I'm sure you've heard the old saying "It's best to workout in the morning before breakfast". That saying loosely translates to "wake up early in the A.M., go for a run, or lift weights, or do bodyweight stuff - whatever your poison, imbibe it early in the morning - and THEN start your day".
Many athletes and professional sportsmen follow a similar sort of routine. For instance, a boxer will often do his roadwork early in the morning, waking up as early as 4A.M. or so to run, then eat, and then commence with the rest of this day (which of course is mostly occupied with exercise).
And many regular folks do just the same thing - and it works great for them.
But the question I'd like to address today is whether this dictum, passed down from the ages, is really the best fit as far as most regular (and by that I mean people who don't exercise/play sports/lift weights etc for a living) are concerned?
My answer would be - well, it depends.
First off, there's nothing at all wrong per se with most of these "golden nuggets" that have been passed down through the ages - most are backed up by sound logic, results and experience - and I have no beef with that at all.
But the thing is, in this case, the old saying neglected to take the modern way of life into account.
For instance, does a person working night shifts (which weren't all that common even 70 to 80 years ago but are now - you can thank the Internet and many other modern gadgets for that) really do better working out tired after working all night, or in the afternoon after a restful sleep?
Do folks that aren't "morning people" do that well exercising in the morning?
The answer to both of these, is either "probably not", or (and a better answer), "it all depends".
My own routine is probably not what is commonly touted as ideal - I usually wake up around 10AM these days, and get my workout done a bit after that.
I'm usually late to bed as well - it's not unusual at all to find me up working until 2, or even 3AM at times. And funny part is, it actually seems to work pretty well for me. And this isn't that uncommon at all, especially for folks with a variable work schedule, or that are self-employed.
I started my workout this morning at around noon, and finished around 1:30 - LONG workout by my standards, but also a satisfying one - and again, contrary to popular opinion, I had nothing to eat before that.
But, that type of thing has been working for me, and one can't argue with results.
So, my initial answer on this stands - it ALL DEPENDS. Don't get too hung up about WHEN you exercise - just make sure you DO it.
If that means going for a run at 3:30 A.M., then by all means do that.
If it means waking up at 6 to hit those 250 daily pushups hard, then go for it!
If it means climbing a hill at noon (which I've done before) because that's really the only time you have in the day, then steel yourself, and DO it.
So long as you make time to exercise, your body won't care - it will reward you for it anyway. And thats really the only thing you should keep in mind on this one.
And thats it for today - see you again soon! If you work out today - or tonight - make it an awesome one!!
Best Regards,
Rahul
PS: Fast and Furious routines can be completed at any time of the day - so don't let that be an excuse to put off what you really shouldn't be putting off any longer:- http://rahulmookerjee.com/index.php/articles/83-fast-and-furious-fitness-the-book