Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Morning Cardio

I've been doing a lot of reading lately on the "morning" vs "any other time" cardio debate. I do my cardio in the morning only because it's most convenient, and because I have no choice if I'm going to be riding my bike to work. That said, I was interested in knowing if there really is any benefit to the time of day you do it.
I'm still not completely sold on one way or the other, and I have no intentions of changing up my routine anyway. However, this is by far the most informative and fairly unbiased article on the subject I've read.

http://www.leehayward.com/am_cardio.htm

5 comments:

Ripx180 said...

I have read allot of mixed theories on this also and have tried it. The only thing that I have really noticed is I don't have near the energy in the morning with no food in my gut. So I think my workouts are less productive. Makes sense that it would take from current stores rather than food you currently don't have in your system. I haven't noticed a difference on the scale nor the speed that i loose weight in terms of when I exercise (morning or night). I think the key is that you just do it. I think changing your routine frequently is very important as your body becomes very good and efficient at doing something if you do it day in day out for months.

We could have a similiar discussion on HIIT compared to LISS. Some people swear by one or the other. One thing I like about HIIT is you can get your workouts done quicker (if your crunched for time). Plus I think its a better muscle builder.

Find out what works best for you and go for it. As long as you are doing something you steps ahead of most people.

Anonymous said...

My personal opinion is to do what works best for you. I work out in the late morning or afternoon. I just have more energy, I'm ready to get my heart pumping and my workouts are more productive. I've worked out in the morning before and I just don't look forward to it and I'm sluggish throughout my entire routine. I want to enjoy my workouts, otherwise, I won't stick with them.

David said...

+1 on Beck and RipX.

The important thing is not when you exercise but rather if you exercise at all ! Do it whenever you want, but do it !

I like to train on an empty stomach. First thing in the morning feels great to me. But that's just me ! But i wouldn't do a 3-4 hour bike ride on an empty stomach. Well, i've never tried it ... maybe i should ??

billy said...

Yup- i agree with all y'all.

And Brian, you need to add a link to your header image that links to the index.

Jay said...

Agree with everyone, as long as you're doing it, you're doing better than most. I have read some things that extol the virtues of HIIT for fat loss vs LISS, but again, as long as you're doing it, you're doing well.