AM workout or PM?

[codman]

OK I hear plenty of mixed rumors and such for working out. My Girl and I joined a local gym and we have been getting up at 4:30am and going to the gym for an hour. I do Stat. Bike for bout 15 mins getting my HR to bout 160-170 and do a 3.75 mile run on it. Ill then do strength training and for the last session of my workout run/jog a mile on the treadmill. Now i already notice a huge difference in my metabolism and how extrememly fast my body is burning up the food , and im eating right and not in excess either.

What i want to know is I hear my coworkers say a Pm workout like from 4-6 is more beneficial than a morning workout. Is it mainly preference so far im liking the morning routine just a chore getting up an hour earlier.

[rob_s]

The fact that you're working out at all is 1000 times more important than what time of day. For most people getting to the gym is something they have to squeeze in, so squeezing it in wherever it fits is by far the more critical decision. If you try to force your time into some schedule that some guy on the internet said is best you'll stop going. And believe me when I say that as soon as you start going in the afternoon a different bunch of "experts" (usually all 25% bodyfat, stuffing a donut in their mouth) will tell you that AM is better.

AM works better for me. I get up, have a light breakfast like bacon & a hard-boiled egg, get some fluids in me, and typically within 30 minutes of breakfast I'm doing my thing. I used to drink a large glass of water and eat half a protein bar and be working out within 15 minutes of waking up, but I've changed that a little now. I tried PM for a while a few years ago when my schedule was more flexible and I found it harder to get to sleep, even if I did my workout at 6 and went to bed at 10, and harder to maintain as there was always something else to be doing in the evening (what else am I going to do at 5:30 AM?). The AM schedule is better than coffee for me, and I have a better day every time I work out in the morning. I get more done, I'm happier, I have more energy, and I sleep better that night.

[WillBrink]

OK I hear plenty of mixed rumors and such for working out. My Girl and I joined a local gym and we have been getting up at 4:30am and going to the gym for an hour. I do Stat. Bike for bout 15 mins getting my HR to bout 160-170 and do a 3.75 mile run on it. Ill then do strength training and for the last session of my workout run/jog a mile on the treadmill. Now i already notice a huge difference in my metabolism and how extrememly fast my body is burning up the food , and im eating right and not in excess either.

What i want to know is I hear my coworkers say a Pm workout like from 4-6 is more beneficial than a morning workout. Is it mainly preference so far im liking the morning routine just a chore getting up an hour earlier.

It's a moot issue really. If it was found that 10:15 am was the optimal time to train, could you do it with work, life, etc? Probably not. Thus, the "best" time to train is that time you can, and or when you have the most energy and focus. For me, that's about mid afternoon, 3pm ish. Being self employed, I can go when I want to, and that's seems to be when I have max energy and focus. If early am works best for you, the that is the "best" time to train.

The only thing i can do at 4:30 am is get up to take piss.

[WillBrink]

bunch of "experts" (usually all 25% bodyfat, stuffing a donut in their mouth) will tell you that AM is better.

Hey, I resemble that comment...bastad!

[R.P.]

I agree with everyone else so far, workout when you can. For me, it is in the morning between 5-6am.

[wes007]

Its really just personal preference. I always preferred to work out in the morning for some of the same reasons rob mentioned as well as giving me some flexibility in my eating schedule. But having the discipline to get up at least 4 times a week at those hours was slightly challenging, hence going at 5pm provided the perfect medium for me.

[Erik 1]

The only thing i can do at 4:30 am is get up to take piss.

That doesn't count?

[bkb0000]

i tend to think AM workout before breakfast is probably when it's the most beneficial, based on the idea that your body is at it's weakest right after wakeup and before chow... adding this element of suck to it seems to make the body respond quicker. my guess is that since you haven't eaten in 10-12 hours, the body needs to metabolize fat to energize the workout.

at the same time, however, from a personal discipline standpoint, this is probably the worst time to do it for a lot of people. most people dont do much before morning coffee and breakfast, and dont enjoy getting up earlier than they usually have to for work.. and since PT "sucks," you're just multiplying the suck, and setting yourself up for failure by A, getting up earlier, and B, making the workout suck worse than it would in the evening.

if this is the case, then evening PT is gonna outweigh any possible advantage to morning PT.. because you'll stick with it better.

for me, morning PT sucks really bad... its really hard, and by the time i'm done, i'm so shaky and nauseous i can barely eat breakfast. but once i've downed a protein shake, choked down some food, bathed and dressed- i feel more energized, have less stress, and almost seem "happier" for the rest of the day. so it more than balances out to PT in the morning for me.

[Archer78]

I actually did a test with this on myself, with school which has nothing to do with my major.

I was a soldier about 5-6 years ago and morning workouts were the thing to do. After getting out and my divorce I let myself go and could hardly run 2 mins with my children.

Well in class we had to run a test on ANYTHING, so I ran one on myself. At first I started working out in the afternoons (after work, before school) Though I felt alive while I was sitting there in class (normally falling asleep) I could not get to sleep when I needed to. (get up early in the morning for work.
So I tried the early morning thing. For the first 15 mins I was a zombie and really didnt want to do it. But after 1.5hrs of hard training my work day seemed to go quicker due to having the energy to do so. I was thirsty more, hungry more, alert and my fiance liked it too... (before class). Then I stopped. no more training. that was the test, how would I feel before, during and after... well I gained about 15lbs, my back slouches, and I again can not keep up with my kids. Im dead again. lol

So to answer your question after the ramble, It depends on the person and their schedule. yeah it sucks getting up in the morning, but can you sleep at night with your body being energized? "I Can't". Which reminds me, I need to start working out again. lol

[codman]

Ok i figured it was a personal preference. We get up at 4:30 and get to the gym at 5. Yesterday was a sleep in day and i went when i got home from work. My legs felt better from daily use and i spent bout an 1.5 hrs there last night.

Figure i will just go to what i can work around , plus i work a hour away so usually by the time i get home i will be quite tired unless it was a slow day.

For my morning routines before i work out i do a Protein shake with blended berries and milk. I burn it during the workout and then ill get home and shower for work and have a small bowl of wheaties. I feel so much better since working out, last night was a good workout i biked for 5 miles. Then did mainly leg strength exercises . Leg press ,sit down leg curls, calf raises , then thorugh in chest press and rowing. After all that i jogged a mile and did the stair climbing machine.

I really just need to make a m-f routine for strength training like . legs one day , back next, and so on. I really do love it though you truly do feel better about yourself!

Dan