The Best Time To Workout

When is the best time to workout?

That's one of the most popular questions I get... and like most fitness answers, it depends.

The simplest answer is WORKOUT WHENEVER WORKS BEST FOR YOU.

This takes some awareness.

What kind of person are you? How does your typical day flow?

Are you up early... or up late? When do you work? Does work or family make your schedule predictably unpredictable?

When do you have the most energy?

Answering these questions will tell you when is the most likely training time for you to achieve consistency.

AND CONSISTENCY IS THE NAME OF THE GAME.

We're not searching for the "perfect workout."

One single workout doesn't make you or break you.

But missing workout after workout will certainly derail you from your goals. You'll never achieve anything that way.

What we're looking for is a workout time that will mesh the best with your lifestyle & schedule.

That doesn't mean you won't need to make adjustments. But it DOES mean is that you will understand the PROPER adjustments you need to make.

So... let's look at a few options.

Early Morning Training

One of the hardest things for people to accept is that life will ALWAYS find a way to interfere with your goals... IF YOU LET IT.

It's up to YOU to make sure that doesn't happen.

That's why early morning training is so beneficial for CONSISTENCY...

NOTHING CAN GET IN THE WAY.

If you're not a morning person, AM training will require an adjustment period.

Don't expect to go from playing video games every night until 3 AM..

To waking up daily at 6 AM... just to go workout.

It's simply NOT REALISTIC.

You'll end up hating the routine, go to the gym one time, and then quit...

Instead, work on simply WAKING UP earlier. AFTER you're used to the new routine, THEN try moving your workouts to the morning. Baby steps... 

The hardest thing about AM TRAINING is waking up.

If you can get out of bed, you're GOLDEN. That's the goal. MAKE YOUR FEET TOUCH THE FLOOR. Do that & you'll make it to training.

PRO TIP: It helps to lift with a friend to obligate you to show up to train. When you know someone is waiting on you, it's easier to get out of bed. Give yourself an obligation.

The biggest benefit to early morning training is what it can do for your consistency.

When you train first thing in the morning, NOTHING CAN GET IN THE WAY.

All you have to do is set an alarm, get dressed, and get moving.

Suddenly life's problems & last minute issues become a non-issue... and then you realize IT'S ALL ON YOU to wake your ass up & get to work!

When I first started training in the morning, I would wake up & repeat this over & over again until I got out of bed...

"SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DO WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO WHETHER THEY FEEL LIKE IT OR NOT."

This was how I developed one of my most productive bodybuilding routines back in the day when I still worked in an office. Nothing could get in the way of training.

I'd wake up at 4am, get to the gym by 5, and then train for 2 to 2.5 hours.

By 8am I'd hit the showers, get changed, and then head into the office.

For the rest of the day, I'd sit at my desk & bulk up on company-supplied meals.

PRO TIP: Working in an office environment is one of the best jobs for a broke bodybuilder.

1) TRAIN HARD first thing in the morning.
2) SAVE MONEY & BULK UP on (healthy) snacks provided by the company.
3) RECOVER ALL DAY day sitting at your desk.

Afternoon or Lunchtime Training

This one is usually a little harder to stick to and doesn't leave you much time for a workout.

If your schedule allows it, one of the best times to train is midday when everyone else is working.

Less traffic. Better workouts.

The gym shouldn't be as busy, which lets you hit a workout much quicker.

I also suggest doing a lot of supersets during lunchtime workouts. This can help you fit in more exercises in less time.

Evening or Late Night Training

The final option is training in the evening or later at night.

This time can be a little tricky depending on your lifestyle.

Training in the evening can work, but it comes down to two things...

1) Your job ALWAYS ends "on time" (think 9-5) & you don't have many obligations that will interrupt training (like family).

OR

2) You have HIGH WILLPOWER & refuse to miss training, even if you must go super late-night.

You have to adopt a ruthless stance of not allowing things to interrupt your training. Understand how important your goals are and COMMIT to them. 

My biggest problem with training "right after work" was always the sheer volume of people at the gym. It's hard to get things done efficiently when everyone else is at the gym too.

But when it comes to clients...

The hardest thing about PM training is PROGRAM ADHERENCE.

By nighttime, there's been countless opportunities for life to throw you a curve ball...

And the simplest way for most people to "find the time" to handle unexpected issues is to neglect their training...

This sets off a terrible cascade of failure.

Don't let this happen to you.

If you're going to workout in the evening, don't allow yourself to make excuses and neglect your goals when life happens to you...

When Should YOU Train?

By now, you should have a better sense of when you should workout.

Remember, the best time for you to workout is...

WHENEVER WORKS BEST FOR YOU.

You may have to make some adjustments. You may have to wake up earlier. You may have to go to bed sooner. Or you may have to cut less important things out of your life.

Whichever time you pick, just make sure it's...

✅ A time that makes sense for your LIFESTYLE.
✅ When you have plenty of ENERGY for your workouts.
✅ And one you can CONSISTENTLY COMMIT TO.

Satisfy all three & you'll SMASH YOUR GOALS!

In the meantime... let's hook you up with a plan.

 

Nick Hagood
Spartan Training & Coaching