It’s a debate that never seems to get settled: When is the best time to work out? Are you more likely to experience the bennies of exercising if you do it in the morning, afternoon, or after the sun sets?
The research is certainly mixed. But Lara Carlson, PhD, associate professor of applied exercise science at the University of New England says that many studies favor the morning. “There’s research that has looked at people engaging in morning versus afternoon exercise, and those who exercise in the morning have lower blood pressure throughout the day and get better sleep,” she says.
That said, other research suggests that people may have more power and strength during early evening workouts. A study published in the Journal Of Sports Sciences found that between 4 and 8 p.m. participants’ grip strength, vertical jump, and even reaction times were at their best compared to other times of day.
But when it really comes down to it, the answer is pretty simple: The best time to work out is whenever you can do it. You’ll experience the feel-good effects of exercising regardless of whether you favor the morning or evening, and there are science-backed pros for both. The key is to make it work for you.
I you need a little help deciding, here are the upsides that make a case for either exercising in the morning or in the evening, plus tips from real women on how to do it.
First, let’s get into the benefits of working out in the morning that are backed by science and experts.
There are definitely perks for sweating in the a.m. “Morning exercisers tend to have better adherence in the long run,” says Stephen Ball, PhD, a professor of exercise physiology and nutrition at the University of Missouri. “Life usually doesn’t get in the way as much at this time.”
Starting with a healthy choice can also have a snowball effect throughout the day. Household too hectic to scoot out to the gym in the early morning? Set your alarm just 10 or 15 minutes earlier and do a few simple stretches or body-weight moves by your bed.
If weight loss or weight management is part of your fitness goals, you should also consider completing your workouts in the a.m. Morning exercise, specifically moderate to high-intensity aerobic exercise (i.e. cardio), was more effective in appetite control, calorie intake and weight loss than an evening-based training program, per a small study published in the Journal of Clinical Obesity. What’s more: Women who exercise in the morning compared to those who pushed their workouts to the afternoon experience greater satiety levels also leading to better appetite control, found research published in the Journal of Asian Medicine.
Studies have also linked working out in the morning to greater weight loss. Participants who got their sweat on soon after they woke up lost more weight than those who did the same amount of exercise later in the day in a study published in the International Journal of Obesity.
Even if weight loss isn’t your aim, working out in the morning has other benefits worth setting your alarm a little earlier to reap. Women who workout in the a.m., on average, tend to get about 20 more minutes of physical activity than those who workout at night, according to a study A recent study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Sports.
So, how does that stack up against the science-backed benefits working out in the afternoon or evening?
First off, you can use the boost from your afternoon or evening workout to fuel better rest, quite literally. Though the effects of sleep on exercise have long been disputed some studies point to the fact that exercise can actually improve sleep. One study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology actually found that high-intensity, early evening exercise didn’t disrupt sleep in endurance runners, and actually improved it. And if you’re afraid exercise might hype you up too much to wind down, another study published in the Journal of Sleep Research found that vigorous exercise actually has no influence on your quality of sleep.
Something else that may sway you toward exercising in the evening: better performance. Competition-level athletes found that they were able to perform better well after they woke up, per a study published in the Journal of Current Biology. (For some, they didn’t meet their peak performance levels until 11 hours after.)
And there’s more good news about exercising at night. Combining strength and endurance training in the evening may lead to larger gains in muscle mass, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism. But there is a catch: The study participants only saw these results when their train exceeded 12 weeks, which means consistency is key—which is true about seeing real gains no matter what time of day you tend to exercise.
Bottom Line: There is no perfect time to exercise, but there are some science-backed benefits that can help you decide what time is best for you. Exercising in the morning can aid in weight loss, but exercising in the evening has been associated with larger muscle gains. Exercising in the morning and evening are both associated with better sleep quality, so you’re bound to experience bennies no matter what time of the day you work out.
