It found that, for women, morning workouts zapped abdominal fat and improved blood pressure better than late-day training. For men, evening exercise led to greater fat burning and better blood pressure control. Evening exercise also amplified the benefits of strength training, but more so for women.
While morning exercise can help boost energy levels and metabolism, evening workouts may help achieve peak physical performance. According to a recent study, morning workouts favor more fat burning by increasing the activity of genes that drive fat-burning and improve thermogenesis.
Better performance
A small study found that the participants performed better and 20% longer during their evening workout session than their morning session. According to an article published in the Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences, body temperature is usually higher in the evening, an ideal state for exercising.
In general, it is fine to work out at any time of day. That said, some researchers suggest that you should stop exercising at least 90 minutes before sleep. This time allows heart rate to slow down and body temperature to return to normal.
Evening exercise — between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. — “greatly” increased upper body muscle strength, power and endurance, and enhanced overall mood for women, according to the study published in Frontiers in Physiology.
The final verdict? Exercising in a fasted state may burn some quick body fat, but it's not the best option for your body in the long-run. Eat a small snack or meal before and after your workout to ensure that you're properly fueled to perform your best in the gym and recover quickly when you get home.
General guidelines recommend a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio and two strength-training workouts each week. Doing more than that increases the benefits, but only if you're properly trained. Beginners should slowly boost workout duration, frequency, and intensity to avoid injury.
We burn most calories in the late afternoon and early evening and the least in the very early morning. Most people burn about 10 per cent more calories between 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Our body torches maximum calories at this time frame, regardless of what we do.
According to their research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, the optimal length of exercise per week is: minimum of 5 to 10 hours of moderate physical activity (42 minutes to an hour and 25 minutes daily) minimum 2 hours and 30 minutes to 5 hours of vigorous physical activity (21-42 minutes daily)
Past experts have told us that you shouldn't work out after 8 p.m. The National Sleep Foundation advises that you avoid "strenuous workouts in the late evening or right before bed," though it notes that if nighttime workouts don't affect your sleep, there's no need to change your routine.
Two-a-day workouts can be a good idea, but only if you stick to a structured workout plan with enough time for rest. There are many benefits to working out twice a day. It reduces your sedentary time and improves your overall performance. But twice-a-day workouts also carry a risk of overtraining and injury.
Fat-burning stage (12-18 hours)
At some point around the 12th hour of not eating anything, the glycogen stores deplete and the body starts looking for a new energy source. This is when the stored fat gets caught on your body's radar. Burnt fat becomes its fuel.
It's caused when extra calories are stored in the body as fat. If you consume high amounts of energy, particularly found in high fat and high sugar foods, and do not use all of the energy through physical activity, much of the extra energy will be stored in the body as fat.
It is realistic to say that you can achieve a flatter stomach in as little as 6-12 weeks with a sound diet and exercise approach that places you in a slight and progressive caloric deficit for that time period.
You have to target a specific muscle group on a particular day. You cannot work on the entire body together. Try to correct your form and increase your repetitions with time. Depending on the intensity and the consistency of your workout, it will take 4 to 8 weeks for your muscles to get toned.
While you may start to feel the positive effects of exercise in just two weeks, physical results will take much longer to show up. If you have not worked out in a very long time and have lost any level of physical fitness, it can take two months of working out most days of the week to reach a moderate level.
Assuming you are consistent with your fitness program and effectively use each workout as a building block of your overall fitness tower, you can expect to see the physical benefits of your fitness within 8 – 12 weeks. By this stage, physical benefits might include weight loss or a change in body composition.
If you're experiencing muscle soreness, you may need only two or three days of rest. Another option is to alternate your workouts to avoid overusing certain muscle groups. For example, if your upper body is sore, work out your lower body the next time you exercise instead.
Just don't skip getting something into your system. “If you don't eat and drink after working out, you may start to feel fatigued or even hangry,” says Patton. “It's an important part of your recovery.”
However, experts caution that vigorous exercise within one hour of bedtime does not allow time for core body temperature to cool. This may delay sleep, affect sleep quality, and lead to more nighttime awakenings.
How soon should you shower after a workout? Numerous studies reveal that you shouldn't hop into the right after intense exercise. Cool down after a workout first and wait until your heart rate and body temperature stabilize. This should take about 20 to 30 minutes, assuming you're just sitting around.