Best time of day to lift
 

Hey all,

I was reading through the Starting Strength FAQ and noticed this statement:

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Question - Should I work out in the morning, in the afternoon or the evening?

This is going to vary from person to person. There is a bit of evidence that suggests weight training is ideal in the later morning/early afternoon timeframe, especially for adults in their 30s or older, but I would worry less about this and more about what works better for you. Some people train best on a stomach without much food, others train best with several meals in their bellies. You need to find out what works in with your time schedule and your meal planning best.

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My question in regard to this is if anyone knows of or can refer me to the material that shows some advantage to a later in the day advantage for the over 30 crowd (I'm 31). Obviously its not a huge factor but I currently work out in the early AM on my way into work, but I can easily shift to mid day.

Thanks,
VR

Re: Best time of day to lift
 

There's some basic research that shows it takes a while for your CNS to "warm up" and your stronger on average later in the day. I'd imagine that other things affect this much much more and to not really stress. This is an excellent example of the minutiae that I always think about but ignore big things... Like how I'm gonna get hungry enough to eat 3k calories today :/

Re: Best time of day to lift
 

Thremp,

Definitely agree it is minutiae. Just curious and wanted to see if anyone could direct towards on any reading on this. Dont have any suggestions on your 3k calories problem though. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] Back in the days when I was trying to bulk I remember that eating became a chore pretty quick. It definitely sucks.

Re: Best time of day to lift
 

vulture,

I was there... and effed up my diet through binge drinking (std) and now and trying to work back up to eat without nasty bloating. Back to drinking glasses of whole milk and juice and less salad. HYACHAHCHACHAHCHACHA

But yeah I think afternoon is typically better. I'd gauge it more on how you feel. I typically wake up at noon and try to workout soon after waking.

Re: Best time of day to lift
 

I lift at 630 am daily. My buddy says it's not a great time to lift - in fact he said it was the absolute worst time to lift. He also lifts like a little bitch and screams when he benches 135 lbs. I would be embarrassed to lift with him.

So do whatever works for you. I do just fine right after waking up, but I also drink some NOeXplode, so it's like doing coke at 6 am.

Re: Best time of day to lift
 

I've read from several sources that lifting within an hour of waking up in the morning is not a good idea for most people, especially with heavy movements and/or movements concentrating stress on the spine.

Your spine fills with fluid overnight and it takes a while for it to drain in the morning. If fluid is still in the spine when you apply stress in the form of lifting, the localized stress in the spine is heightened.

Re: Best time of day to lift
 

Thrmep - "How am I going to get hungry enough to eat 3k calories today."

Damn midgets!

I count it a good day if I eat _less_ than 3k calories when trying to get lean. Perhaps I'll just say [censored] it all and make my goal to become powerlifter big.

Re: Best time of day to lift
 

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I lift at 630 am daily. My buddy says it's not a great time to lift - in fact he said it was the absolute worst time to lift.

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I'd say lifting right before bed would probably be a worse idea. For different reasons though, I bet.

Re: Best time of day to lift
 

I always feel better in the evening, but I cant tell that I am stronger when lifting in morning or evening. I dont think it really matters.

It should be based on what time of the day are you more likely to stick with going to the gym.

If you are missing at night because you always want to do other stuff, go in the morning.

Re: Best time of day to lift
 

I always go at the end of my "work" day, so usually once class is out mid-afternoon. This also results in a huge postworkout crash. meh