Are You wondering When is the Best Time to Workout?
One great question that generates a lot of opposing answers is the classic, when is the best time to workout question. I’ve seen plenty of people chime in their opinions all over the internet, naturally. I’ve seen so called fitness experts, who work at Target incidentally, say the best time to workout is right after work. I’ve seen others claim the best time to workout is right before a meal, as you’ll work up a real appetite. So really, when is the best time to workout?
As long as I’ve been an Austin personal trainer and gym owner, which has been over 2 decades, I’ve been saying that there are no such things as the best this or the best hat. Everything in health and fitness is individual, and must be approached that way, if we are to get the best results. That said, the best time to workout, would naturally depend upon a variety of things, such as your work schedule, your goals, your genetics, your limitations, etc. If, for example, you are looking to lose weight, the best time to workout would be when you have an empty stomach. The reason for this, is so that you aren’t burning off whatever calories you have ingested recently to fuel your workout, but rather you are using your body’s fat reserves, coupled with oxygen, for fuel. In this scenario, this person would be best served by waking up a little earlier, and hitting the gym, the trails, or wherever their workout will take place.
On the other hand, if you are looking to gain some size by putting on some muscle mass, you’ll need to fuel your workouts, and quite well at that. These types of workouts are very strenuous in a different way, and will require a lot of energy to perform them. If this trainee were to show up for training on an empty stomach, they wouldn’t be able to perform up to par, and their goals would be far less likely to be met. In this scenario, the best time to workout for this trainee would be shortly after a good sized helping of food.
What, if you are interested in just general fitness? When is the best time to workout in that very common scenario? The answer is 2 fold. Firstly, whenever you can, and secondly, whenever you have enough fuel in the tank in order to do whichever workout you’re needing to do. If it’s a cardio day, you’d want to follow the empty stomach protocol. If it’s a moderate to heavier training day, you’d want to top off the tank a bit so you can get through the workout.
No matter your fitness goals, be it sport specific, restorative, or just general fitness pursuits, proper nutrition is imperative. One of the biggest mistakes people make is the timing of their nutrition. Some people have a good idea of what to eat, but as you can see, when you eat the proper foods is equally important if you are to truly succeed.
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Andy
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