Do you lift/workout at night or in the morning?

[Stanley]

I've always been a night owl and have always worked out late in the evening. Debated switching to early mornings recently.
What do you guys typically do and why?

 

[Redwolf]

I'm not a morning person and much prefer to workout after work in the evenings. After a stressful day it's great to throw around some weights. I've done it this way for over 15 years and this is what works for me.

 

[EyeBRollin]

Evening. Exercise makes me sleepy. Every time I’ve tried in the morning I’m zapped for the day.

 

[Stanley]

@Redwolf @EyeBRollin I'm not a morning person either and taking out my frustrations at night helps me sleep, but I don't even finish work until 9pm so I push my workouts late. I've heard some guys say lifting in the morning gives them an energy/mood boost throughout the day though

 

[Deranged]

I used to work out in evenings for years and had motivation issues and inconsistent workouts. Thought it was just the norm, some days better than others and all that. Lately (last 5 months) I switched to first thing in the morning. It's been great and definitely sets the mood for the day, but not if I go too hard, setting PR's or just a monster workout, I'll be wiped for the day. Also struggling with stiffness, cause morning , is a new challenge to compete with too.

 

[Stanley]

I used to work out in evenings for years and had motivation issues and inconsistent workouts. Thought it was just the norm, some days better than others and all that. Lately (last 5 months) I switched to first thing in the morning. It's been great and definitely sets the mood for the day, but not if I go too hard, setting PR's or just a monster workout, I'll be wiped for the day. Also struggling with stiffness, cause morning , is a new challenge to compete with too.

I do pretty high intensity full body with a lot of super setting a few times a week and I fear i'll just crash afterwards if I do it in the morning. Currently with my schedule i'm not done lifting until close to 11/12am though and i'm settled or relaxing post work until then. I like the concept of swallowing the frog which means do the hardest thing you want to do the least early in the day. That hard part is I love the gym and look forward to it.

 

[Fortune_favors_the_bold]

I notice that my muscles perform better in the evening 5pm/7pm while my focus and energy is higher in late morning/early afternoon.

Im not one of those guys that falls asleep after physical performances, quite the opposite actually.

So generally I found myself more comfortable doing MMA at lunch time and lifting weight around 6pm.

The best was lifting in the evening then dining and then hitting the club till late night in my 20s.

Nowadays I find a balance and wanna have two meals before training or one big meal+ pre workout but be done before 7pm.

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

It comes down to personal preference - but since I have never been a morning person, my morning workouts were always terrible. Even working out at noon causes a substantial drop in my performance compared to the evening. My best workouts are always around 7-8pm. I do recall seeing studies that confirm your strength peaks in the evening which is based on our natural circadian rhythms - not sure about cardio endurance though, but who cares.

I truly hate all the self development "gurus" who try to convince everyone that working out early in the morning is the best. On the contary, I also recall hearing that if you workout early in the day, your dopamine levels will spike early then crash - and I absolutely notice this. I truly don't understand people who claim that working out "energizes" them for the entire day. That post-workout high only seems to last 1-2 hrs in my experience, and is followed by a mild crash regardless of when/what I eat.

Seems much better to go through all the stresses of your day then release it in a workout, come home, eat dinner, then go to bed in a couple hours after dinner (which people also think is bad, but they're incorrect).

 

[Fortune_favors_the_bold]

It comes down to personal preference - but since I have never been a morning person, my morning workouts were always terrible. Even working out at noon causes a substantial drop in my performance compared to the evening. My best workouts are always around 7-8pm. I do recall seeing studies that confirm your strength peaks in the evening which is based on our natural circadian rhythms - not sure about cardio endurance though, but who cares.

I truly hate all the self development "gurus" who try to convince everyone that working out early in the morning is the best. On the contary, I also recall hearing that if you workout early in the day, your dopamine levels will spike early then crash - and I absolutely notice this. I truly don't understand people who claim that working out "energizes" them for the entire day. That post-workout high only seems to last 1-2 hrs in my experience, and is followed by a crash regardless of when/what I eat.

Seems much better to go through all the stresses of your day then release it in a workout, come home, eat dinner, then go to bed in a couple hours after dinner (which people also think is bad, but they're incorrect).

Yeah those gurus preeching to wake up at 6 and hit the gym at 7 are borderline retards as if someone could fight his genetics and his late 10 years habits out of nowhere.

Being a morning person is not a matter of commitment or effort as many say, often times is related to genetic and personality traits.

An introvert for example needs hours alone in quiet to properly recover and those hours often come late night when everyone else is sleeping and silent.

 

[Stanley]

I notice that my muscles perform better in the evening 5pm/7pm while my focus and energy is higher in late morning/early afternoon.

Im not one of those guys that falls asleep after physical performances, quite the opposite actually.

So generally I found myself more comfortable doing MMA at lunch time and lifting weight around 6pm.

The best was lifting in the evening then dining and then hitting the club till late night in my 20s.

Nowadays I find a balance and wanna have two meals before training or one big meal+ pre workout but be done before 7pm.

Damn, I don't know how you could go out after lifting. I don't leave my garage gym without noodle legs lol. My 'off'days I just started jiu jitsu late in the evening and even after those sessions the last thing i'm thinking about is boozing on the town.

