Best time to workout?

May 4, 2005 6:34 PM

What is the best time to workout?

Especially with regards to cardio / fat burning / weight loss. Google reveals a lot of different opinions on this; what's yours?

posted by jca to health (18 comments total)

For convenience and efficiency - In the morning before you shower and before work. From a benefit point of view I think it is probably much later in the day when your metabolism is more charged. I just want to burn off calories for which convenience outweighs all factors, so the mornings rule.
posted by caddis at 6:57 PM on May 4, 2005

When it comes to questions like this, I tend to think that everyone is an expert on their own body. Try different times and see if one time feels better than the other. The time you do cardio isn't as important to achieving your goals as being consistent about doing it.
posted by sexymofo at 7:00 PM on May 4, 2005

In the morning, before you eat. Then you can be sure that your not just working off food.
posted by pwally at 7:02 PM on May 4, 2005

To burn calories, it's in the morning before you've eaten. The second place champ is 3 hours after your last meal. If you're not concerned about weight loss, I don't think it matters much.
posted by drezdn at 7:09 PM on May 4, 2005

I would have to say trial and error depending on what your body likes and can do.

I have a colleague who runs nine miles every morning in Central Park with no more than a bottle of gatorade inside him. He loves it. I can't even run 15 minutes in the morning (I did try), but an hour and a half of cardio & weightlifting three evenings a week has made me trim down a LOT and gives me a great energy boost in the evening.
posted by dublinemma at 7:10 PM on May 4, 2005

It doesn't matter when you exercise, just that you do it. Exercising kicks up your metabolism for generally almost 2 days! So if you can do it every other day, you will burn more calories (even more than you do during the workout).
posted by knave at 7:24 PM on May 4, 2005

I lean to the belief that it won't matter much when you do it so long as it gets done.

I exercise at night after supper, and have my daily shower then. This allows me to sleep in longer in the mornings.
posted by orange swan at 7:34 PM on May 4, 2005

Sorry to hijack this post, but I have a related question. Which is better to do first, cardio or weights? I'm not trying to build muscle, so I'm just doing low weights with many reps- is it better to do this before or after my 45min on the elliptical? Or doesn't it matter?
posted by elisabeth r at 7:35 PM on May 4, 2005

i think you should do first whichever you want to focus on. If you want to do a challenging weights session then do that first. likewise for cardio.
you should warm up in either case.
posted by alkupe at 7:42 PM on May 4, 2005

You scare me by saying "Google reveals a lot of opinions"...of course it does. Google is not a source. Why not start by identifying a source for health information which you trust, and which is considered responsible, and see what they say about it.

I dp hope that one of the physiology types will come along and answer this in full. But I'm a triathlete and I read quite a bit of training and health information, and I believe I can definitively state that it does not matter to your total calorie burn when you work out.

The ideal time to work out is when it works for you. When it fits conveniently into your life and makes it easy for you to get out there.

There has been some research which shows that afternoon workouts tend to take advantage of a slightly increased metabolism. However, the difference is so very incremental that it can hardly matter. The simple formula, the mantra, is "Calories in, calories out." To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you eat. Simple. You will be doing that, at about the same rate of efficiency, no matter when you work out.

As to "burning off the food you just ate" -- not worth worrying about. You need to have muscles supplied with glycogen, yes. But the food you just ate is not what is being burned; it takes many hours for that food to be available as energy for your muscles. The glycogen can be supplied by the dinner you ate the night before, or by a carb-y snack up to 45 minutes before your workout. But to lose weight, again, your body does NOT care where the calories are coming from, what they were, or when you ate them.

I strongly recommend using a resource like the free, online FitDay to track your calorie intake and measure it against your activity level. I also encourage you to work out whenever you can. Any edge you gain or lose in metabolism by picking a certain hour of the day will ultimately be dwarfed by the rest of your choices -- total aerobic minutes, foods you choose or pass up on, intensity of training, how active you are in your non-workout times. All of those factors are of far greater importance than what time of day you get out there.
posted by Miko at 7:44 PM on May 4, 2005

Weights vs. Cardio: Weights first ALWAYS. That is for two reasons:

1. Weghts work by placing maximum strain on your muscle and working it to the point of exhaustion, after which it rebuilds by repairing the many small tears you make by stressing it. By starting with fresh, relaxed muscles at their maximum strength, you will build on your peak and see much faster improvement. If you do cardio first, you are building from a valley, not a peak.

2. You are more likely to injure yourself lifting after cardio because your body will be in a depleted state of energy, and you are likely to sacrifice form, which is absolutely crucial if you want your lifting to do anything. Weights isolate small, specific muscle groups, while cardio works large muscle groups. After exhuasting the large muscles, you won't retain enough control and stability to do the slow, fluid movements that result in productive weight training.
posted by Miko at 7:48 PM on May 4, 2005

It depends on you. I am an early bird and while I am generally awake and semi-conscious at 5:30AM and can theoretically fit in a workout then, I just cannot spur myself onto exercise at that hour, so I end up doing my workouts in the evening, after dinner, between 8 and 9PM.

Like someone said above, it's important that you get it in - when you do is secondary. Whatever you do, make it a habit and routine. Alternate your routine to keep your muscles working and resting appropriately.

What are you doing for exercise, or what do you hope to do? What do you hope to gain? Maybe that'll also help us answer your question better.
posted by cajo at 8:03 PM on May 4, 2005

If you work out at night, be careful not to do it too close to bedtime. The energy boost from a good workout can make it difficult to fall right asleep.
posted by rhiannon at 8:26 PM on May 4, 2005

True, but a couple hours later you sleep like a baby. :)
posted by knave at 8:48 PM on May 4, 2005

I alternate cardio/weight days... one day I'll run in the afternoon, eat a light dinner, and then lift lightly in the evening. The next I'll do a pretty heavy weight workout, then eat a lot of protein but not very heavy dinner and run just a few miles later in the evening. Some of that is limited by when you can lift (I have a bench in my basement - putting that there is the single greatest thing I've done, not to mention a hell of a lot cheaper than buying a health club membership. It pays for itself within 6 months).

On days you lift heavily, make sure you eat protein afterwards, or your muscles won't build as quickly.

I can't stand working out in the morning, but in the summer it can be nice to run mid-late morning and then to weights at night.
posted by devilsbrigade at 9:07 PM on May 4, 2005

Weights vs. Cardio: Weights first ALWAYS.

Except warm up for about 10 minutes first, of course. You don't want to work out cold muscles either.
posted by grouse at 11:46 PM on May 4, 2005

Yeah, I would have thought that goes without saying, but on reflection, it doesn't. Always warm up with 10 minutes' light whole-body activity, such as walking, light jogging, stationary bike, etc.

Stretching should also be included in your fitness plan. However, you don't have to stretch right before or after a workout. Recent research indicated that stretching before may make you feel looser subjectively, but it does not decrease the rate of injury. But it's still important to work on flexibility and range of motion, which will pay off in your exercise efficiency later. So you can either stretch during your workouts, before or after, or do what I do, set aside two half-hour sessions 2x/week for dedicated stretching.
posted by Miko at 6:03 AM on May 5, 2005

On days you lift heavily, make sure you eat protein afterwards, or your muscles won't build as quickly.

Not just days you lift; you should eat adequate protein consistently, daily, for good muscle build and tone.
posted by Miko at 6:23 PM on May 5, 2005