The rhythm of today's life is accelerating exponentially: home-work-study-home-supermarket now change places even faster. In most cases, the larger a person’s aspirations and goals, the more the time that he can spend exclusively on himself is reduced. Therefore, stereotypes that you need to train only at one specific time of the day are not applicable to modern realities. How to properly distribute the load in accordance with your rhythm of life and choose the best time for training? Read in this article about the pros and cons of morning, evening and night exercise.
Morning workouts
Agree, not every person has enough willpower to specifically wake up early and go to the gym before work/study. In order for early training to be enjoyable, you need biori. For early risers, the main physical activity occurs in the first half of the day. That is, a person easily wakes up in the morning and does not need time to “wind up”, since his daily rhythm is descending: morning - a charge of energy, afternoon - high productivity, evening - decline in activity and fatigue. People with such a biological rhythm are recommended to train in the morning.
Pros and cons of morning workouts:
+ The risk of injury from playing sports in the morning is minimal
. Such data were obtained as a result of a study based on data from 3,000 people involved in sports in the morning. Their blood test showed that muscle fiber injury was minimal compared to people who prefer evening workouts. In addition, the heart rate of the morning group of trainees recovered 20% faster.
+ Decreased appetite during the day.
If you choose between training in the morning or in the evening in terms of more effective weight loss, then you should give preference to morning exercise. The high effectiveness of losing excess weight is explained by the most active production of hormones responsible for suppressing hunger in the morning.
+ Active fat burning.
In the morning and afternoon, the process of fat burning during training is accelerated. In the evening, in order for the body to begin receiving energy from fat, you need to spend 20 minutes burning carbohydrates. In the morning, this will not be required: the fat burning process will be launched by the body in the first minutes of training, due to a super-active metabolism in the first half of the day.
- Thickened blood and fluid deficiency.
While a person and his body are sleeping, most of the processes associated with active blood circulation are inhibited and the blood in the veins becomes thick. During training immediately after waking up, the heart has to strain harder, “driving” thickened blood throughout the body, which creates a threat to blood vessels and capillaries.
Activity distribution
Let's look at what time you can and should train, taking into account the arrow on the dial:
- 05:00. Body temperature is low. This time is suitable for light training (yoga, warm-up).
- 07:00. Morning activity will energize the cardiovascular system and speed up fat burning. Studies have shown that the number of calories burned when exercising in the morning is three times greater than in the evening.
- 15:00. Running in the fresh air strengthens the body. At this time, the heart copes with pumping blood more easily, joints become flexible, and the temperature rises.
- 16:30. This time is suitable for cycling. Pedaling guarantees fat burning (especially in women). The advantage is muscle flexibility, liquid blood.
- 17:00. Working with loads. The body heats up to the maximum temperature. If you pump at this time, you can achieve high testosterone levels. It is believed that after 17:00 a second wind opens in the body.
- 19:00. At this time, it is worth giving yourself to swimming. This can be explained by the activity of reflexes and muscle plasticity.
- 20:00. Evening time is suitable for team sports.
Evening workouts
Exercising in the evening is suitable for those whose biological rhythm corresponds to the definition of “night owl”. It is very difficult for such people to wake up early in the morning, and even after waking up they remain in a state of “half-asleep” for a long time. In the first half of the day, the physical activity of “owls” is somewhat slow, but in the evening they feel a surge of strength and an urge to action.
Pros and cons of evening workouts
According to the results of a study conducted by Finnish scientists based on data from 42 men training in five different time groups, evening sports activities are the most effective. This is especially true for strength training.
+ Fat burning continues after training.
For another 10 hours after finishing sports, the body will continue to burn fat.
This means that active processing of calories will occur even in your sleep, when you no longer consume them at all. Even more indispensable are evening workouts for people who cannot deny themselves a small evening meal, but want to get rid of subcutaneous fat. Training late in the evening is simply a salvation for such athletes.
+ More detailed study of exercises.
Due to the fact that in the evening a person is not under such strict time limits as in the morning, he can train more thoroughly. It has been proven that sports enthusiasts who exercise in the evening are more likely to build muscle mass.
- Awakening of appetite and late meals.
The body, which has already received a lot of stress during the day, after training requires replenishment of its kilocalorie reserves. Due to this, the risk of overeating at night increases, and you need to have serious willpower in order to eat a little in such conditions.
Set of exercises
For morning workouts
Running or cycling: which is better for losing weight?
The main thing is to understand that the purpose of morning exercises is not so much physical training, but exercises to raise the overall tone of the body and obtain the necessary energy for the whole day. This is also a complex that is aimed at flexibility and improved breathing. Blood circulation should be normalized, organs should be saturated with oxygen.
First of all, start with a warm-up
First of all, they start with a warm-up, using the following exercises:
- When breathing deeply, you need to rise on your toes and raise both arms, then slowly lower as you exhale;
- Rotate your head and turn in different directions;
- Rotation of hands, elbows and shoulders;
- The same with the pelvis and body;
- Rotation of the knees.
After the warm-up is over (its time can be determined independently), proceed to the main part of the classes:
- Squats, which are very good for losing weight, can be done with weights;
- Sitting on your knees on the floor, arms extended in front of you. In this position, sit on the side of the thigh in different directions. Helps remove fat on the sides and tighten the stomach;
- It is highly advisable to do abdominal exercises. This will help get rid of excess fat in the waist;
- It is useful to do leg swings to lose weight on your thighs. You can do this while standing or on all fours. The muscles of the buttocks are also tightened during this exercise.
