Sport keeps you fit and is good for you. Whether you exercise in the morning or in the evening can make a big difference. You can find out here when you should train best.
Many recreational athletes ask themselves the question of when it is best to do sport. There are different opinions on this topic and scientific studies are not entirely unanimous about it either. Maybe you thought up until now that it doesn’t make too much of a difference whether you exercise in the morning or in the evening.
In fact, the time of day you exercise can affect whether you’re more likely to gain muscle or lose fat during exercise.
Exercise in the morning or in the evening? That’s what science says
There are various studies that deal with the question of whether you should exercise in the morning or in the evening. What becomes clear when reading these studies, however, is that the question cannot be answered so simply or in general terms. There are different factors that influence the results.
A crucial factor is the biological gender. A study conducted in 2022 has gained insightful knowledge about it. At the beginning of this study, a total of 30 women and 26 men were selected and accompanied during training over a period of twelve weeks. However, only 27 women and 20 men took part until the end. The study evaluated the effects of the training in the form of strength, endurance and stretching exercises on the participants at different times of the day.
The following applies to female athletes:
- Exercising in the morning promoted fat loss and lowered her blood pressure. When women train in the morning, they also get more muscle strength in their lower body.
- Later in the day, however, things are different: if they trained in the evening, they had more muscle power in their upper body and better endurance. In addition, training in the evening improved the mood of the women.
The male participants experienced the following effects:
- Her mood also improved during training in the evening. With them, however, different observations could be made in relation to the time than with the women: For example, the evening exercise lowered their systolic blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure is the pressure at which blood is pumped into the body when the heart contracts. As part of this, the blood pressure rises briefly and reaches its highest possible value. The evening training also reduced the men’s fatigue. In addition, fat loss was more effective in men when they exercised in the evenings than in the mornings.
The authors of the study mention, among other things, as a limitation that the chronotypes of the participants were not included. The researchers therefore recommend that a larger study should be carried out with a more representative group of participants, in which more variables are included – for example chronotype and a group that exercises at noon.
The chronotype and sports
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / kareni)
According to another study, the timing of exercise can also affect the likelihood of cardiovascular disease. However, it is important to note here that this also depends on your own chronotype.
The study found that if you are one of the more active people in the morning and exercise between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., this can have a positive effect on you. You can reduce your risk of heart disease by 14 to 16 percent and your risk of stroke by 17 percent. However, as a morning active chronotype, if you train between midnight and 6 a.m., your risk of both of these conditions is increased. The study achieved this finding regardless of gender.
If you exercise as a late chronotype in the evening, you should be careful not to expose yourself to too many stimuli. This can affect your melatonin release and thus your sleep.
Conclusion: Sport in the morning or in the evening
Whether you should exercise in the evening or in the morning depends on several things. Among other things, this can be your biological sex and your chronotype.
It’s also important to be clear about what your goal is for the workout. For example, if you want to lose weight effectively, it may make sense to train at a different time than if you want to build muscle in certain parts of the body.
But it doesn’t matter whether you train in the morning or in the evening: Make sure that you eat a balanced diet so that you can do sports in a healthy way. You can find more information about sport and sustainable nutrition here:
- Vegan diet and exercise
- Muscle building through diet
- Exercise on an empty stomach
- Make your own electrolyte drinks
- to burn fat
Read more on Techzle.com:
- Morning exercise: 8 reasons for a morning workout
- Get out and about – why you strengthen your mental health with outdoor sports
- Doing sports: This is how you find the right sport