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Best Time to Workout in Afternoon Says a Study

Working out in the morning has its advantages. Challenging the body triggers the release of endorphins, uplifting one’s mood following exertion. These chemicals, along with a few others, boost energy levels, alertness, and focus, making you more productive and attentive at work.

For those who struggle to fall asleep at night, regular morning exercise may help reset their circadian rhythms, the internal, biological processes that regulate the 24-hour sleep-wake cycle. While early workouts could be a struggle for night owls to grow accustomed to, sticking with them could make these individuals more alert in the morning and more tired at night, hopefully resulting in more sleep and improved health outcomes.

Best Time to Workout in Afternoon Says a StudyEarly exercisers may not be able to achieve peak performance. Stiffer muscles, fewer stored energy reserves from overnight fasting, and a slightly cooler body temperature in the morning add up to hamper exercise output. Therefore, more avid exercisers might prefer working out in the Afternoon.Shawn Arent, chair of the Department of Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina, said that the best window for explosive athleticism seems to be between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. In one study, young men instructed to cycle to exhaustion at a set difficulty were able to ride 20% longer in the compared to the morning.

A review of studies also found that muscle strength, muscle power, and sprinting abilities all peaked in the Afternoon, topping morning performance by anywhere from 3% to 20%. Exercise itself may also be more efficient in the Afternoon. A small, 12-week study focusing on pre-diabetic and diabetic men found that Afternoon training produced slightly more beneficial metabolic effects and resulted in a slightly more fat loss compared to morning training.

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