Best time to train: morning or evening

When to train is mainly a question of planning. Below, you can read about the changes that take place in your body throughout the day, what this means in practical terms for training in the morning or in the evening, and how to choose a time that suits your week.

What’s the best time to train?

The best time to train is the time you can stick to week in, week out. The time of day does play a role, but it’s less important than the consistency with which you train.

Three other factors also come into play: your body temperature (which rises throughout the day), your energy levels at that moment, and your schedule. Someone who might still have a meeting at 7.00 pm is, in practice, more likely to train if their session is at 7.00 am than at 7.00 pm. Anyone who finds it hard to get going in the morning will get more out of a session later in the day. Both are good options, as long as you stick with it.

What changes happen in your body throughout the day?

Your body follows a circadian rhythm of approximately 24 hours. Your core temperature is at its lowest in the early morning, just before you wake up, and then gradually rises to a peak in the late afternoon or early evening.

That temperature isn’t just a minor detail. Warmer muscles and joints are slightly more supple, nerve conduction is slightly faster, and enzymes in your muscle cells work a little more efficiently at a higher temperature. That is the physiological explanation for why, in laboratory tests, people often demonstrate slightly greater strength and explosiveness in the late afternoon than immediately after getting up. On the other hand, the difference is small, and it becomes even smaller once you get used to training at a fixed time. Your body adapts to the time of day at which you regularly exert yourself.

In the morning, you often feel stiffer. This is partly due to the lower muscle temperature and partly because you’ve been lying still for hours. A longer, gentle, progressive warm-up largely resolves this. For more on the practical benefits of training in the morning, see 6 benefits of exercising in the morning.

Training in the morning or evening: what are the differences?

The difference lies less in physiology than in practical circumstances. This table compares the key factors.

And what about the afternoon? Around midday, your body temperature is somewhere in between, and the gym is often quieter then than after work. The sticking point is usually the lunch break itself: a short session works, but a long one usually doesn’t.

In warm weather, the balance shifts: the early morning and late evening are cooler than midday, which makes training outdoors more pleasant. You’ll find practical tips for this in the section on exercising in warm weather.

Does evening training affect your sleep?

For most people, training in the evening isn’t a problem, as long as an intensive session doesn’t finish just before bedtime. If you find it harder to fall asleep after a late training session, moving the session forward by an hour is usually enough.

Once again, the explanation lies in temperature and alertness. During intense training, your core temperature rises and your heart rate increases. Falling asleep, however, is linked to a drop in core temperature. This drop takes around an hour to happen after the session. A gentle endurance session, mobility work or a walk has hardly any effect on this; a strenuous interval session or a peak in strength training does.

Practical advice: ideally, schedule strenuous sessions so that you’re finished at least an hour before bedtime, and save the late evening for lighter activities. If this doesn’t bother you, there’s no need to change anything.

Is it better to train before or after a meal?

That depends mainly on what your stomach can tolerate and how intense the training is. A full meal is easier to digest if you leave two to three hours beforehand; a small snack is usually fine 30 to 60 minutes beforehand.

For a short or gentle morning workout, training on an empty stomach is fine for many people. For a long or intensive session, many people eat something containing carbohydrates beforehand. After a night’s sleep, the glycogen stores in your muscles and liver are lower. Try out what works best for you during a quiet week, not just before a competition.

When it comes to protein, the timing around your workout is less critical than was previously thought. The total daily amount, spread reasonably across your meals, is the most important factor. Protein contributes to a growth in muscle mass. Protein contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass. To work out how much you personally need, calculate your daily protein requirement. If your question specifically concerns the timing of your shake, the section on the timing of your protein shake covers this separately.

Hydration is also important, especially for morning workouts: after a night’s sleep, your body’s fluid reserves are lower. To find out what happens if you consistently drink too little, read the section on what happens if you don’t drink enough water.

How do you choose when to train?

Choose the time when you’re most likely to actually go ahead with your workout, and then see if you like it. A practical approach:

1. Schedule your training sessions at a fixed time in your diary for two weeks, as if they were appointments.
2. For each session, briefly note down how it went: your energy levels, focus, and whether you achieved what you set out to do.
3. Then see whether the pattern is down to the time of day or something else, such as a lack of sleep or a busy week.
4. If you don’t like it, shift your training in two-hour blocks rather than changing the whole day.

Two things to bear in mind. If you’re training for a competition or tournament with a fixed start time, it makes sense to train regularly at that time so that your body and routine get used to it. And rotating shifts or irregular working hours can sometimes make a fixed time impossible. In that case, it’s better to choose a fixed number of sessions per week rather than a fixed time of day.

To find out which vitamins and minerals deserve extra attention for athletes, see ‘Which vitamins and minerals are important for athletes?’.

Frequently asked questions

Is training in the morning better than in the evening?

There’s no evidence to suggest so. In tests, strength and explosiveness are often slightly higher in the late afternoon, but the difference is small and diminishes as you get used to your regular training time. Consistency is more important than the specific time of day.

How long before bedtime can you still do an intensive workout?

As a guideline: finish about an hour beforehand. That’s roughly the time it takes for your core temperature and heart rate to return to normal. If you don’t notice any effects, there’s no need to change anything.

Do I always have to train at the same time?

You don’t have to, but it does help. A fixed time turns training into a routine rather than a decision, and your body adapts to the time at which you regularly exert yourself. If a fixed time doesn’t work for you, stick to the same number of sessions per week.

Can I train on an empty stomach in the morning?

For short or gentle sessions, this works fine for many people. For long or intensive workouts, many people eat a small snack beforehand, such as a banana or a slice of bread. If you feel light-headed, do make sure to eat something.

Protein powder for an early workout

If you train early and have little time for breakfast, a shake is sometimes more convenient than a meal. Our protein powders are available in whey, casein and vegan varieties, with a short list of ingredients and no unnecessary additives. You can choose a plain protein powder (whey or vegan) or one of the flavoured options. To find out how whey and casein compare, read our guide to whey versus casein. Browse the range in our protein powder collection.