does anyone know if there is a benefit to working out in the morning vs evening or vice versa?

that's kinda what i thought...i generally do it at night but this morning i was up bright and early and did my workout...what benefits does it have during the day?

I also prefer mornings because exercise usually has the effect of decreasing your appetite, it starts up your metabolism and you get the lasting burn effect all day if you lift and do cardio. However, having said that, MOST experts I've read say the best time is WHEN IT WORKS FOR YOU and you can do it consistantly. If I put it off until evening, I just find too many reasons to not exercise, but if it works for you to work out after work, then do it. I think Nike said it best! Just DO IT! HAHA.

I do mine after work. If I plan for mornings I will find too many excuses why I cant do it or had to cut it short. I slept in too late.

too sweaty before work...Tons of excuses

I bring my clothes to work and directly after work I go work out. THEN go home.

I prefer afternoons, usually between 6 and 8....that way its not so hot and I still have time to chill out before bed...

Oh yeah, and I don't do anything quickly in the morning...takes me till noon to get anything done for my groggy butt :rolleyes2:

I prefer the evenings so I know how many calories I need to burn to reach my daily goal, Ialso workout watching tv and the best shows come on at 7-9pm

I have a Body Bugg and I burn more calories on the days that I work out in the morning. Your metabolism revs up and burns more. Of course, the important thing is to do it so find the time that works best and stick to it.

well i hope it does something for my metabolism because it sure didn't give me energy today! i went to bed at almost 11 and got up at 445 so i'm thinking i just didn't allow myself enough time to sleep...i was tired this morning but i know i'll have to force myself out of bed the first few mornings. I was pretty tired all day at work and it seemed like i got hungry faster today. i had to have a protein bar inbetween bfast and lunch but now i seem to be ok. Thanks for your input!

After leaving Sales & moving to the country - I now can only workout in the AM, or for me it just doesn't happen.

I'm up by 4'ish most mornings & after coffee / Breakfast - I head out to the gym. If I don't take that hr or so to myself - I get caught up on ranch life / animals / or DH when he's not traveling...and ignore myself - which led to the weight gain (taking care of everyone but me).

I prefer the morning because I come home and feel like a million bucks - have much more energy throughout the day. When I was working out after work, I found myself having issues getting to bed at a normal hour because I was so "pumped"....I'll go for the occassional walk in the evenings; but the hard stuff takes place before lunch.

I think when you can and will do it is the perfect time.

For me personally, when I have busy times like full time teaching rounds, I get up early and do it, because it wont get done otherwise. But normally, I like early evening, about 5 or 6pm, I have LOADS of energy then, I really really enjoy it and then I can just veg out afterwards. If I do it in the morning, I am tired (as in having missed an hour and a half of sleep tired) all day and often find myself wanting to nap in the afternoon, lol.

ok...i posted a few hours ago saying i thought finally i was full...however i'm not...apparently..i lie! i just had dinner...i made scrambled eggs with some turkey peporoni (yum by the way!)...so today i've had about 850 calories. my workout this morning was 3.5 miles on the bike and 2 miles on the treadmill and then some free weights. did i not eat enough? i generally do more at night but this morning i ran out of time and when i work out at night i'm not hungry at all! my stomach will not stop growling!

when i was involved w/ bodybuilding i was instructed that cardio was best when you wake, before you eat anything. that way you are burning fat, not anything you've already eaten in the day. and as stated above, that gets your metabolism going for the day and makes burning calories easier throughout the day. i wish i was a morning person and/or didn't have problems going to sleep so that i could do this.

I'm not sure of the benefits but I prefer mornings because I have more energy in the morning and am more likely to skip the gym in the evening.

I do both. What I have found, for me, is that I prefer to do cardio in the morning so I can get it out of the way. Just have my bag ready before I go to bed, get up in the morning, out the door and in the gym at 0500 when they open. I do this 7 mornings a week.

Then, I've found, I prefer to lift in the evenings. I am more awake and can concentrate on my form better. So, after I'm done in the morning, I leave the bag in the locker, head to work. After work, it is just the opposite of the morning. Back to the gym, lift for about 40 minutes 4 nights a week and back home. Makes for long days, but worth the effort I put in. Every 6 wks I take one week off from lifting to recoup and re energize.

holy cow! i wish i had the time to do that. for what ever reason i decided to go back to school for a 2nd degree so i don't have much "extra" time...that's kinda why i switched to the mornings...evenings are usually jam packed between working too many hours...going to class and too much darn homework! I love the way exercising makes me feel and hopefully someday i'll be able to dedicate more time to it.