It seems no matter how many different ways you Google, and how many articles you read, no one can agree on the best time to work out! Some people swear by a fasted morning cardio. Other people say lifting should happen in the morning and cardio at night. Some say after breakfast, some say before dinner. If you read it all, the next thing you know, you are more confused than before you decided to look into this topic. And, that is the most frustrating thing. So I’m going to try to help clarify this issue for you.
It. Doesn’t. Matter.
The end.
Just kidding, I’m not done. But that is the bottom line to my argument! Yes, I am sure different opinions/theories, backed by (sometimes) scientific evidence, can point you in one direction or another. But if you are not a morning person and can’t wake up until after 9am, I don’t care if you think a fasted morning workout is going to give you better results. One of two things is most likely to happen. One, you hit snooze and don’t even make it to half your workouts a week. Two, you are so exhausted and groggy that your workout is so lame and not even half way decent. I would argue that you would be better off working out after work/school when you are awake and can give your workout your all!
Or, for some people, myself included, I cannot workout without food in my system, unless I am doing half-$$ed cardio. I recently tried an arm lift without eating breakfast and I felt so nauseous I quit a third of the way through. Even if I was a firm believer that a fasted workout would lead to more fat loss, it’s not going to work for my body. If I had eaten breakfast, or pushed that lift to the end of the day, I would’ve gotten a full workout in.
What do I believe? Creating a schedule that will work best for YOU is the key to success over any other trick in the books. If you can stick to your workout schedule and get 5/6 workouts in a week, you are taking one of the biggest steps in the right direction. Sure, maybe you can do a 5am workout every day for two weeks. But not every day for the next 2 years! If your schedule is odd, but its an odd that you can follow, that’s the right move. Here is my weekly schedule:
Monday: LISS/HITT ~ 9am
Tuesday: Arms/Back/Chest/LISS ~ 10am
Wednesday: Legs ~ 4:30pm
Thursday: LISS/HIIT ~ 10am
Friday: rest
Saturday: Arms/Back/Chest/LISS ~ after I wake up and drink my coffee
Sunday: Legs ~ after I wake up and drink my coffee
I can stick to this. I never find myself rushing to finish a workout because I planned legs for 12pm before my 2pm class. When I am rushed, those are the days I do LISS. I plan legs for when I have the most time. For some people, this ^^ crazy schedule would seem random and not planned. But actually, I thought long and hard about what I could do every single week. And I adapt for when I have tests, or lunch planned with a friend. I allow myself to be flexible. I don’t skip my workout, but maybe one gets pushed for after classes. I ignore what some people might say about when I should workout. I just plan what I know I will be able to achieve.
Fail to plan and plan to fail. But, plan smart. It doesn’t matter when you workout, as long as you consistently do it.
