Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Best Time For a Work Out?

There is an ongoing debate about the best time of the day to work out. Although there is no absolute right answer because so much of it is based on personal preferences, there are things to consider when planning your next work out.

Scientifically speaking, people tend to work out harder when their body temperature is at it's peak, and this occurs in the early evening in most cases. The evening is also better for weight training for most people because that is when the body has the most testosterone. Testosterone utilizes proteins to build muscle.

If you are training for a competitive event, you should train at the time of the day your competition will take place. So if the competition will begin at 9 a.m., you should do most of our training around that time so your body gets used to working hard during that time.

Speaking of getting your body accustomed to time, you should also pay attention to your body clock. Some people are naturally morning people, while others like to stay up late. If you hate getting up early, chances are making yourself get up to work out is going to make you miserable and your workout will suffer. That being said, you can teach yourself to get up earlier and eventually, when your body has formed the habit of getting up earlier, it will no longer be as difficult.

Having said that, my favourite time to plan a work out is first thing in the morning, before the unexpected demands of daily life pile up and you find you're too busy for a work out during lunch or after work. Scheduling your workout in the morning means that there will be no excuses for missing it and working out is always more productive than not working out at all.

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