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obviously this is going to probably vary from person to person, and it’s really not in the spirit of this site/forum to be asking anyway, but i’d be keen to know if anyone has any thoughts or findings on when the best (“best,” ugh, i know–metabolically optimal?) time to exercise is
curious both in regards to time of day and in relation to meals
basically been driving myself crazy trying to find the “perfect” schedule (fasted in the morning? a few hours after a big meal? etc etc) so really any thoughts would be chill
Multiple points of view here of course. I tend to believe that for most people the best time to exercise is when athletic performance, strength, and flexibility are at their peak – which is late afternoon/early evening (generally, due to normal circadian rhythms, but bear in mind not everyone is ‘normal’). As long as it’s not too late and you can eat some food after, it’s probably fine.
I do better, all things considered, by exercising in the morning – if only to start my day moving around and loosening up as opposed to sitting around all day until I feel stiff and blah.
I would take YOUR preferences and lifestyle into consideration and determine what’s best for you. Blanket intellectual answers just don’t satisfy health questions very well.
Agreed with Matt that a purely academic answer is not appropriate.
I personally tend to weight train early afternoon, and like to have something carby maybe 1/2 hour or hour beforehand just so I don’t bonk out. Also I make sure to eat big after weight training, with plenty of carbs and protein.
Morning workouts I’ve been messing with recently, as it helps get my day started, and I may end up transitioning over in that direction. But really, think about your daily patterns and experiment freely.
I don’t think it is a dumb question at all @heatherduke. Matt and Rob are probably right. Charles Polliquin is somebody that I turn to when I want studied advice. Here’s what he has to say on the subject:
http://www.charlespoliquin.com/Blog/tabid/130/EntryId/2069/Tip-601-What-s-The-Best-Time-To-Train.aspx
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