The best training time for your goals

Several studies have been published in recent months on the best training time, with the most surprising results. Whether you train in the morning, at noon, in the evening, or whenever it suits you, it has different effects on your success. Here is everything you need to know:

Training is always good

The most important thing first: Any training that matches your abilities is right for you. And this is independent of the time of exercise. However, new studies come to surprising results. Depending on your fitness goals, the timing of the activity plays a unique role. Here are the results:

• A study published in the journal Cell concludes that morning training has the most significant influence on glucose metabolism and fat burning. The scientists believe that a protein called HIF1-alpha is responsible for this. It influences the circadian rhythm.

• Another study published in the Journal of Obesity has shown that people who exercise in the morning lose weight significantly faster than those who exercise in the afternoon. The stress hormone cortisol is responsible for this. It helps to burn fat. Our body shows considerably higher values in the morning. In the evening, the body produces less cortisol, which puts the body more in the carbohydrate burning mode.

When is the best training time for you?

If you want to lose weight or want to keep physically fit, a morning workout has its advantages. If you are performance-oriented and want to improve, an evening workout is more effective. The body uses less oxygen. That allows you to train longer and more intensively.

Noon is the worst time for training

So-called chronobiologists have been able to show that every cell also has an internal clock. They organize our organs’ shift work and take care that food is sorted and utilized at fixed times. They even decide when we are incredibly fit for the fitness program. According to a British study, performance fluctuates by up to 26 percent in the day. The weakest performance is at lunchtime between 12 and 14 o’clock.