If you prefer burning the midnight oil to waking up at the crack of dawn, you might want to reconsider when you strength train.
In a small study, self-described early birds and night owls had the strength of their legs measured throughout the day. While leg strength measurements remained steady for the morning people, the evening people's leg strength peaked in the evening — the night owls' central nervous systems were primed and ready for action around 9 p.m. Researchers suggest that if early morning workouts are a struggle for you, try working out later in the day. When it comes to feeling your strongest, where do you stand?
Source: Getty
Antik Batik
Benefit
True Religion
I have always hated getting up in the morning. When I do have to wake up before 9, I'm still not really awake until then. I will workout anywhere from the late afternoon and even sometimes as late as 2 in the morning.
1I am totally an early bird. I can be awake at the crack of dawn. However, staying up late is just a no-go for me. Usually I am sooo tired by 10:00. Like, at about 9:30 I'll start to dose, and by 10, I feel so exhausted. I really cannot make it to 11 or 12.
I'm 22, and some people make fun of me for going to bed "early", but I need my sleep. I'm not a friggen vampire.
2I'm more of an early bird even though I hate waking up early in the morning. I'll adjust after a few minutes of hating being up so early. However I can't stay up late. After 11 or so I get really cranky.
3I'm such a night owl. Getting up at 615 during the week killllllllls me. Definitely I feel stronger later in the day than in the a.m.
4for the life of me, i cannot workout after work; i just don't have the energy. i wake up 4am, every Tues/Thurs. and 5am every Sun. to workout. great way to start the day.
5I'm still trying to figure this one out. I think I can be both, it just depends on the day and on my mood. Sometimes it's really energizing to work out in the morning, sometimes it just drains me during the day. I've found that I like working out at night because it lets me blow off steam from the day. I feel so much and so much more relax and can sleep more soundly. So I guess, I'm a little bit of both.
6I'm with you Janyango. I can't workout after work for the life of me. It's not that I particularly like waking up early, but it's totally doable and I'll ALWAYS take the morning workout over an afternoon's!
7I am a total night owl. At my old apartment complex, I would hit the gym around 11pm and have the place to myself which was fantastic. It seems late to be working out, but I wouldn't head to bed until 3am, which was like working out at 6pm and going to bed at 10pm. Luckily, I'm a grad student with flexible lab hours!
8I work weird hours, but when it comes to my workouts, I definitely have to work out in the morning. I don't have the energy to work out after work or in the afternoon. Plus, I like getting it out of the way so I can do other stuff for the rest of the day.
9Is there a choice for neither? LoL I hate getting up early and always fall asleep early! Maybe because I work full-time and go to school! I squeeze in my workout right when I get home from work.
10I'm a night owl, that desperately wants to be an early bird.
11I'm definitely not an early bird. I've read it's better to get up early and start the day with exercise, but that's not realistic for me.
12I go to bed at 4 am then get up at 12 or 1pm so yea no early bird here.
13early bird. always have been. i'd get up at 5:30am for bullwinkle when i was a kid
now i get up early for the gym. 10pm is about the time i start dozing. my boyfriend is a night owl and generally goes to bed after me at 1 or 2 and sleeps in til 8 or 9.
14I have the most energy in the morning. Once I make my daily morning coffee and start up my usual routine (turning on the computer, visiting my favorite sites, organizing the kitchen - yes, oddly I do that) I am the sharpest, most alert and most creative at this time. And I am usually worthless at night!
15Oh, and when it comes to working out, I prefer mid-morning - after I've had my coffee and have let breakfast digest, I am ready to go!
16I like to exercise at about 9 or 10 am, but sadly my schedule doesn't allow that
17Definitely early bird for me - if I skipped my exercise in the morning, I will never be able to find time to make it up.
18I used to wake up at 5:30am and then go to the Gym right away without any breakfast. But, after learning that we need to eat breakfast before exercise, I am now waking up at 4:30am for 1st breakfast. It was hard for me at first, but I get used to that now. I wake up around that time everyday without alarm clock.
I think maybe I'm neither. I'm definitely not a morning person, but I don't like to stay up extra late either.
19In my ideal work world I would work from 12pm-7pm and work out in the evening. =D
20Night owl definitely. I just can't bring myself to go to bed before 1am, even when I have to get up early.
21I'm such an early bird. Even on weekends, I wake up by 6:30 am at the latest. With no alarm clock. My friends all know that I will be leaving their parties (bachlorette, weddings, birthdays) by 9 pm. And that's stretching it for me... My MOM says I'm an old woman. =P
22i'm definitely a morning day person - not a night person at all - curling up on the couch with a movie or sitting with my computer sound like good nights to me! ha ha. MonkiChriz = you and I are grandmothers together no doubt! ha ha!
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