Showing posts with label evening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label evening. Show all posts

It may seem sometimes like there’s a certain mystery to getting big and lean, but there isn’t. It simply relies on following a set of four rules and you’ll achieve it. You need to be able to simultaneously strip the fat from your body whilst building muscle. If you do it wrong, you’ll wind up tired, sore and unsuccessful. But do it right, and you’ll see the kind of results you’ve been striving for for years. There’s no magic powder or pill that’s going to help you achieve that physique you’ve been desiring for so long, much as marketing companies would love to tell you that there is. Hard work and a set meal plan is the way to go, with a healthy dose of working out in the gym for good measure. You’ll be training ten times in five days with this plan, but you will see results. This method of training twice a day over the course of a working week may seem like overtraining, but that’s what’s required in order to bulk up in such a short space of time. The guidelines you’ll need to follow with this training programme are as such: train one or two body parts twice in the same day; train with low reps and heavy weights in the morning; train to get a pump in the evening, and save at least four hours in between your morning and evening workouts.


Researchers have found that muscle grows from three mechanisms; mechanical tension, metabolic stress and muscle damage. Your morning workouts will account for the mechanical tension to the muscles, then heavy weights on top of this will prime the nervous system for the evening workouts. The evening workouts will deal with the metabolic stress to your muscles, and training twice in the same day will lead to higher levels of muscle damage – those are your three elements. That being said, you still need to let your body recover so you need to sleep for eight hours each day to give your body time to rest. On top of that, you really need to think about what you’re eating. It goes without saying that you’ll need to drink plenty of water to fuel your training sessions, but you also need to ensure that what you’re eating does the same job.


 


Nutrition goes hand in hand with your workouts if you want to reach your goal of a leaner body, so these are some of the rules you need to consider. Don’t eat junk food until after your evening workout – yes, you can still eat it, but keep it to a minimum and save it until you’ve trained. You should also aim to eat protein with every meal if you can. Take 15g of fish oil supplements every day, so keep your organs working effectively and to minimise joint damage. And, as with any healthy diet, you need to eat vegetables with every meal. You should feel full after every meal – don’t stop eating until you do, as you need to replace the energy you’ve burned at the gym. You also need to eat at least three meals every day – a balanced diet requires a certain amount of calories and this is particularly the case if you’re training this hard. These are simple guidelines, so they’re easy to follow, but they’re also appealing. Junk food, regular meals and a healthy dose of protein keeps your appetite at bay and fuels your body for lots of training.

Everyone has their own fitness regime; some people are up and running by 5.30am while others prefer to end their day that way. But which time of day is best for weight loss and general fitness? Let’s break it down by pros and cons, so you can see which time of day is best for you.


 


1. Early risers: Some people say they’re “morning people” but it’s difficult to stretch your brain around that concept. Getting up in time for work is often a struggle for most of us; rising an hour earlier? For exercise?! Surely that’s impossible. Once you do drag yourself out of bed, you then have another hurdle to overcome; exercising on a totally empty stomach. Still there is a reason why people do their workout first thing in the morning, so let’s investigate a few pros and cons of morning exercise before we write it off altogether.


 


The pros include:


  • Your metabolism will be off to a flying start for burning extra calories all day long.

  • Your depleted glycogen stores will encourage your body to burn more fat for energy.

  • Your endorphin boost will help to stimulate you and cheer you up for the whole day.

  • The lack of distractions or hot weather in the morning will help you to focus on your workout.

  • You actually create time for exercise, instead of leaving it for later.

  • You’ll have more energy and mental power throughout the day.

  • There will be less air pollution in the morning.

  • You won’t have to wait for gym equipment.

 


Aside from the cons already mentioned, morning exercise can also:


  • Force you to exercise when you’re energy levels are low.

  • Cause injuries because you’re working out with cold, stiff muscles.

  • Use muscle as a fuel source because you haven’t eaten.

  • Increase your risk for a heart attack, as research suggests.

 


2. Afternoon Delight: According to research, the afternoon is, from a physiological perspective, the ideal time to exercise. However, there are still pros and cons to consider. Let’s start on a positive note with the pros:


 


  • Your body temperature, muscles and circadian rhythms are at their optimum at this time, which will enhance your performance.

  • You’re less likely to be injured as your muscles are warm and you’re more alert.

  • You can work off the stress that your body has accumulated during the day.

  • You’re less likely to perceive exercise as difficult, according to research.

  • It’s more convenient to workout on your lunch break or find a fitness buddy.

  • You’re less likely to overeat at lunch and dinner, which will help your weight loss wellness.

 


Afternoon exercise cons include:


  • The time limits of your daily routine may not allow for a full workout.

  • Distractions and other commitments get in the way of you exercising at all.

  • If working out at noon, this is when your lung function is at its worst, which could threaten your wellbeing if you’re doing hardcore aerobic exercises.

  • The gym will be packed after work, so you may have to wait for equipment and there may be a 20-minute time limit once you get it.

 


3. Night Owls: You may not want to spent your peak telly time on the treadmill or hitting the pavement, but some research studies have shown that your lung function, body rhythms, temperature and hormone levels are at their best for exercise around 6pm. Yet, as with any time of day, there are pros and cons.


 


Pros include:


  • Warm and flexible muscles.

  • Regulation of how much you eat for dinner

  • Fewer distractions than in the afternoon.

  • Fewer people around in the gym.

  • A great way to turn your brain off after a long stressful day.

  • Relaxation and a better night’s sleep.

 


However, consider the cons:


  • The evening is when social events often happen.

  • If the exercise energises you it may make sleeping more difficult.

  • The night is more dangerous than exercising outdoors during daylight hours.

  • You won’t enjoy the “after-burn” effect as your metabolism drops when you sleep.