When Should I Train?

You work in a 9-5 (or even longer shifts) job?

Fitting in training can feel tough.

So when is best to train?  This is going to be different for everyone – some people love a workout before work, others couldn’t think of anything worse.  If you’re like me when you train could vary depending on the structure of your week and what training you’re doing that particular week.

Here’s the Pros and Cons or training at different times of the day

Morning Workouts

Pros

• You’ve got your workout out of the way before the days really started, reducing stress
• Leaves your evenings free to do other things
• You’ll be that super annoying person at work greeting sleepy colleagues with a bundle of energy because you’ve been up for several hours already
• Breakfast tastes better after a workout!
• The gym is often a little quieter at this time
• If you do classes you’ll get to know all the other regulars as it tends to be a more consistent group of attendees in the morning
• You start the day feeling energised

Cons

• If you hate mornings this isn’t going to be for you
• Getting ready for work takes more organisation if your going straight from the gym

Lunch Time Workouts

Pros

• Can help stop you overeating at lunch time
• Time efficient – leaving your mornings and evenings free
• Having limited time to train can keep you focused
• A lunch time workout can increase energy levels for the afternoon and help avoid an afternoon slump

Cons

• If you don’t have a gym nearby this is tough to do (but still possible if you have shower facilities)
• Workouts have to be short (not always a bad thing)
• You don’t get much time for showering / changing after
• You have to fit eating in somewhere else in your day – how possible this is depends on your job
• You need an hour lunch break to make this work ideally
• If you’re northern you don’t get lunch break because you have dinner!

Evening Workout

Pros

• Potentially more time to train so less pressure
• Your brain can switch off now it’s the end of the day and you cn focus on your workout
• Can help de-stress

Cons

• You can be tired by the end of the day
• Gyms are often busy- Monday’s especially.

Weekend Workouts

Pros

• You might be able to dedicate more time to a session
• Less stress means you can relax and enjoy training without watching the clock and needing to be in work soon
• The gym might be quieter so easier to get on the equipment you want

Cons

• Reduces the time you can relax away from your working week (although for some training helps relax them)
• If your gym is near work rather than home the travel time could be prohibitive
• It may be hard to fit regular workouts into your weekends depending on what you like to do / if you travel a lot etc
• If you fancy a drink on a Friday or Saturday night training the next day might not be much fun

I personally like to do different types of session at different times to suit my mood. Experimenting and finding the time you feel best working out at can make a huge difference to how committed you stay to a training plan.