AM or PM?

[Marc]

Hey guys

Your thoughts on this: Cardio and weights, AM or PM?

I feel that hitting the gym after a rough day at work melts stress away like a blowtorch. Prefer it. But worried about the impact on fat burning efficiency. I dont eat a big meal within 3 hours of going to gym at 5:30 PM, maybe eat an apple or a banana at 3 PM. So my stomach is pretty empty I reckon.

Any advice?

[statona]

Hey Marc, According to "Bill" - it seems the best time to burn forward is from the morning. I will admit that I was sometimes a two a dayer - particularly when I was trying to lose body fat. I would lift weights in the morning (having just a glass of water and a cup of coffee (some people need a little food before doing so) - and I felt great all day -and very hungry - so I truly felt the burn affect from lifting weights - its like it never stops. Cardio on the other hand was a little different (doing the HITT) - I didn't gain as much physical "feeling" from it - although I know the workout is great for you and is part of the process.

So IMO - I would consider lifting in the morning - you will really start to feel hungry throughout the day (again, says you are burning it up). Does that fit into your schedule?

[Marc]

Can make cardio fit!

Thought about lifting in the afternoon on weight days, and doing cardio days AM, because on cardio days I also have an hour hockey practise at 6:30 PM (So i actually score an extra hour of cardio on Tuesdays and Thursdays!) That way I still get a stress buster after work on those days.

The reason I also like going to gym after work (PM) is that I find when I get home after work, I tend to binge eat quite easily. If I am at gym, i'm never hungry, and I'm not really hungry for at least an hour after gym.

[Chris]

I'm a PM'er.. As much as I liked working out in the morning (in the beginning), I LOVE working out in the evening. I need energy for lifting and I always feel weaker in the mornings. Cardio I like in the morning though. It's nice to get up and run, and get it out of the way... . But like you, it sure melts stress at the day's end. Only problem is sometimes I'm just too whipped to do it at night.. I always run the risk of missing a workout this way. Or like yesterday, staying in the gym until 830 (SUCKS!).

[bluexj]

I'm a PM'er too. I hate mornings. Always have. Not just for exercise, but for everything. The office mantra is to never bother me before 10....

With my wife leaving the house around 4:45am on days when she works and we want to work out together it would be an awful early morning for me.

On days when I have tried to workout in the morning I've always felt sluggish even back when I was in high school. I've always just felt better and more energetic later in the day. I work out as late as 10:30 pm if thats what my schedule for the day dictates.

[ozzo]

ditto above - I plan on cardio in the mornings (burn fat on empty stomach) and weights in the evening (feel stronger).

[yakubu]

Originally Posted by Marc

Hey guys

Your thoughts on this: Cardio and weights, AM or PM?

I feel that hitting the gym after a rough day at work melts stress away like a blowtorch. Prefer it. But worried about the impact on fat burning efficiency. I dont eat a big meal within 3 hours of going to gym at 5:30 PM, maybe eat an apple or a banana at 3 PM. So my stomach is pretty empty I reckon.

Any advice?

its fine to do weights in the evening but id say its essential to do cardio first thing in the moring on an emtpy stomach as cardio is for fat loss. the weight lifting part is designed for fat loss so theres no probs with doing that in the evening.

personally i prefere doing everything int he morning, it just gets it out the way so im free to get on with my day without any commitments. ur more likely to skip a workout in the evening but if its already done in the morning then theres no need for excuses. u also feel great after doing it first thing cos its just the perfect energy boosting start to ur day. it makes u feel alive.

[Chris]

I think it's important to make the distinction between suggestions for "optimal" times to do something and "essential". For example, in this case, it is not "essential" to do cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, but it might be "optimal". Any time someone wants to do cardio is fine. It's easy to get confused with all the information circling the web on working out and nutrition.. and while there are certainly many opinions on when is the "best", "optimal", "ideal", etc. things to do... it's important to realize that it isn't pointless to do your workouts at times when it's more convenient for you, and it isn't "wrong" to do so... in fact, doing workouts when they fit into your schedule seems the only thing close to essential in my book.

Make sense? (not meant to be offensive in any way )

[Marc]

Spot on chris. I've also become pretty confused with all the info out there.

My advice: extract the info you need, apply it, and if it works, keep on doing it. If it does not work, try summing different. (Essentially thats what the 1st 4 weeks of BFL was for me)

I think the important thing is that everyone here IS DOING something about themselves and their bodies which is a great start! It's easy to get bogged down in the details. The most NB is to get off your ass and do something!