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The optimal time of day to train is not usually something that people think about, yet there is a science to optimizing your training times. By carefully planning your training schedule in accordance with your circadian rhythm, you will be stronger, faster and more powerful. After the training, you will gain more muscle. You will also increase your flexibility, reduce your chance of injuries and possibly sleep better.
Several studies have looked at long term muscle size and strength gains in groups training at different times of day. Even when people are consistent with their training times, strength increases are generally slightly higher and muscle gains up to 84% higher have been found when training in the evening instead of the morning.
A study conducted in 2016 studied the effectiveness a training program performed in the morning between 06:30 – 10:00 h or in the evening between 16:30 – 20:00 h for a 24 week period. While strength and endurance performance improved similarly across the groups, the men training in the evening gained notably more muscle mass.
In line with the increased muscle growth, muscle anabolic signaling after a workout is higher in the afternoon than in the morning.
Your circadian rhythm is a 24 hour cycle of biological activity set by your internal clock. Your sleep-wake cycle is one of many systems influenced by your circadian rhythm.
Your hormonal milieu, gene expression and core body temperature have a circadian rhythm. Together, they result in peak physical condition to train and recover in the late afternoon to early evening for most individuals.
The best time to work out is generally between 14:30 and 20:30 h if you have a regular sleep-wake cycle.
You can determine the optimal time to train by monitoring your maximum resting heart rate and training performance. Some people do just fine training in the morning.
If you can’t train when your body is primed to do so, supplement with caffeine pre-workout and schedule your workouts when you can always train. Getting in your workouts in the first place is of course always more important than when you do them.
Of course training in the first place is more important than when you train, so if your schedule prevents you from training in the afternoon, getting in your workouts whenever you can is priority number one. If you’re a natural morning person, this may work perfectly well for you.
Several studies have looked at long term muscle size and strength gains in groups training at different times of day. Even when people are consistent with their training times, strength increases are generally slightly higher and muscle gains up to 84% higher have been found when training in the evening instead of the morning.
A study conducted in 2016 studied the effectiveness a training program performed in the morning between 06:30 – 10:00 h or in the evening between 16:30 – 20:00 h for a 24 week period. While strength and endurance performance improved similarly across the groups, the men training in the evening gained notably more muscle mass.
In line with the increased muscle growth, muscle anabolic signaling after a workout is higher in the afternoon than in the morning.
Your circadian rhythm is a 24 hour cycle of biological activity set by your internal clock. Your sleep-wake cycle is one of many systems influenced by your circadian rhythm.
Your hormonal milieu, gene expression and core body temperature have a circadian rhythm. Together, they result in peak physical condition to train and recover in the late afternoon to early evening for most individuals.
The best time to work out is generally between 14:30 and 20:30 h if you have a regular sleep-wake cycle.
You can determine the optimal time to train by monitoring your maximum resting heart rate and training performance. Some people do just fine training in the morning.
If you can’t train when your body is primed to do so, supplement with caffeine pre-workout and schedule your workouts when you can always train. Getting in your workouts in the first place is of course always more important than when you do them.
Of course training in the first place is more important than when you train, so if your schedule prevents you from training in the afternoon, getting in your workouts whenever you can is priority number one. If you’re a natural morning person, this may work perfectly well for you.