For evening workouts
Evening workout for weight loss at home involves the following complex:
- Knees raised high. Walk in place for 1-2 minutes;
- Turns the torso, pelvis, head. Wave your arms;
- Raising small dumbbells. With dumbbells you can bend to the side;
- Jumping rope;
- Squats;
- Lifting your legs up while lying on your back.
When is the best time to exercise to lose weight is an individual matter for everyone. First of all, it is necessary to rely on the signals that the body transmits. If after the lesson you feel better, it means that the time for exercise has been chosen correctly.
Night training
The least popular time to exercise is at night. Although, if you pay attention to how hormones behave at night, such training also has a place.
Pros and cons of night training
+ Favorable hormonal balance. Testosterone
, such an important anabolic hormone, is actively produced from eight o'clock in the evening and reaches its peak in the morning. At night, testosterone is at an average level.
Cortisol
, the main enemy of effective training, reaches its minimum at night.
Somatotropin
, or growth hormone, is at its peak at night, which has a positive effect on building muscle mass.
— Sleep disorders, insomnia
After training, the human body is in an overexcited state for several hours and it is simply impossible to fall asleep. But during intense sports, recovery requires at least 7-9 hours of full sleep. If a person chooses night training for himself, he should take care of restructuring his sleep and awakening patterns.
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Rules for studying before bed
To make your training beneficial, follow some rules:
- regularity;
- no rush;
- healthy eating;
- good vacation.
Conduct training 2-4 times a week, gradually increasing the time and complexity. After this, be sure to take a good rest so that your body comes to its senses.
If the main goal is to lose weight, then it is better to train after dinner so that you can go to bed on an empty stomach, otherwise it will be very difficult to get rid of extra pounds.
How to independently determine the degree of intensity of the load?
There are 2 methods of determination. First of all, focus on your heart rate (HR). Calculate the maximum allowable value by subtracting your age from 220 . For example, you are 26 years old, therefore, the maximum is 220-26 = 194 beats per minute. Anything higher is an overload. For moderate training, the normal heart rate is 50-70% of the maximum. Use modern gadgets with a heart rate monitor or heart rate sensors.
A simpler method is based on speech assessment. If you speak fluently after class, the intensity was low. Do you communicate in short phrases and take deep breaths between them? Medium intensity training, closer to high intensity. After uttering 2-3 words, do you need to catch your breath? The load was high, close to superload.
How different workouts affect sleep
Physical activity is closely related to sleep. It doesn't always have a negative effect on it, and sometimes even helps make a night's rest healthier.
- If you exercise at least an hour before bedtime, you will notice how the quality of your sleep will improve, stress will go away, and it will be easier to wake up.
- Increasing physical activity will increase your alertness.
- You will get rid of excess weight.
- Reduce the intensity of snoring.
Power
Perform strength exercises with various equipment no less than 3-4 hours before bedtime. They lead to a psycho-emotional and physical shock - the body receives a dose of adrenaline and prepares for a serious load. Therefore, it is unlikely that you will be able to fall asleep quickly.
After a strenuous activity, take a slow walk or do other calm activities. An excellent solution would be a hot bath, which will not only help you fall asleep sweetly, but also relax your muscles.
Cardio
Do it 2-3 hours before bedtime. When running or swimming, the body receives no less stress than during strength training. Such activities involve the heart muscle, so you definitely won’t be able to fall asleep immediately after the activity, and if you’re unlucky, you’ll feel bad in the morning. Take a relaxing bath, drink some tea or read a good book.
Stretching
A sport aimed at developing flexibility and stretching muscles. Often, independent programs are built from such exercises, but most often they end classes.
Age and physical fitness do not matter; the task of stretching is to relieve tension and restore strength. It is often used in therapeutic exercises; you can also stretch even before bed - this will benefit your night's rest.
Before class, be sure to warm up your muscles with a light warm-up. There should be no severe pain during training; stretch and relax in turns. Breathe evenly.
Yoga
A versatile sport that has not only physical activity, but also its own philosophy. Yoga is divided into subtypes, both classical and modern. Benefit:
- A sense of balance develops.
- Coordination improves.
- Fatigue is relieved.
- Depression passes.
You can choose the direction of yoga depending on your preferences and level of training. Do it at any time of the day, even at night. Additions in the form of relaxing music and aromatherapy will help get rid of insomnia and fall asleep faster.
Pilates
Developed in the early 20th century to help injured military personnel and athletes. There are no strength loads in the direction, but there are dynamic exercises that help strengthen muscle fibers. You can do the exercises in the evening, but no later than 1 hour before bedtime.
Warm-up and abdominal exercises
You can pump up your abs in the evening, but only 1-2 hours before going to bed. Abdominal exercises are intense. Therefore, it takes time for the body to calm down.
Evening is the time for low-intensity training. Warm-up and light cardio (walking, breathing exercises, short jogging) are a good solution.
Low-intensity exercises are acceptable before bedtime, moderate-intensity 1-2 hours before bedtime, and high-intensity 3 hours before bedtime.
Important Rules
Different sports have different effects on people. The evening load should be of such intensity that the body has time to recover during sleep. Therefore, it is best to do Pilates, walking, and cycling in the evening. Stretching and yoga are also suitable for evening classes. Thanks to stretching, muscle fibers and ligaments receive the required nutrients and oxygen.
These directions help you relax and clear your thoughts.
The simplest evening exercises, including stretching, push-ups, squats, training with light dumbbells, should be performed a maximum of half an hour before bedtime. After them, take a shower, wash your hair, prepare everything for the next day and go to bed.
Abdominal exercises will not affect the quality of rest: crunches, light exercises and other exercises without additional weights.
