Whether you’re an early riser or enjoy a late night, exercising can provide health benefits.
And DDepending on your training goals, these pros and cons can significantly affect the efficiency of your training.
Now the sports nutritionists at Bulk told FEMAIL the benefits of working out between 5-8am, as well as the benefits of a gym session after 7pm.
she rrevealed tEither way, morning workouts can improve your weight loss as they can help boost metabolism and burn more body fat.
Meanwhile, muscle strength and function peak in the evening, which can make workouts more effective.
Bulk’s sports nutrition experts weighed the pros and cons of early morning and late evening workouts (stock image)
Early morning workout – 5am – 8am
ADVANTAGES
1. Increased alertness
Believe it or not, one of the biggest benefits of an early morning workout is that you feel more alert.
While you may feel exhausted as you drag yourself to the gym, your body produces the hormone cortisol, which is at its peak around 8am.
Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, helps you stay awake and alert. You only get problems from this hormone if there is too much or too little of it.
Therefore, if you have a healthy circadian rhythm — the 24-hour cycle that includes physiological and behavioral rhythms like sleep — your body will be better prepared to exercise early in the morning.
2. May Improve Weight Loss
For those looking to shred some body fat, a great benefit of working out in the morning is that it’s generally better for weight loss.
Elevated cortisol levels and growth hormone in the morning are both associated with your metabolism.
Therefore, vigorous exercise in the morning can help boost metabolism and burn more body fat, drawing more energy from your fat stores.
3. Improves your body clock
A study published by the Journal of Physiology found that exercising at 7 a.m. can shift your biological clock earlier.
Not only will this improve how alert you are in the morning, but it can also prepare you to fall asleep more easily and earlier that night.
This will allow you to get enough rest to wake up and repeat the same routine again the next day.
4. Helps control appetite
Exercise generally helps control your appetite.
Studies have now shown that aerobic exercise, such as running, cycling and swimming, reduces appetite. This is because it changes our hormone levels that cause hunger.
The theory behind exercise as an appetite suppressant or stimulant is based on the activities of two key hormones, ghrelin and peptide YY.
These are hormones with opposite actions, both of which are released during exercise. Ghrelin stimulates appetite, while peptide YY decreases appetite.
Since exercise suppresses the ghrelin hormone, it will thus help you control your appetite.
Evening practice – 7:30 pm and later
Advantages
1. Higher energy levels
A study by The University of Birmingham shows that you can go up to 20 percent longer if you train in the evening, at a higher intensity.
Therefore, workouts with a longer, faster and stronger pace will produce results much faster.
2. Muscles tighten faster
Muscle strength and function peak in the evening, as fluctuating hormones can make workouts more effective later in the day.
High levels of cortisol in the morning can prevent muscle growth, but high levels of testosterone in the evening stimulate it.
3. It’s a myth that PM workouts negatively affect sleep
While many people believe that exercising late at night can greatly disrupt your sleep quality because endorphins are still buzzing, this is a myth.
Endorphins actually help improve sleep ability, which also helps reduce stress.
A study in Sleep Medicine found that only two percent of vigorous exercisers said workouts interrupted their sleep, as 30 percent slept better after sweating profusely.
Of course, depending on what time your workout is, people may tend to rely on caffeine and taurine, which are known as popular pre-workout supplements.
While there’s a lot of research to support their performance benefits, especially if you’re weight training, the caffeine can be problematic and affect sleep quality.
Therefore, a better option is to opt for caffeine-free pre-workout, which contains beta-alanine and citrulline malate, which help maintain muscle pH and acidity, slowing the buildup of lactic acid and muscle fatigue.
4. Effective stress relief
After a long day, exercise can help you relax and de-stress.
This is because physical activity produces endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that act as natural pain relievers.
Studies show that among those who exercise, 33 percent of high-stress adults said they feel less stressed after exercising, compared to 18 percent of low-stress adults.
A spokesperson for Bulk said: ‘There’s no bad time to exercise, it just depends on the type of workouts you’re doing and the results you want to achieve.
“In general, an early morning workout is more effective for those looking to lose weight, and for those looking to build muscle and tone, an afternoon or evening workout is better.”
“The most important thing is to find a time that works best for you, and if you feel better about working out early in the morning rather than late at night or vice versa, do that.” A workout should give you a sense of accomplishment and make you feel good.
“For those who have certain body goals, consistency is key, so pick a time you can stick to to help your body relax into a comfortable routine.”