Mr. Fitness Man

With potential benefits ranging from stronger bones and mobile joints to improved mood and cardiovascular function, it makes complete sense that you would want to build muscle. But while you know that strength training helps us achieve new gains, you might struggle with when the optimal time is to power through a session.

Is it better to drag yourself to the gym before sunrise to get maximize gains, or is it better to work out in the afternoon or evening when you’re well-rested and not hungry?

Good news for early birds and night owls alike: As far as developing muscle hypertrophy is concerned, the time of day that you strength train isn’t nearly as important as how often you do it and how prepared you are to work hard. The key to getting stronger and building muscle is to train consistently across your lifespan. With that, there is no such thing as the right or wrong time to work out.

However, there are times that will work better (or worse) for you, it depends on your personal preferences, work schedule, childcare needs and access, and more. In this post I will share the pros and cons of lifting in the morning, afternoon, and evening, so you can determine what is best for you. Plus, I will share other tips to help with maximizing your gains.

When push comes to shove, timing is nothing compared to how you’re training—and how often. Whether you work out in the morning, at lunch, or in the evening, the muscle-building benefits will be the same so long as you’re lifting consistently and with an adequate load, and ideally, progressive overload lifting heavier and heavier over time. This style of training involves continuously moving the goal in the name of strength gains, you need to continuously increase the intensity of your workout by moving faster, lifting heavy, doing more reps, or increasing time under tension by slowing down each rep.

For 99 percent of people, the best time to work out is whenever you can do it. But for those who do have the luxury of choosing their ideal workout window, late morning comes out on top. Why? It sidesteps some of the key drawbacks of early a.m. and late p.m. sessions.

Sure, rolling straight from your bed to the barbell practically guarantees you won’t skip your session—but there are a few physiological quirks that could be working against you:

• Dehydration: “You naturally lose so much water while sleeping through breathing and respiration, so most people wake up at least mildly dehydrated. Even if you down a shaker on your way to the gym, your muscles likely aren’t fully replenished. Dehydration reduces performance and can increase your risk of injury because tissues are less supple when underhydrated.

• High cortisol: Thanks to your circadian rhythm cortisol (your stress hormone) is already peaking first thing in the morning. Add a cortisol-spiking strength session on top—especially if you’re chronically stressed—and your body may have a harder time reaping the benefits of that workout, Research has shown that excess stress undermines the benefits of exercise. If that’s you, consider starting your day with something gentler like walking or yoga then save strength training for later.
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Fasting: Early rising gym rats often face a tricky dilemma: eat before your workout and risk GI issues, or train fasted and risk feeling flat. Exercising on an empty stomach can mean you’re low on fuel, which may impact performance, especially during high-intensity or heavy lifting sessions. That said, some people can tolerate fasted training just fine, particularly if they’ve had a carb-heavy dinner the night before. But if you’re dragging, dizzy, or struggling to push yourself, lack of food might be to blame. A small snack—like a banana or a protein shake could help.

Why Evening Training Isn’t Perfect Either

Evening sessions dodge some morning pitfalls—you’re hydrated, fed, and fully awake—but they have their own drawbacks.

• Sleep interference: Lifting activates your nervous system and spikes cortisol. So, if your workout ends less than three hours before bed, it might leave you too wired to fall asleep easily.
• Meal timing misfires: You’ll also have to navigate lunch and dinner like a tightrope. If too much time has passed since lunch, you may not have the energy to power through a workout. But eat a big plate right before piling on weight plates, and your stomach likely won’t be happy with you either.

The Late Morning Sweet Spot

All that said, a late morning workout in my opinion is the sweet spot.

• You’ve had time to hydrate, fuel, and caffeinate.
  
  
• Cortisol is trending down, but your energy’s still up.
  
  
• You’ve likely moved around a bit already, so you’re not as stiff.
  
  
• And best of all? You get your workout in before the chaos of the day has a chance to derail it.

It’s a great time to train because you’re not up against the body’s internal clock or daily fatigue, plus, you don’t have to gear up for a tough lift after a long, mentally or physically exhausting day.

What factors influence how much muscle you build?

While training time can play a minor supporting role, the real ingredients of muscle growth are your workout quality, consistency, sleep, and nutrition. Nail those four, and you’ll build strength no matter when you hit the gym.

So, what’s the best time for you to work out and build muscle?

The honest answer? It depends on you. To recap, the most important variables for muscle growth are:

• A smart training plan
• Consistency
• Solid nutrition
• Enough sleep

Not the time of day you lift.

To choose the right time for you, consider when those other factors align best in your life. If you’re a new mom running on fumes, dragging yourself to lift before sunrise may backfire. But if evening workouts leave you skipping dinner, skimping on sleep, or choosing happy hour over hypertrophy? A morning lift might be smarter.

And if your schedule changes every day and you lift whenever you can squeeze it in? That’s okay, too, because consistency wins over perfection.

It’s simple, the best time to strength train is whenever you can.”