October 23, 2024, 12:22 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
When is the ideal time of day for sport? This is a question that is not easy to answer unequivocally. The individual biorhythm plays just as much a role as the personal training goal. Moreover, according to a study, gender is evidently also a decisive factor. FITBOOK editorial manager Melanie Hoffmann explains the research results.
Exercise is good for body and mind, and it doesn’t matter when you exercise. The main thing is that you exercise. However, when it comes to achieving certain training goals, the time of day does not seem to be unimportant. In a study, US researchers found out, among other things, when you should exercise if you want to lose body fat – and that the ideal time for this differs for men and women.
Overview
Study with 56 men and women
The US study, which was published in Frontiers in Physiology in 2022, involved 30 men of normal weight and 26 women of normal weight between the ages of 25 and 55. As part of the twelve-week study, they completed various training programs: Stretching, sprints, strength and endurance training. One study group exercised in the morning before 8:30 am. The other group exercised in the evening between 6 pm and 8 pm. Both groups completed the same one-hour training session and followed a diet plan specially created for the study..1
In order to determine the effect of the training and the times of day on the men and women, the researchers checked the subjects’ blood pressure and body fat at the beginning and end of the study. The scientists also tested the participants’ stretching ability, strength, and endurance at these times.
When should women exercise?
The result of the study: The ideal time to exercise depends on both the training goal and the person’s sex. Women who want to reduce their body fat and lower their blood pressure should exercise in the morning.
Women who want to increase their muscle performance, on the other hand, should do their training sessions in the evening. This time of day is also recommended if the athlete wants to improve her general mood and diet.
Optimal training times for men
For the men who took part in the study, the ideal time of day for training was not quite as clear-cut as for the women. Men do not appear to be as sensitive to the time of day when it comes to sporting results. Their strength improved with both morning and evening training. However, it is beneficial for men to exercise in the evening if they want to improve their heart health and metabolism and burn fat. According to the study, evening exercise is also more effective for emotional well-being than morning exercise.
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Tailoring the time of day for exercise to gender and training goal
With their study, the team led by Dr. Arcercio, a professor at Skidmore College (New York), was able to show that it can be useful to choose the time of day for training depending on whether you want to lose weight or increase your strength, for example. The time of day can, therefore, play a role in optimizing fitness and health results – and in different ways for men and women.
The study cannot answer why there appear to be gender-specific differences. The US scientists explain that further research is needed to find out. At the same time, Dr. Arcercio emphasizes in an interview with the BBC that the “ideal time of day for training” should not be overestimated: “The best time for training is the time that you can take and fit into your schedule.”2 In other words: The important thing is to get moving in the first place. The next step is to find the optimal time of day to improve your sporting results.