I'm a fitness expert and there's a perfect time to exercise if you want to lose weight. [Beuzz]

Whether you’re an early riser or enjoy late nights, there can be health benefits when you exercise.

And DDepending on your training goals, these pros and cons could have a significant impact on your training effectiveness.

Now youBulk’s sports nutrition experts told FEMAIL about the benefits of working out between 5 and 8 a.m., as well as the benefits of a gym session after 7 p.m.

They rrevealed tMorning workouts can improve your rate of weight loss because they can help boost metabolism and burn more body fat.

Meanwhile, muscle strength and function peak in the evening, which means workouts can be more effective.

Bulk’s sports nutrition experts have weighed the pros and cons of early morning and late night workouts (stock image)

Early Morning Training – 5am-8am

BENEFITS

1. Increased Vigilance

Believe it or not, one of the biggest benefits of an early morning workout is feeling more alert.

Although you may feel exhausted when you drag yourself to the gym, your body produces a hormone called cortisol that peaks around 8 a.m.

Cortisol, also known as the stress hormone, helps keep you awake and alert. This hormone will only cause you problems if you have too much or too little of it.

Therefore, if you have a healthy circadian rhythm — the 24-hour cycle that includes physiological and behavioral rhythms like sleep — your body will be more prepared for early morning exercise.

2. May Improve Rate of Weight Loss

For those looking to lose body fat, one of the big benefits of working out in the morning is that it’s usually better for losing weight.

High levels of cortisol and growth hormone in the morning are both associated with your metabolism.

Therefore, high-intensity exercise in the morning can help boost metabolism and burn more body fat, drawing more energy from your fat stores.

3. Improves your biological clock

A study published by the Journal of Physiology found that exercising at 7 a.m. can shift your biological clock earlier.

Not only will this improve your alertness in the morning, but it can also make you fall asleep easier and earlier in the evening.

This will allow you to rest enough to wake up and repeat the same routine the next day.

4. Helps Control Appetite

Exercise generally helps control your appetite.

Studies have now shown that aerobic exercise, such as running, cycling and swimming, decreases appetite. This is because it alters our levels of hormones that cause hunger.

The theory behind exercise as an appetite suppressant or appetite stimulant is based on the activities of two main hormones, ghrelin and the YY peptide.

They are oppositely acting hormones, both released during exercise. Ghrelin stimulates appetite while peptide YY decreases appetite.

Therefore, as exercise suppresses the hormone ghrelin, it will help control your appetite.

Disadvantages of an early morning workout

1. Less time to warm up before weightlifting

For those who want to build muscle or tone up, an early morning workout might do more harm than good.

This is because the body needs time to warm up before lifting weights. If you don’t give your muscles enough time to relax, you risk injury.

2. Lack of sleep

If you didn’t go to bed early enough the night before, or had a restless sleep, getting up at dawn and exercising can also be extremely taxing on the body.

It is extremely important to ensure that the body is fully rested before engaging in a workout.

If you trained the night before, sleep is what allows muscle tissue to recover between workouts.

Getting enough sleep is also important for having the energy to exercise, so not getting enough can lead to being less physically active during the day and reducing any muscle strength during workouts.

3. Inability to build muscle

Working out early in the morning usually doesn’t help build muscle.

Indeed, your body needs a few hours to replenish the reserves it has depleted during the night.

Your muscles primarily use glucose to fuel weightlifting and resistance exercises. A morning workout doesn’t lead to significant gains in muscle mass or strength because you don’t have enough reserves yet.

Therefore, if increasing muscle or strength is your primary goal, the workouts will see more benefit later in the day.

4. Metabolic rate can impact eating habits

As an early morning workout will boost your metabolism early in the day, your metabolic rate will then generally slow down again in the evening.

While an afternoon or evening workout will boost your metabolism later in the day, which is more beneficial if your dinner is your main meal of the day, providing the most calories.

For those looking for weight loss or weight maintenance results, ideally you want to align your workouts to your highest calorie intake to ensure the best results.

If you want to burn calories and fat, changing your workout routine to the time of day when you eat your largest meal can be extremely beneficial.

Late Night Practice – 7:30 p.m. and beyond

Benefits

1. Higher energy levels

A University of Birmingham study shows you can go up to 20% longer when you exercise in the evening, at a higher intensity.

Therefore, doing workouts at a longer, faster, and stronger pace will show results much faster.

2. Muscles will tone faster

Muscle strength and function peak in the evening, as fluctuating hormones can make workouts more effective later in the day.

High levels of cortisol in the morning can prevent muscle growth, but high levels of testosterone in the evening stimulate it.

3. It’s a myth that PM workouts negatively impact sleep

While many people believe that working out late at night can be extremely disruptive to your sleep quality because endorphins are still buzzing, that’s a myth.

Endorphins actually help improve the ability to sleep, which also helps reduce stress.

A study published in Sleep Medicine found that only 2% of vigorous exercisers said workouts interrupted their sleep, with 30% sleeping better after a good sweat.

Of course, depending on the late hour of your workout, people may tend to rely on caffeine and taurine, known as popular pre-workout supplements.

While there’s plenty of research to support their performance benefits, especially if you’re weight training, caffeine can be problematic and impact sleep quality.

Therefore, opting for a caffeine-free pre-workout is a better option, which contains beta-alanine and citrulline malate which help preserve muscle pH and acidity levels, delaying lactic acid buildup. and muscle fatigue.

4. Effective stress relief

After a long day, exercise can help you relax and unwind.

This is because physical activity produces endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that act as natural pain relievers.

Studies show that among those who exercise, 33% of highly stressed adults reported feeling less stressed after exercise, compared to 18% of low-stressed adults.

Disadvantages of training late at night

1. Can Impact Consistency

Exercising later in the day can make it much more tempting to put it off until the next day because you’re too tired.

Studies also suggest that scheduling your workout for the morning time can help you turn exercise into a daily habit rather than doing it at night.

2. Your post-workout fuel is consumed too late

It is important to help your muscles recover to replace their glycogen stores.

Therefore, it is recommended that you eat a meal that contains both carbohydrates and protein after your exercise session.

However, if you finish a workout late at night, your hunger levels may take a lot longer to kick in, so you eat extremely late.

Eating late at night goes against your body’s circadian rhythm, impacting your metabolism and making it harder to maintain blood sugar levels.

3. Less time for post-workout stretching

You might go to the gym at 9 p.m., but it closes at 10 p.m., which can make you rush out.

Not giving yourself enough time to perform thorough stretches before and after training can put you at risk of injury.

Muscles and tendons that aren’t stretched properly after exercise can be more susceptible to injury.

Although it’s not only important to make sure you’re stretching after exercise, but also that you’re doing the right kinds of stretches.

Bulk.com experts recommend using the RAMP method to help structure your workouts.

Following these steps for a warm-up that should last about 15-20 minutes should put you in optimal condition to perform your workout.

A spokesperson for Bulk said, “There’s no bad time to exercise, it just depends on the types of workouts you do and the results you want to achieve.”

“Generally, for those who want to lose weight, an early morning workout is more effective, and for those who want to build muscle and tone, an afternoon or evening workout is best.”

“The most important thing is to find the time that works best for you, and if you feel better about training early in the morning rather than late at night or vice versa, do it.” A workout should give you a sense of accomplishment and make you feel good.

“For those with certain body goals, consistency is key, so choose a time when you feel you can stick with it to help your body settle into a comfortable routine.”