Optimal time for classes. Is the best time to exercise early in the morning, afternoon or late evening? Intense fat burning

The question of when it is better for a person to exercise - 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, there cannot be. Still, an individual approach is needed here.

"Owls" train in the evening, "larks" - in the morning

If life just begins for you in the evening, and getting up in the morning is equivalent to execution, then the best time for you to train is the evening. If you are a “morning person” and have been accustomed to getting up with the first rays of the sun since childhood, then morning workouts will be optimal for you.

Choose your workout time depending on your activity

If you are primarily engaged in mental work and spend most of the day in a chair in front of a monitor, then it would be nice for you to stretch your bones in the gym in the evening. But if you spend the whole day running around visiting clients or carrying bags, then it’s better to train in the morning, because in the evening you won’t have the energy to train.

Choose your workout time depending on your health condition

Much depends on the person’s health status. For example, if you have heart problems, don't try to exercise in the morning.

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

Choose your training time depending on 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 low, and if you exercise before breakfast, the body will be forced to draw energy not from carbohydrates, but from fat. Therefore, morning workouts allow you to lose weight three times more effectively than evening workouts. And training on an empty stomach burns 300% more fat than training after eating.

What time of day to train – morning, afternoon or evening – depends on the person’s physiology. If you are a night owl, train in the evening, if you are a lark, train in the morning. There is no need to torture the body by doing the opposite. There will be no benefit from this. And if you have chosen a certain 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 evening, but not until late.

I train when I can

Most people train when circumstances and sometimes finances allow it. It's no secret that the main stumbling block to going to the gym is work. If you have a normal work schedule - from 9 to 18, then it is not possible to train in the morning and afternoon, although, according to experts, peak times muscle activity is just daytime. But, as a rule, a person has only the evening to train.

If a person has the opportunity to train in the morning, he happily grabs this option, since the attendance of the gyms in the morning and in the evening is incomparable (there is no crowd there in the evening), and it costs him less.

In any case, if you have decided on a time to visit the gym, then let it be stable. Build your routine so that exercising at this time of day brings you benefits.

In conclusion, let’s summarize all of the above, giving recommendations that will help you choose the optimal time for training.

Train 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 planned program in the gym, avoiding a large influx of people, if you want to free up your evenings for other things.

Morning workout advocate:“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 exercise equipment is available, there are not many people. I worked out, and the whole day is free, including the evening.”

Train during the day: if your working hours allow it and you are sure that you can do it regularly; if there is a gym in the office or near it.

The question that especially worries beginning athletes is what time of day to train so that they bring maximum effect and benefit?

The well-known classification of people into night owls and larks will help you take the first step towards understanding when it is best to engage in fitness. Choosing a time for training based on this typology will help you determine what time of day is right for you in order to conduct your training in a good mood and with the greatest efficiency.

Owls are able to stay up late and still work productively, but in the early morning they cannot wake up for a very long time and engage in any activity that requires concentration. If you belong to this type, then the most suitable time for your workout will be the evening, when you are full of energy and strength (from about 17:00 onwards), but morning classes They will only be a burden.

It is common for larks to wake up early in the morning with good mood and full of strength. The best time for their training will be the morning hours, starting at about 6:00. Evening activities can cause insomnia in people of this type, since physical activity promotes the production extra energy, which can “drive away” sleep.

Afternoon workouts (12:00 – 18:00) are suitable for most people, no matter what type they are. At this time, owls are already quite alert, but larks are still far from resting at night. In addition, classes held in the middle of the day will energize you and increase your productivity until the evening.

It is not always possible to build a training regimen in accordance with one’s own biorhythms: the timing of training for most people depends on several additional factors, including work commitments.

In this case, you will have to plan the time of the classes taking into account the general recommendations:

1. Train at a time when you are at your peak physical activity. If you are full of energy, the efficiency of the training becomes much higher, which brings you even closer to the desired result. Therefore, if you feel energetic and are ready to train at 5 am or 11 pm - good for you, but do not forget about the need for recovery.
2. Your goal is effective training at the limit of strength? Choose a time when your body has plenty of glycogen reserves so you can lift heavier weights, move faster and jump higher. Glycogen levels depend on food intake - the more carbohydrates it contains, the higher the level of muscle glycogen filling. From this we can conclude that such training is best done throughout the day, starting in the late morning and ending in the early evening.
3. If your priority is burning fat, then morning is for you. Glycogen stores are low before your first meal, and you can force your body to burn fat reserves more actively during exercise. Best choice There will be regular or relatively short interval cardio training. The main thing is to maintain moderation and not try to set records. Intense long-term training combined with low glycogen levels can lead to a deterioration in overall health, loss of strength and dizziness.

