morning vs. evening workouts? I'm SO not a morning person...

S

sassyella

Cathlete
Does anyone feel that one over the other yields better/faster results? Try thought I may, I just can't seem to get it together in the morning to even hit my treadmill for 30 minutes before work, much less focus on an intense Cathe workout for 60-70 minutes.

So I've resigned to working out in the evenings when I get home from work. I've got so much variety in my Cathe workouts now, that I actually look forward to them! So evenings are working for me. But I've heard from many fitness gurus that morning is better. So if any of you out there have seen good results and are not morning people like me, please speak your mind now... :) Thx!!
 
I think you'll find a lot of conflicting info on this subject.

I recently quit my job and have started going to college full time so now I'm able to do workouts in the late a.m., whereas when I was working I would do p.m. workouts (I am also not a morning person:)). I haven't really noticed a difference except that I feel better about getting it overwith in the a.m. and I workout more as a result.

I feel that what ever works for you is best. It sounds like you wouldn't be focused enough in the a.m. to get the maximum results.
 
You're absolutely right CurlyQ (cute name)... That is EXACTLY my thinking on the subject. Why bother if I'm not going to give it my all?? ... so I feel, a skimpy workout AM is much worse than a give it my all workout in the PM, REGARDLESS of what the "But you'll burn more fat throughout the day" naysayers have to say.

I'm interested to see the varied reponses too, just for kicks, but my mind is pretty much made up...

Thanks for the response! :)
 
I've done both for various reasons over the past 15 or so years, and I don't think it makes one bit of difference! Do what you like and what works for your schedule and sanity. :)
 
I usually workout in the late afternoon, when my daughter is napping. I will occasionally get a workout in in the late morning on the weekends when DH is home, or if (like today) my daughter is agreeable to being in the basement watching me workout. The differences for me are the morning workout means I'm done for the day, and that's always a good feeling. But personally, I think my energy level is better in the afternoon...I'm not a morning person, either!

I once tried to switch to the early morning (like 6 a.m.) and lasted for three whole days. It just wasn't for me!:)
 
I refyoooooooooooz to work out in the morning. Whether I'm working, in school, on vacation or whatever, I cannot, do not wanna, and will not work out in the morning whether it's "good" for me or not. I'm in really good shape. I've been working out for 30 years (depressing, but true) and whatever benefits I am missing out on, I've decided I can live with them.
 
Many fitness gurus say that morning is better because:
a) you get your workout off your to-do list right away -- if you don't do it in the morning, you might not do it at all, and
b) if you work out (do cardio) before breakfast, you get your body to use up fat stores since you haven't eaten in 8 or more hours.

There are probably other reasons out there I don't know about, but these are the ones I hear often.

If evening works best for you, then work out in the evening. I'm not a morning person myself. My body responds to exercise better in the afternoon, when my energy levels are higher and I can concentrate on my form better. Sometimes because of time/life constraints, my workouts are moved to early morning, late morning, or very late at night, but I still do most of my workouts in the afternoon because it simply feels better that way.

I've tried working out (cardio) before breakfast on and off for the last three weeks to shave off the extra waistline from the last two months of doing so little cardio. And I've succeeded. But I think what really helped was keeping my eating clean and working out consistently, whether early morning, late morning, afternoon, or midnight.

As long as you're seeing results with your evening workouts, and evenings are better for you physically and schedule-wise, then stick to it. If it ain't broke...

Pinky
 
I was an evening exerciser for years (like 18)...always wishing I could switch to mornings as my evening exercising sometimes got bumped because of plan changes, dinner, etc. I am definitely NOT a morning person.

Well, last June I decided to make myself get up and workout in the morning before work just to see if I could and have been doing so since. I wanted to do this thinking I wouldn't miss any workouts. It took me about 3 months to get used to it and now I wake up craving it! Not only that, but I now prefer it! And I rarely ever miss a workout. So I'm one who thought I couldn't adapt and I did!

As far as results, I don't see any difference in one over the other but it works better in my schedule!
Jo
 
Hi Pinky!
Item (b) in your post is the basis of the BFL program. I have read evidence to the contrary. I really need to remember where I saw it, but apparently the whole argument about your body preferentially using fat stores when your stomach is empty may not, and probably is not, true at all.
Trevor :)
 
I am definitely NOT a morning person. Even on my days off work, I can't get myself to exercise before 10 at the earliest (and that's rare). I supposed there is a slight advantage to working out in the morning (especially with weight training) as the post-workout increase in metabolism can last a bit longer (before you go to bed). On the other hand, if you are not basically a morning person, it's perhaps not possible to put the needed effort into your workout in the a.m.

I say fit in exercise whenever it works for you, and worry about consistency more than the possibility of burning a few more calories post workout. If I worked out mornings, I probably wouldn't/couldn't keep it up for long before the desire to snooze a bit longer hit me. But then, rest and recovery is important too!

I usually start to exercise around 5 p.m. That's what works for me, and that's what keeps me consistent.
 
thank you, thank you, thank you posters! nice to know I'm not the only one non-functional b4 10 am (or sometimes noon!) :) Here's to consistencey, morning, night OR noon! ;)
 
For years I worked out after work. I had to change to mornings because too many things kept me from working out later. All those unexpected things. Now I workout before I go to work. It's tough, but I'm always glad it's done. It's nice and quiet, so no interruptions so I have much more focus. Your body does take time to adjust, but I think it's worth it. I rarely miss a workout anymore.

Robin
 
Hi Trevor, it's good to know there IS evidence to the contrary. If you find it again, please post it. When I was doing cardio on an empty stomach I always feared I was only burning my hard-earned muscles. But I decided to give it a try, just out of curiosity. As I said, I don't think it's MAINLY the early-morning cardio that did it. My eating helped a lot. I haven't eaten this cleanly, this well and in evenly spaced-out intervals in a long while, so I know this made the difference big time.

Pinky:)
 
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