As a martial artist, the age-old debate of morning vs. evening training has probably crossed your mind a few times. Some martial artists swear it’s better to train early in the morning and go about your day, while others believe you should save training for after you’ve completed your daily activities to destress.
This article will explore the benefits of morning training vs. evening training to help you determine what works best for you. Spoiler alert: there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for everyone. It ultimately comes down to your goals, schedule, and body clock.
The Time-Of-Day Dilemma
Have you ever noticed that some people can roll out of bed, run five kilometers, and still have energy to spare? Meanwhile, others need three cups of coffee in the morning just to be able to string a sentence together.
These differences result from everyone having their own unique circadian rhythm—your body’s internal clock. Your internal clock determines your energy levels, strength, and flexibility throughout the day.
Understanding how your body’s rhythm works can help you decide whether morning or evening training is optimal for you.
Breaking Down Morning And Evening Training
Let’s examine some of the benefits of morning and evening training to get a clear idea of the differences.
1) Morning Training
Pros:
- Start The Day Strong: Training in the morning sets a positive tone for the rest of the day. You’ll enjoy feelings of accomplishment before most people have their first cup of coffee.
- Fewer Distractions: You are less likely to be interrupted during morning training sessions since most people are just starting their day. For example, it’s improbable that you have a work emergency at 6 a.m. when you typically don’t start your workday until 9 a.m.
- Increased Metabolism: Exercising early in the morning kickstarts your metabolism, meaning your body burns more calories during the rest of the day than it would on days you don’t work out in the morning. Research suggests that morning workouts help to improve fat oxidation.
Cons:
- Muscle Stiffness: Your body temperature is lower in the morning, making your muscles stiffer. As a result, you’ll need to spend more time warming up for morning training sessions than evenings.
- Low Energy: You might have difficulty finding motivation for morning workouts if you’re not a morning person. The first few sessions are often the most challenging, but your body will eventually get used to it.
- Potentially Compromises Sleep Quality: Training martial arts in the morning sometimes requires less sleep. The easy solution is to go to bed early enough so you can still get eight hours of sleep daily!
- Not Always For Heavy Lifting: Your strength often peaks later in the day, so you might not perform at your best during morning sessions.
2) Evening Training
Pros:
- Peak Performance: Your body is naturally warmer and more limber in the evenings, which can lead to improved performance in the gym.
- Stress Relief: Working out in the evening is an excellent way to blow off steam after a long day. Activities like Muay Thai training can serve as destructive therapy where you take out your frustration on inanimate objects like heavy bags in a safe environment.
- More Social Atmosphere: Evening martial arts classes tend to attract more students, and people are generally more social in the evenings. People who work out in the morning tend to be highly focused on their training.
Cons:
- Competing Priorities: Evening training sessions often compete with work deadlines, family obligations, or social plans. Adults typically work in the morning while children are at school, leaving us with evenings for most social events.
- Could Interfere With Sleep: High-intensity training sessions too close to bedtime might leave you tossing and turning instead of catching Z’s.
- Fatigue Factor: Your energy – and motivation reserves – might be running on fumes after a full day, impacting your desire to train, focus, and form. You’re more likely to skip training sessions when you mostly train in the evenings.
Choosing The Best Time For Your Goals
Now that we’ve gone over the benefits and disadvantages of morning training vs. evening training, here’s a cheat sheet that will help you figure out which is best for you:
1) Goal 1: Lose Weight Or Improve Your Cardio
Morning training sessions might be your best bet if weight loss or improving your cardiovascular endurance is your primary goal. Fasting cardio, training before eating, is popular among people looking to burn fat. Slow, steady cardio, like running, burns more fat when your body is fasting. Consider diet plans like intermittent fasting to force your body to tap into fat stores when performing cardio exercises.
2) Goal 2: Increase Strength Or Muscle Mass
Evening training sessions might be your best option if your goal is to become stronger or gain more muscle. Your levels of hormones like testosterone peak later in the day, making it a better time for strength workouts.
This doesn’t mean you can’t build muscle mass in the mornings. Like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, many have built incredible physique training only in the early mornings.
3) Goal 3: Relieve Stress Or Unwind
Evening workouts offer a mental reset after a long day at work. You can channel stress into something productive, like improving your roundhouse kick technique while firing off at a heavy bag.
4) Goal 4: Consistency
The best time to train is the time you can consistently stick to. Some would argue that morning training is best for consistency since you get your workout done before many people get out of bed, so distractions are rare.
However, training in the morning might cut into your sleeping time or not align with your work schedule, so the main thing is to pick a time slot that suits your lifestyle so you rarely miss any sessions.
Finding Your Ideal Balance
Training at different times of the day offers various benefits. Morning sessions can sharpen your focus and give you a sense of accomplishment that lasts the entire day, while evening classes give you a productive way to unwind at the end of your workday.
Ready to put your training plans into action? Evolve MMA has complimentary Muay Thai, BJJ, and Boxing classes in the mornings and evenings. Check out our class schedule and give both a try to determine what works best for you.
Book your complimentary trial class with our World Champions below!
If you have any other questions regarding Evolve MMA and the programs we offer, you can get in touch with our membership executives at the following locations:
Evolve MMA (Far East Square)
26 China Street
Far East Square #01-01
Singapore 049568
Phone: (65) 6536 4525
Evolve MMA (Orchard Central)
181 Orchard Road
#06-01 Orchard Central
Singapore 238896
Phone: (65) 6536 4556
Evolve MMA (KINEX)
11 Tanjong Katong Road
#02-52 KINEX
Singapore 437157
Phone: (65) 6288 2293
Evolve MMA (Star Vista)
1 Vista Exchange Green
#02-26A The Star Vista
Singapore 138617
Phone: (65) 6539 9590