 

[Stanley]

Morning. I love first thing. Gym is empty and mainly it’s older dudes with families, all the young trendies aren’t there.

there is no way in hell I could go to the gym in the evening and try to come back and sleep. Gym Amps me up.

my 'gym' is my cold ass garage with squat rack, tower and some dumbells lol

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

Yeah those gurus preeching to wake up at 6 and hit the gym at 7 are borderline retards as if someone could fight his genetics and his late 10 years habits out of nowhere.

Being a morning person is not a matter of commitment or effort as many say, often times is related to genetic and personality traits.

An introvert for example needs hours alone in quiet to properly recover and those hours often come late night when everyone else is sleeping and silent.

The best explaination I've heard is that random variation in sleep preferences offered a selective advantage.. Think about it - if an entire tribe went to sleep and woke up at the same time, it would leave them vulnerable to predation, and they'd also have considerable downtime where they're doing nothing productive. If you have variation, with some people preferring to wake up at different times, it keeps productivity up and ensures they won't get ambushed by predators. So, over time this became an evolutionary adaptation that clearly hasn't gone away.

 

[threeforfree]

I used to go in the evenings but it was much more busy with the attention seekers, etc. Now I start my workouts at 6:30am and I'm back home in plenty of time to work. I'm dragging a little bit when I first wake up, but after taking my ECA stack I'm just fine.

It also gives me the entire evening to do what I want, or just relax. In my mind, any time I wake up earlier in the morning and get stuff done that I'd normally do after work, that's "freeing up time."

 

[Murk]

12pm-2pm home gym (best thing I ever done)

OR

8am if at a gym

 

[Mase]

Anytime between 4pm-8pm then I can schedule in good pre/post workout meals.
Also like you previously said it's a brilliant end to the day to come home and throw some iron around.
Post workout also feels like I have earned sitting down reading/podcast or going out with friends

 

[Stanley]

12pm-2pm home gym (best thing I ever done)

OR

8am if at a gym

Home gym is great. I HATE going to the gym and having to wait around for people or deal with the clout chaser types. That and I can keep my heart rate up with super setting at home. Totally worth a few hundred bucks

 

[Murk]

Home gym is great. I HATE going to the gym and having to wait around for people or deal with the clout chaser types. That and I can keep my heart rate up with super setting at home. Totally worth a few hundred bucks

I love the flexibility it gives me, I can actually work out 6x per week and enjoy it, in my own environment, no rushing I can get good rest between sets, and before I realise I've done 90-120 minutes. I usually aim for 60 minutes per work out though.

At a normal gym I feel rushed.

 

[Stanley]

I love the flexibility it gives me, I can actually work out 6x per week and enjoy it, in my own environment, no rushing I can get good rest between sets, and before I realise I've done 90-120 minutes. I usually aim for 60 minutes per work out though.

At a normal gym I feel rushed.

Agreed, last night after work I went too hard doing a circuit of 5x5s, Wide grip bench, Chins-lateral raises-calf raises- dead hang all to failure with a minute rest at the end. I cannot do that kinda of superseted routine at a gym without flying all over the place and taking up more time/equipment then needed.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I've always been a night owl and have always worked out late in the evening. Debated switching to early mornings recently.
What do you guys typically do and why?

I tried early mornings(like 6am, which isn't early for some but early for me) and I hated it even tho I did it for a while...

Hydration was always an issue first thing in the AM for me which effected the amount of weight I could lift. Always was consistently less than it I was properly hydrated and lifting in the evening.

There is some science that shows the best time to lift based on your hormonal cycles that ebb and flow throughout the day would be late afternoon or early evening...like anywhere in the 3-7pm range.

Working out too late in the evening used to cause sleep problems.for me and apparently is a common issue so that is something else to keep in mind if you are working out intensely...

But the most important thing overall is that you do it at some point in the day versus the time you do it at, so whatever ends up being the most convenient way that will allow you to stick with it is what you should do.

 

[Stanley]

I tried early mornings(like 6am, which isn't early for some but early for me) and I hated it even tho I did it for a while...

Hydration was always an issue first thing in the AM for me which effected the amount of weight I could lift. Always was consistently less than it I was properly hydrated and lifting in the evening.

There is some science that shows the best time to lift based on your hormonal cycles that ebb and flow throughout the day would be late afternoon or early evening...like anywhere in the 3-7pm range.

Working out too late in the evening used to cause sleep problems.for me and apparently is a common issue so that is something else to keep in mind if you are working out intensely...

But the most important thing overall is that you do it at some point in the day versus the time you do it at, so whatever ends up being the most convenient way that will allow you to stick with it is what you should do.

Currently, I'm beginning to think my routine is causing my sleep schedule issues.

I have an uncommon work/life schedule and I can only get a session in typically after 9:30-10pm and finish around 11/11:30 or so. And even though I am 'tired' afterwards my mental energy levels shoot up shortly thereafter and I use the late evening to be productive. There are things I need to get done after lifting like studying and practice, but if i'm really gassed physically that is a challenge and that time spent isn't of quality. Days were I am doing legs I will literally sleep for 10-12 hours and wake up at noon and be fairly unproductive that day which is no bueno. I've been super consistent and haven't missed a scheduled workout in 7 months, but my schedule keeps pushing further and further back.

Since making this post i've been slamming my pre-workout meal and shake as I commute home from work at about 7:30. After spending 45 minutes in **** conditions and traffic I have a pretty big boost in 'energy'. I know angry lifting is frowned upon, but I use that as fuel. This has been working better for me so far and puts me in a more relaxed state afterwards. I'm going to keep experimenting and will probably try mornings once it starts warming up a bit since my garage is like 7 degrees in the morning.