 time periods during the day: 8 am, 12 noon, 4 pm and 8 pm. Several subjects per certain time(these were men who were not previously involved in sports, but in this case the mechanism will be similar for girls) performed some strength exercises with weights. And the following was revealed:

Maximum efficiency from strength exercises reached in the evening. This is due to the fact that the work and contraction of fast muscle fibers that are involved in weight training or high-intensity training occurs much better in the evening, when body temperature is higher than in the morning or afternoon.

Also during this study, another important reason Togo, when is the best time to exercise. And this reason lies in the level of hormones such as cortisol and testosterone.

Testosterone is responsible for building muscle, while cortisol is responsible for breaking it down. In other words, testosterone is an anabolic growth hormone and cortisol is a catabolic destruction hormone.

At rest, testosterone levels (for both men and women) are higher in the 1st half of the day, but if we are talking about training in the gym, then its level is much higher after an evening workout than if you work out with weights in the morning. So if you girls have a goal building muscle mass , then best time to workout in the evening from 16-00 to 19-00, when the level of testosterone after training is higher, and cortisol, on the contrary, is lower.

15:00-16:30 - aerobic training

From 15:00, the body temperature of the girls begins to rise, and at 16:30 it reaches its peak value, so at this time it is best to give preference active species fitness: dancing, aerobics, running, cycling, etc., they will favorably affect the fat burning process, as well as strengthen the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

17:00-18:00 - strength and high-intensity training

it best time to workout with weights, so going to the gym or attending any strength classes, as well as high-intensity or interval training, which require a lot of endurance and strength, will only benefit you. In the afternoon, body temperature and testosterone levels rise compared to the first, while cortisol levels, on the contrary, decrease. All this together has a good effect on the surge of strength and has a positive effect on your productivity from the workout.

After 19:00 - Mind workouts& Body

After 7 p.m., the body temperature of the girls begins to decrease again and comes best time to workout direction of Mind&Body, which includes different kinds yoga, Pilates, tai chi, por de bras, stretching, body flex, etc. These types of training have a healing and calming character, they also help strengthen the deepest layers of the muscles, form a beautiful and correct posture, develop flexibility and endurance, have a positive effect on the psycho-emotional background of women.

Now you know, what time of day is best to practice one or another type of active activity, and in order to systematize your knowledge, I present to your attention a small table that will help you choose the time and type of training if you want to follow your body indicators.

But there is no need to get upset and put an end to training if for some reason you cannot do your favorite type of fitness at the recommended time for this.

If you want to run, but it’s hard for you to get up early in the morning, then you don’t need to force your body, there will be no benefit from such training. If you prefer to work out in the gym, but in the evening you can’t do it, you don’t need to get depressed. The main thing is to listen to your own body, and if your energy is enough for classes strength training in the morning, then - please, no one forbids you to train in the morning.

A person is so arranged that he can get used to everything and adapt to the conditions that are convenient for him. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to practice that type at the recommended time physical activity, which is most suitable for this, then this is wonderful: you will naturally help your body achieve the desired result faster. If you do not have such an opportunity, then do not be discouraged, best time to workout your body will choose itself, the main thing is to listen to it well and help it find this time.

So, today we have considered the issue in detail, when is the best time to exercise and together we decided best time to workout. Now you have to decide what time is convenient for you personally and does it coincide with the recommended types of fitness? Send your answers in the comments.

Your coach, Janelia Skrypnyk, was with you!