Gym before or after work?

[jkay]

Hi all,

My schedule will be changing in the fall. Right now I work out in the morning at 6 am. I love getting it done before the day begins.

I will need to be leaving the house earlier. I really don't like working out after work. I'm tired and it's so crowded. I think I'll just have to be waking up 5:30 am or so. I know, it's not THAT early...

I don't want to lose my progress so I gotta do it!

[statona]

Go do it!! Mornings are the best for lifting - I just love how hungry it makes me all day long!

[bluexj]

I gotta disagree. I say after work. For me anyway... It may be better to exercise in the morning but its not for me. I hate working out in the morning. I'm always tight and lethargic. My body responds way better by working out in the late afternoon or evening or even late at night. I've always been that way, even in high school when I ran track and cross country I had trouble running in the am even with adequate sleep. I think the best time to exercise is when your body responds the best....

[Chris]

Originally Posted by bluexj

I think the best time to exercise is when your body responds the best....

ABSOLUTELY!!!!

It's evening for me too. I almost always have a stiff neck in the morning that easily turns into a headache if I'm not careful. Working out has helped this a lot, but chronic migraines are a bitch.

I do however recommend the morning ritual if you can swing it. I think it's almost a right of passage for us, hazing if you will... get up at 5 or 530 and stick it out for a while. It'll make you stronger.

[Rhone]

jkay,

You answered your own question with the answer I was going to give, for the reason I was going to give it!

Of course, there is some personal variation on this--for some people, working out later in the day works better for them and they're able to maintain it consistently.

But what you said sounds pretty much like me. Other times in the past that I've tried to get in the habit of working out, I did it in the afternoons after work because I didn't want to get up earlier in the morning. And I never was able to make a habit out of it because I'd get to a point where I'd start saying "I had a long day, I'm too tired to work out..."

When I started BFL I decided I'm going to get up at 6am every morning for my workout no matter what... and I'm going to make "be in bed by 10pm" a rule to make sure I'm able to get up on time. And it's been working--getting up early took some willpower at first, but now that I've gotten in the habit it is almost effortless, especially compared to getting up the motivation to exercise after a long and tiring day. And it's a wonderful feeling going through my day knowing I've already finished my workout... at 7:30am I'm eating meal 1, I already know what I'm eating the rest of the day (and if it's a day I don't have time to cook, the meals are already prepared), and my workout is done--I start my day feeling like my day is already a success! I don't think I can articulate just how much that contributes to my ability to stick with the program.

So, if I were in your position at this point I would be heavily leaning toward getting up a little earlier to stick with morning workouts.

[Chris]

Dang Rhone, that's one heck of a nice post... I can really tell you have your head in the right place... Keep it up!

[yakubu]

i love the mornings. u feel great after completing ur workout as soon as u get up and it really wakes u up. its off ur shoulders then, its done and dusted and uve got all day to urself without having to worry about doing it or making plans for later on.

its too much hassle in the night. id rather get home and feel free, be able to relax without having a committment to do something

[Rhone]

Thanks, Chris.

[chrisemersonnc]

During my 1st BFL Challenge I did all my workouts early in the morning and loved it - I loved getting it done before my day started. Sadly now I have two kids under 3 who wake-easily so risking making noise during my exercise is pretty scary.

I may have to adopt an "evening" exercise schedule which is hard when you have less than 3 hours to yourself a night (again, two kids under 3!) - not to mention how tired I can be at the end of the day!
I think I can get myself to do it, but I worry that somehow physiologically my workouts won't get me as much "bang for the buck" by doing them at night vs in the morning. Also, will working out at night make it hard for me to fall asleep?

Any evening exercisers out there have input?

[Chris]

Working out in the evening does tend to keep me awake some. The workout gets me really fired up, but then bedtime comes and I'm still bouncing. This really only affects my bedtime by about 30 minutes though.

I keep reading in various fitness magazines that working out in the evening actually makes you stronger, and therefore build more muscle, which burns more bodyfat. The point is, don't sweat the evening workouts. Evening is perfectly fine.

[Alleycat]

I actually am going to start doing my weights first thing in the morning , and then cardio alittle later in the evening the same day. I heard by splitting your workout into two seperate workouts ( or in bfl adding extra cardio ) it keeps metabolism working overtime. Your metabolism is jacked up after a weights session , add in some late night cardio and now your metabolism should be working hard even when you go to sleep...

Though I could be wrong lol I just love working out , its much better than watching boring tv programs...

[Nini]

I've also thought of doing a few extra cardio sessions in the afternoon, if I've done weights in the morning. I was sick for a week, and couldn't train. I also didn't watch my diet as well as I should have. Is it ok to work in a few extra cardio sessions? I was worried that it might prevent my muscles from recovering; what do you guys think?

[Chris]

It depends on a lot of things, Nini. If you think your body can handle some extra cardio, then go for it. But if working out is fairly new to you, it might be too much. In any case, don't do HIIT cardio (20 minute BFL style) for your extra cardio. Instead do steady-state low intensity exercise. You should be able to carry on a light conversation while doing it (not talk all day, but a few sentences would be comfortable).

[chrisemersonnc]

Thanks for replies guys - I feel bit better about it now.

My concern mostly is that if I don't do weights in the AM, my entire day is wasted because that metabolism boost from weights days is lost during my sleep? Is that the wrong way to think about it?

[bodybuilder]

ive changed my mind on this. i used to be a morning person but now im an evening person because i dont beleive in training on an empty stomach

[chrisemersonnc]

@bodybuilder: ooo really!? I gotta say it's hard to squeeze in dinner *AND* meal #6 when trying to keep an empty stomach for weights on evenings! If it really matters (empty stomach) I may have to skip meal #6 pretty often

[bodybuilder]

Originally Posted by Nini

I've also thought of doing a few extra cardio sessions in the afternoon, if I've done weights in the morning. I was sick for a week, and couldn't train. I also didn't watch my diet as well as I should have. Is it ok to work in a few extra cardio sessions? I was worried that it might prevent my muscles from recovering; what do you guys think?

it might stop your muscles from recovering, it might not though either. logic would say that it would at least have some effect ont he recovery process

i always say that if you are losing 2lb of fat per week then whats the point in doing extra cardio cos you cant achieve anymore than you are already getting

[Chris]

Originally Posted by chrisemersonnc

@bodybuilder: ooo really!? I gotta say it's hard to squeeze in dinner *AND* meal #6 when trying to keep an empty stomach for weights on evenings! If it really matters (empty stomach) I may have to skip meal #6 pretty often

I'm not a fan of working out on empty either. Ideally I think 2 meals after the workout/ before bed would be best. But do what fits your schedule.