Depending on what you want to achieve, you must choose the time to exercise. If you want to lose weight, you cannot train at the same time as those who seek to develop muscle mass.

Training is one of the healthiest activities, but depending on individual goals, you will need to choose the best time of day to exercise.

Those who want to lose weight, for example, cannot exercise at the same time as those who want to gain muscle mass or increase anaerobic endurance. The results will never be the same.

Although, many people organize their training schedule based on their time availability, it is not always the right thing to do. There are several parameters that allow you to identify when the body should or should not be subjected to certain routines. In the same way that there are cycles for rest and hormones, there are also cycles for physical performance.

According to experts, it is the biological rhythm of sleep and wakefulness (internal clock), determined by the sun, which controls the functions that affect sports practice. Therefore, athletes do not take a step without first evaluating the behavior of their internal clock, and the impact it has on their performance, speed and effort.

What is the best time of day to exercise?

Those who habitually perform activities of mild to moderate intensity, can do so at any time, provided they are in good health and avoid excesses. However, the following considerations must be taken into account:

• In the morning the body temperature is at its lowest level. Hence, energy and blood flow are impaired. The cold, together with the stiffness of the muscles, increases the risks of fractures or injuries.
• Recent studies indicate that morning training sessions compromise the immune system, increasing the chances of contracting infections from bacteria or viruses.
• The temperature of the body and hormones reach its peak at 18 h in the afternoon. Therefore, the body responds better to sports demands.

• Between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. the lungs work more properly. Muscles become more flexible, intensity is higher, performance improves, and stress is released more easily.
• Exercising between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. helps to regulate your food intake.
• Training first thing in the day creates consistency and requires timely rest. However, it requires a more extensive warm-up, due to the number of hours of inactivity during sleep.
• Exercise generates adrenaline. Practicing it at night, could lead to insomnia and difficulty controlling the heart rate. Ideally, do it two hours before bedtime.

Why choose a time of day to exercise?

To achieve the goals you have to know how to choose the time of day to exercise. Depending on what you want to achieve, it can be done as follows:

Burn calories

Anyone trying to lose weight can train in the afternoon, when the metabolism starts to slow. The colder the environment, the more calories can be burned.

Increase aerobic endurance

This is the biological ability to exert extensive effort at a medium or low intensity. Performance will be the same no matter what time you train.

Gain anaerobic endurance

To obtain flexibility, strength, power and speed, that is, to make short-term efforts at high intensities, it is convenient to exercise from 6:00 p.m. and even at nightfall. Athletes tend to train at the same time as the competition, to ensure and monitor their performance.

Build muscle mass

Hormones will be your best allies in this regard if you train first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Each organism is different

Although there are general suggestions, it is important to remember  that each organism is different. Furthermore, the responses to stimuli are not the same in all cases. Calculating body temperature, according to circadian cycles, is one way to determine the best time of day to exercise.

This  requires monitoring for five or six consecutive days (with measurements every two hours) to establish an average figure. You can train three hours before or three hours after the highest number is presented.

If this is difficult, and you are looking to maintain good health, there are other options. Beyond sticking to strict and self-sacrificing regimens, a 30-minute workout a day can work.

Doing it outdoors there are great benefits, but it is convenient to disregard the schedule from 11:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon.

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