When is the best time to exercise? If you are a bodybuilding or fitness practitioner, you must have already asked yourself this question in order to optimize the results of your physical exercises. Whether by choice or to adapt to the constraints of everyday life, some athletes prefer to train in the morning, while others favor the afternoon or early evening. But does this have an impact on performance and musculature? This is what we will discover in this article.
WHY TRAIN IN THE MORNING?
Advantages
For men, the morning is the time of day when testosterone levels are at their peak. This male hormone is naturally present in the human body. It is essential for protein synthesis and therefore contributes significantly to muscle formation. It also participates in the reconstruction of damaged muscle fibers after an intense sports session. Testosterone is also present in the female body, but in a much smaller amount. Its impact on muscle development is therefore reduced.
In addition, doing sports in the morning is conducive to concentration. The memory works optimally and the mind is more alert. This liveliness facilitates muscular work and optimizes the results of physical exercise.
Finally, doing your training in the morning allows you to get rid of a potential constraint and to be able to go about other occupations other than sports practice the rest of the day.
Personally, I prefer to train in the morning, because I feel my best early in the day. Of course, my schedule allows me to go to the weight room in the morning, which is not the case for everyone. I can then organize the rest of my working day as well as possible.
Disadvantages
Morning training, however, can limit your athletic performance and muscle growth. Indeed, when you wake up, your muscles are stiff and less able to perform physical effort requiring strength and endurance. This is even more true in winter with the onset of cold weather.
Of course, this does not apply to all sportsmen or athletes. Best to make your own experience. If you opt for physical exercise in the morning, be sure to warm up properly to properly wake up your muscles.
WHY TRAIN IN THE AFTERNOON?
Advantages
By late afternoon, pain tolerance is at its highest. Likewise, adrenaline and body temperature increase. This allows you to push the muscular work even further and very often to achieve the famous additional repetition. Your performance may therefore be better than in the morning, which will promote the development of your muscles.
A study conducted by researchers from the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information), an American research institute, suggests that training done in the late afternoon can prevent injuries. This is due to the combination of three main factors:
better attention allowed by the circadian rhythm of the human body,
greater flexibility of muscles and tendons thanks to the increase in body temperature,
greater muscle strength.
Finally, many bodybuilders like to do an activity (weight training, running, cardio training, pilates, etc.) after their day at work to clear their minds and release pressure. This also applies to evening sports sessions.
Disadvantages
On the other hand, you risk running out of energy if you practice physical activity around noon, or just after your lunch.
Similarly, the quality of your midday meal will have a direct impact on your performance during an afternoon workout. A lunch too rich in carbohydrates can cause a feeling of fatigue linked to the level of insulin in the body.
It is therefore essential to adopt a balanced sports nutrition based on the consumption of unprocessed foods and integrating a good distribution of macronutrients (carbohydrates, lipids and proteins).
WHY TRAIN IN THE EVENING?
Advantages
In the evening, coordination and endurance levels are at their peak, as is body temperature. The lungs also have a better activity.
If you go to a gym, the evening (from 8 p.m. as a rule) is also the time when attendance is lowest. You will therefore be able to organize your training more easily and take advantage of the availability of benches, dumbbells and machines.
Disadvantages
Evening workouts are generally not conducive to performance. Mental focus gradually decreases and the body begins to prepare for the night’s sleep by producing melatonin, a hormone that regulates biological rhythms. The bodily functions are then slowed down.
In the evening, you could also be the victim of a drop in motivation, especially if you have had a difficult day or are tired.
Finally, exercising late in the day can make it difficult to fall asleep.
WHY TRAIN IN THE EVENING?
Advantages
In the evening, coordination and endurance levels are at their peak, as is body temperature. The lungs also have a better activity.
If you go to a gym, the evening (from 8 p.m. as a rule) is also the time when attendance is lowest. You will therefore be able to organize your training more easily and take advantage of the availability of benches, dumbbells and machines.
Disadvantages
Evening workouts are generally not conducive to performance. Mental focus gradually decreases and the body begins to prepare for the night’s sleep by producing melatonin, a hormone that regulates biological rhythms. The bodily functions are then slowed down.
In the evening, you could also be the victim of a drop in motivation, especially if you have had a difficult day or are tired.
Finally, exercising late in the day can make it difficult to fall asleep.
SO WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO EXERCISE?
Training in bodybuilding requires a lot of patience, perseverance and time. Depending on whether you want to lose weight or gain mass, the results can take several months or even years to appear. Indeed, muscle volume intensifies over time, more or less quickly depending on the bodybuilding program chosen. Also, to build the perfect body, you should dedicate part of your week to performing appropriate bodybuilding exercises.
But to train effectively, it is essential to feel comfortable, both mentally and physically. Lifting weights in the gym takes intense effort, so you need to be in top shape to perform and build muscle mass. So at what time of the day do we feel at our best?
It is important to understand that the human body has a biological clock that regulates our activities. However, the human brain has the ability to disrupt this clock so that the body can adapt to its external environment. Naturally, the body is designed to follow a 24-hour rhythm: this is the circadian rhythm. But each body has its own circadian rhythm. For some athletes, the best time to train will therefore be in the morning, while it will be in the evening for others.
This ability of the human body to adapt to our habits is a good thing. Indeed, it offers you the possibility of doing bodybuilding in good conditions, whatever the constraints of your schedule. It also means that even if there is a change in your daily life that would lead you to change your training schedule, your body would be able to adjust to perform at the right time.