Advantages and disadvantages of training at different times

When choosing the optimal hours for training - morning, afternoon or evening, you should find out about the benefits and risks of exercising at a particular time of day.

Morning training (06:00 – 10:00)

• help you get involved in your workday;
• increase your metabolic rate for the rest of the day;
• promote fat burning;
• convenient from the point of view of the duration of classes: just get up early to work out longer.

• there is a high risk of injury, because the muscles are not sufficiently developed in the morning;
• body temperature in the morning is lower than normal, blood circulation is slow, and therefore energy is consumed at a lower rate.

Daytime training (12:00 – 17:00)

• the body is ready for training of any intensity: blood circulation is active, body temperature is within normal limits;
• the body is full of strength and capable of any workout: relief, weight or fat burning.

• not everyone can afford to workout during working hours;
• There are many distractions in the middle of the day: phone calls, household chores, etc.

Evening training (18:00 – 22:00)

When is it better to exercise – in the morning or in the evening? Neither trainers nor medical luminaries have a definite answer. Let's try...

Practice shows that people most actively insist on benefits morning exercises those who have no problem waking up early. There are 20–25% of such larks. But 30–40% of people are night owls, and they prefer going to the gym in the evening. The rest are just lucky - they don’t care when to get up.

Morning: “for”

• Decreased appetite throughout the day
  Scientists from the UK compared data from surveys conducted among runners. It turned out that those who ran in the morning felt less hungry during the day than fans of evening jogging. Scientists have suggested that morning exercise suppresses the release of hormones responsible for appetite. This means that for those who tend to overeat, after a morning workout it will be easier to cope with the habit of chewing something all the time.
• It's easier to burn fat in the morning
  During physical activity, carbohydrates are first consumed and only after twenty minutes of movement the muscles receive energy from fat. That is why it has always been recommended for weight loss long workouts, no shorter than 40 minutes. However, recent research from the American College of Sports Medicine shows that just 20-30 minutes of exercise in the first half of the day is enough. In terms of fat burning effect, this will be identical to 40 minutes after lunch. The reason is that until 17 o'clock in the afternoon our metabolism is set to consume energy, including fat. And after 17 hours the intensity metabolic processes fades away, the hormonal and other systems are already focused on replenishing reserves. Therefore, in the morning they are stubborn body fat“go to waste” more easily.
• Lower risk of injury
  After a morning workout, fatigue goes away faster and muscles recover better, according to a new study from the University of Toronto. Doctors observed 3,000 people who were passionate about fitness and found that after morning training, the pulse returned to normal on average 20% faster than after evening training. In addition, a blood test showed that with the same intensity of training, microtrauma muscle fibers and associated blood changes occur less frequently in the morning.

Morning: "against"

• You won't have time to have breakfast
  Exercising in the morning on an empty stomach is ineffective and can lead to fainting. Without breakfast, you only have enough strength to easy charging. So what, get up two hours earlier, eat and wait an hour for breakfast to digest? This won't suit anyone. True, you can drink sweet tea with a piece of chocolate, coffee with sugar, juice, eat a banana, a handful of raisins or dried apricots. These products will be absorbed while you are getting dressed.
• Thick blood
  You did not drink for at least 8 hours while you slept; during this time, some water was excreted in your urine and, possibly, in your sweat. Once the fluid is gone, it means the blood has become thicker; increasing its circulation in such an “undiluted” form means overloading the heart and veins. Therefore, before training, be sure to drink 1-2 glasses of liquid and wait 5-10 minutes for the moisture to be absorbed.
• In the morning the body is still asleep
  After sleep, blood circulation throughout the body is slowed down, the lungs are narrowed, and the nervous system is inhibited. Therefore, it is necessary to start charging with a warm-up, gradually increasing the load. Beginners are not recommended to give themselves serious exercise such as running or strength exercises in the morning; it is better to take a walk, ride a bike, or swim.

