<p>When would you guys say is the best time to work out vigorously(i.e weightlifting, running etc)? Early morning or late night? Any other suggestions would work too.</p>
<p>try both, it seems to depend on the person. Personally, working out in the morning wakes me up and gets me ready to go for the day, while working out at night makes it easier to go to bed.. both have their pros and cons.</p>
<p>I heard that exercising early in the morning gives your metabolism a kick start, so you tend to burn more calories passively throughout the day.</p>
<p>But honestly, I think it depends on what would encourage you to work out consistently.</p>
<p>I would say early in the morning, because it does wake up your metabolism, you'll have more energy, and if you're using the college gym, the earlier you go, the better, because a lot of college kids are more inclined to be sleeping then.</p>
<p>late afternoon. I forget the exact details, but it's supposedly when muscle growth is optimum.</p>
<p>Good thread. I usu workout 1.5-2 hours after dinner (so around 8:30-9PM), but this might not be the best idea in college.</p>
<p>Working out in the morning saves you a shower.</p>
<p>Testosterone levels are highest in the morning, which should help physical activity, but cortisol is also highest in the morning. Exercise spikes cortisol after a certain amount of activity, which is worse if the levels are already high. So there's a trade off. Test and cortisol levels both taper off as the day goes on.</p>
<p>And the metabolism boost that comes in the morning only last a few hours, tops. It doesn't matter if you workout in the morning or the evening; you'll still get the metabolism boost. Although working out in the morning might have a waking up effect. Ofcourse if you're looking to gain muscle, you wouldn't necessarily even want the metabolism boost.</p>
<p>In conclusion, there isn't really a time to work out that is most advantageous. Just do it whenever it fits your schedule/</p>
<p>How about two a days? Morning and afternoon.</p>
<p>The gym gets packed after 6 pm</p>
<p>workout between morning and 3 pm if you don't want assclowns curling in your squat rack</p>
<p>I think late afternoon is best such that immediately upon finishing you can eat dinner. If you're trying to maximize results, you want to take advantage of "the golden hour" which is the first hour (really half hour) after you finish working out when your body is looking to refuel. Also, as russell hinted at, you want to raise your blood sugar as quickly as possible after working out so that your body will begin to rebuild as opposed to continuing to breakdown. With a morning workout, if you don't eat before hand, you won't really have the energy for a good workout, and also your body will be in "starvation mode" because you haven't eaten anything in possibly 12 hours. Obviously if you eat right before it, you run the risk of getting sick.</p>
<p>Before bed so you don't have to deal with your wobbly limbs afterwards.</p>
<p>I've gotten up at 7 AM nearly every morning to work out (gym, running outside) for the last 3 years. Part of was that I didn't like the afternoon craziness (people tend to stick to their high school schedule of going to classes, then gym afterwards around 3 to 7) and I don't want to waste a minute waiting for the machines. Another part was that I got pretty serious about my running and I would just go crazy waiting to go for a run if I didn't do it first thing in the morning.</p>
<p>Now, see if you can somehow manage to get yourself to bed so you can get up early before classes to work out... :)</p>
<p>Last year I just worked out randomly whenever it fit my schedule. I had gaps in my day for at least a few hours so I tried to fit in some gym time there. Other days I just waited till after class. On weekends (Friday-Sunday) I worked out whenever my friends decided to hit the gym. I guess you might need to be more consistent if you want to build muscle.</p>
<p>For me, I'd do it in the morning because it would wake me up (plus showering after sweating so much feels great). I plan to go running for an hour every morning and play in an intramural sport in the afternoon.</p>
<p>I love running in the late afternoon, I'm a wreck in the morning when I have barely woken up. And then I can have a nice huge dinner afterwards without any guilt! The cafeteria doesn't serve dessert at breakfast yet, unfortunately.</p>
<p>i always workout from 5pm or 6pm till 7 or 8pm. there is nothing else to do and there is nothing on tv from 5-7 unless you like extra or entertainment tonight. plus there are not many people there at this time.</p>
<p>i'm sort of surprised by the amount of time people devote to working out on this thread and another (see the swimming thread or w/e). devoting 2 hours a day to working out seems a little much in a college lifestyle, especially when you have classes, studying, and extracurricular things, student club involvement, etc.</p>
<p>ive been doing about 45 mins of cardio (walking/jogging/running) every day and going to the gym about 4-5 times a week in hour long increments in an effort to lose weight, and ive done well with that. when you guys say youre doing 2 hours a day, do you mean 2 hours of weights and things like that? or an hour of cardio followed by an hour of weights? is doing 2 hours a day going to make you lose weight faster than doing what im doing? </p>
<p>im just curious as to what you guys do. ill be a freshman in the fall, and really want to make a lifestyle change as it pertains to eating right, exercising, and staying fit. i thought the path im going down was fine, but some of you are doing more time than i am.</p>
<p>you have to MAKE time for it for sure. but once I made it a priority, it became a big part of my life. I really only do cardio, it's basically a mood regulator for me, I'm not trying to really get ripped or train for anything. I really only work out for about 45min-1 hour everyday, but that's intense cardio the whole time, (running 4-5 miles biking at 17mph for 30minutes), I don't do weights. But it is everyday. I don't know, the everyday thing i think is key, cause if you're doing it to lose weight, you need to keep your metabolism up above all else, and if you're just excercising, not dieting, you also won't lose weight. diet is super important.</p>
<p>Consistency is key.</p>