The Best Time To Hit The Gym : Morning or Evening? Find out

Let’s go over why it might be better to work out in the morning instead. Morning workouts have some extra benefits you won’t get at other times of the day.

Is it better to work out first thing in the morning or not? Many people have asked me this question over the years. The answer is not so simple but after reading this article you will have a be equipped with a good idea of what the pros and cons of working out in the morning are.

Does The Time Your Work Out Matter?

Yes and no. That depends on many factors, your goals, and whether you are morning type person or not. The time you decide to train can have a big effect on the intensity of your sessions and your day.

If you’ve read some of my other posts you will know about the importance of workout intensity. If you’re not able to go hard and give one hundred percent, the results won’t be as good but once you get in the groove you will have no trouble with that.

So it’s important to do everything in your power to  maximize your outputs. If that means changing the time your lift, then do it. Even if you feel no noticeable differences between training in the morning and another time of the day like afternoon, evening, or late night, there are certain advantages that only an early morning workout will provide. Let’s go over those next.

The Benefits Of Working Out In The Morning

There are some benefits that you won’t be able to get unless you train in the morning. Now whether these benefits are important enough to switch up your entire routine is up to you.

You will need to weigh the advantages and disadvantages to see if it’s worth it. Making the switch is not as simple as it sounds because you will probably need to wake up earlier, go to bed earlier, change your commute time, eat breakfast at a different time etc.

If these changes won’t negatively affect your daily routine and productivity, then you should definitely give morning workouts a shot.  Depending on what your current goals are, the pros may outweigh the cons.

Enough blahblah, what are these benefits you say? I hear you. Let’s go over them now.

1) Working out in the AM leaves you energized throughout the day

When you work out first thing in the morning, you’re energized for the rest of the time. Your metabolism is working in high gear, you will feel pumped up throughout the day, you’re more productive, and just plain happier.

Now this is what should happen if you’ve had a great workout. If your workout is subpar, then you will probably not feel any better and likely feel even worse. So make sure your workout program is on point.

2) Morning workouts can be better for weight Loss

If you’re trying to lose weight then working out in the morning could give you an edge on the scale. The reason for that is because you’re waking up after not  eating for hours with an empty stomach and getting right into physical activities that requires calories and energy.

If you go straight to the gym before you eat breakfast and work out on an empty stomach, your body will start using fat for fuel and energy because of lack of glycogen due to not having enough food and carbohydrate storage in your system to use for energy.

Notice that you will have less energy so you will be weaker on your lifts but if you’re trying to lose weight that shouldn’t be a big concern for you. So if you need to shed those last extra few pounds, think about making the switch to AM.

3) It can reduce stress and anxiety

Just the fact that you’ve done something as positive as working out first thing in the morning will leave you feeling good about yourself. It can be a great confidence booster that carries over throughout the whole day in your work, your social interactions and the likes.

Exercising in itself is one of the best stress relievers hands down, so when you do it late in the day just before you go to sleep, you’re kind of selling yourself short on the potential benefits.

4) You will become more consistent with your routine

Working out early in the morning allows you to train before work, before other people start functioning, before the world has had their first cup of coffee ready to interrupt you.

In other words, it will be much harder for things to interfere with your routine when you train early in the morning.  No emergency calls from work, no missing your workout because you had to stay and finish a project to meet a deadline. None of that.

5) The gym is less busy in the morning

Depending on where you live, the gym is usually not very busy early in the morning because most people are too lazy to work out early in the morning. I mean they have trouble even getting out of bed.

That translates into an emptier gym and quicker access to the weights and machines. When you don’t have to wait for the weights, you can lose weight faster.

What’s the takeaway?

Well, that’s up to you. Understand that it doesn’t really matter when you work out, you will still get the same great results whether you are an early bird or a nighthawk. The biggest factor is being consistent with your routine.

But there are some hidden benefits that you can get by hitting the gym early in the AM that may have a big impact on your day, week, and life.