Evening: “for”

Evening: “against”

• Tiredness after work
  Not everyone can force themselves to do exercises after work or drag themselves to the pool. Some people don’t have enough motivation to break the usual pattern and do something active in the evening, while others are really too tired physically.
• I really want to eat after a workout
  Experts from the Swedish School of Sports and Health Sciences believe that this is an indicator of the wrong training. It was clearly either too intense or too long. Replace running with a walk, aerobics with an exercise bike. Shorten the session from an hour to 40 or 30 minutes.
• It's hard to sleep
  The reason is too intense workout and increased tone.

So, let's summarize. Both morning and evening have their pros and cons. So proceed from your own preferences, as well as from your work schedule. Moving when you feel comfortable is much healthier than not moving at all. And the negative effects can be easily negated by using the advice we have given.

We consider the pros and cons of training at different times of the day.

Analyzing the indicators of human biorhythms, hormone levels and our body temperature at different times of the day, we come to the conclusion that our functional state changes during the day. The highest performance in a person is observed from 10 to 12 and from 15 to 18 hours.

Interesting: Experts are of the opinion that during the midday and early evening, our body temperature is higher than the body temperature immediately after waking up. Training during this period of time is optimal, as it reduces the risk of muscle strains and injuries.

But not everyone is able to exercise in the middle of the day. Work and study take time, and we are left with two options: to train in the morning or in the evening.

Physical activity will be beneficial in any case, because there is no specific time for sports. But at what exact hours will you be able to achieve maximum results? We invite you to consider in detail the most optimal and convenient options.

1) Morning workouts:

Exercising in the early hours, immediately after waking up, is difficult only at first. Over time, the human body gets used to systematic morning exercise, and after several such workouts you can easily wake up without an alarm clock at the time allotted for exercise. Immediately after sleep, a person’s body temperature is lowered, therefore, more energy is expended during morning workouts, which promotes increased fat burning by the body.

Also early workouts are great for speeding up your metabolism, which makes it possible to burn more calories throughout the day. Plus, after morning physical activity, the body is in good shape, which makes it easier to endure the afternoon, during which one usually falls asleep and loses performance.

But there are also weak sides: Unwarmed muscles are easy to injure, so before your morning workout you should definitely do a good warm-up for all muscle groups. Despite the fact that playing sports in the morning helps rapid combustion fat, with low levels of temperature and hormones, calories are burned more slowly during the morning workout itself than during the evening. If you exercise in the morning, make it a habit have breakfast an hour and a half before training and again provide the body with food after.

Ideally, to achieve noticeable results, you need to practice at least 1 hour daily. Morning exercise improves blood flow to the brain, which stimulates its functioning.

2) Daytime workouts:

Such training quickly becomes a habit. At this time, the most effective exercises will be strength exercises, stretching, crossfit and other exercises that require endurance and strength.

In the afternoon, body temperature and hormone levels rise. The muscles become pliable and more flexible, the afternoon workout will bring good result, while reducing the risk of muscle tension and, as a result, muscle pain.

Daytime workouts are perfect for those who want to increase muscle strength and increase your endurance levels. They need to be planned wisely, taking into account the obligatory meal. Lunch, in case physical activity, divided into two doses: one and a half to two hours before and one hour after training.

Of the minuses Let's highlight a busy schedule of study or work. Not everyone can afford to spend time training during their lunch break (40-50 minutes). The lesson may be “crumpled” and ineffective due to the desire to do everything at once in a minimum period.

3) Evening workouts:

After 16:00 the muscles are in the best shape. Strength training with dumbbells or a barbell will be effective - that is this time is more suitable for drawing relief than weight loss.

Evening workouts are practically no different in effectiveness from late afternoon workouts. At late times, fitness clubs are usually tightly packed: everyone is in a hurry to go in for sports after work and study and relieve emotional stress. But it is worth considering the fact that physical activity provokes the body to produce adrenaline. If it’s too late to study, then such exercise can cause sleep disturbances. Optimal time for evening training - 2-3 hours before bedtime.

