Many people often wonder if exercising during the day or at night yields better results. According to nutrition medicine expert Liu Bo-ren (Taiwan, China), studies show that the peak time for muscle strength varies significantly among individuals.
Notably, individuals who trained during their "optimal time" did not achieve superior improvements in strength, grip strength, or lean limb mass compared to those who trained when their bodies were weakest. Therefore, instead of overly concerning oneself with the exact timing, the core message is to find a suitable period to maintain a consistent and long-term exercise habit.
Doctor Liu Bo-ren shared on his personal page that a recent randomized controlled trial, published in the *Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle*, delved into the relationship between exercise timing and muscle strength performance.
The study recruited 108 adults aged 60 to 80. Instead of rigidly dictating morning or evening exercise, the research team tested the volunteers' muscle strength at four time points: 8 AM, 12 PM, 4 PM, and 8 PM, to determine each individual's "strongest" and "weakest" times of the day. Overall results indicated that peak strength typically occurred in the afternoon and evening, but individual variations were significant.
The volunteers were then randomly divided into three groups: one group specialized in exercising during their optimal physical performance time; one group exercised during their weakest physical performance time; and a control group that did not participate in any training.
The intervention lasted 12 weeks, featuring two full-body resistance training sessions per week (including leg press, chest press, deadlifts, rowing, and squats), combined with an additional one session of moderate-intensity aerobic cycling for 30 minutes.
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People walk and exercise along the Han River, Da Nang. *Photo: Nguyen Dong* |
Initially, researchers hypothesized that the group exercising at their "optimal time" would achieve superior muscle growth and strength. However, after 12 weeks, comparative indicators of muscle strength, grip strength, and lean limb tissue mass showed that this group did not receive significantly greater benefits than the group that had to train during their weakest physical performance time. This implies that there is no need to painstakingly search for a "perfect time" only to delay or miss workouts.
Doctor Liu Bo-ren advises exercisers not to be overly rigid about timing: if one feels refreshed in the morning, they should exercise in the morning; if busy during the day and only free in the evening, exercising then is still completely effective.
Nevertheless, this study was conducted only on healthy individuals aged 60 to 80 over a 12-week period, so its findings cannot be universally applied to all age groups, individuals with underlying health conditions, or professional athletes. For athletes with fixed competition schedules, training times need more detailed calculation; however, for most people, the most important key remains choosing a time that helps maintain consistent daily exercise discipline.
My Y (According to Yahoo TW)