To consolidate the results of your workout, we recommend drinking a protein shake that contains a large amount of protein, which is necessary for the formation of muscle relief, and also has an active restorative effect on the muscles. muscle tissue, taking off muscle tension and pain. At the same time, protein shakes are easily absorbed and digested due to their liquid consistency, making them ideal for restoring the body after an evening workout, without being deposited in fatty tissue and without creating a feeling of heaviness in the stomach. Drink protein shakes recommended 2-3 hours before bedtime.

Important: Don't forget to eat before strength training, since they are really dangerous on an empty stomach.

Whatever time you choose to exercise, remember, the main thing is regularity of training! Periodically at least 3 times a week the results will not keep you waiting.

To contact an individual consultant who will create a training and nutrition plan for you, go to link. 18 November 2016, 17:56 2016-11-18

Anyone who has made a strong-willed decision to regularly engage in sports in order to improve their health or lose weight overweight, definitely thinks about what time it is better for him to exercise and at what interval after that he should take it. The scientific research and recommendations that we have collected in this material will help you understand these issues.

All the pros and cons in favor of the morning

Also, evening workouts are the most effective for relieving stress.

Disadvantages of studying in the evenings

The disadvantages of training in the evenings include the fact that if a person has a priority to reduce their shape and burn fat, such training should take place late in the evening, at least a couple of hours after.

Here you should also add the answer to the question: is it possible to do exercises before bed? Any physical exercise should be completed at least two hours before bedtime. The fact is that it is an important factor for the health of every person. And exercise increases body temperature, increases blood circulation, leads to nervous system into a state of excitability, and the body into wakefulness. All these factors not only do not contribute to normal and timely falling asleep, but even prevent it.

Important! If there is no other time than late in the evening for training, then breathing exercises should be performed at the end of the set of exercises. They will help establish normal breathing and normalize body temperature.

And one more important aspect - going to bed after training is not recommended. You need to eat something light with protein and carbohydrates.

What about lunch?

Lunch workouts are not as popular as morning and evening workouts. They are most often used on, in, during periods of absence from work, etc. Let's look at whether the exercises are effective at a given time.

Why is it possible

During the daytime, the body's tolerance for pain is highest. Therefore, it is good to carry out strength training at this time. To more comfortable and effective activities has daylight.

The benefits of day visits gyms It can be attributed to the fact that at this time they are not crowded; as a rule, instructors are free and can pay more attention to you. Also, if you have the opportunity to exercise during your lunch break, this will allow you to relax in bed in the morning or relax longer in the evening after a hard day.
Lunch workouts energize you for the rest of the day, stimulate you, and increase productivity. Surely many people are interested in the question: is it possible to exercise after eating, for example during the lunch break? The optimal interval between training should be 1.5-2 hours (if the goal is just to be in shape, then you can reduce it to one hour).

During morning and evening sports activities The main meal should be at . Training at lunchtime should be carried out taking into account the recommended intervals before and after meals. It's better to have lunch after class.

Important! In your post-workout diet, you should minimize fat intake and eliminate caffeine (for two hours). Before and after classes, you need to drink at least half a liter of liquid for an hour.

Why not

For any person, regardless of the characteristics of biorhythms, zero activity of the body occurs in the afternoon hours - from two to three. Therefore, it is not worth planning sports activities during this time.

It will be difficult for a working person to plan time for a lunch meal, since it is not recommended to eat a full lunch before training, and eating after training will be an afternoon snack, which also should not be oversaturated with calories.

Summarize

Of course, everyone will choose the time for training individually, depending on the rhythm of life, work or study schedule, their chronotype and desired result. The purpose of our article is to point out the changes in the body that occur at one time or another during physical activity.
To summarize the above, we note that to maintain health, training at any time of the day and regardless of the eating interval will be useful. If the ultimate goal physical exercise is a set muscle mass and it is planned to focus on strength exercises, for stretching, then the best time for this will be the evening. It is also good to go swimming in the evening and team events sports

Those who want to lose weight quickly and effectively should give preference to morning workouts. At this time, it is good to engage in light types of exercise: cycling, exercises, etc.

If you clearly belong to a certain chronotype, then “larks” tolerate training best before 12 noon, “pigeons” train well around four o’clock in the afternoon, and “night owls” prefer to physically load the body between eight o’clock in the evening.