Is Weight Training In The Morning More Beneficial For Muscle Gain?
A frequently asked bodybuilding question revolves around the best time to train, with many wondering if early weight lifting workout sessions are superior for muscle gains. In fact, many bodybuilders make the effort to wake up earlier so that they can perform their weight lifting session, feeling that doing so is the best method for consistent muscle building. Yet, is this truly the case? The answer is not as obvious as some may believe.
One of the most important bodybuilding concepts for achieving maximum muscle size increase is intensity, meaning that full effort must take place throughout every weight lifting set (except warm ups), and this principle involves disciplined mental focus that will dictate the type of overall muscle growth. In order for a weight lifting session to provide a brutally intense level of output and focus, the bodybuilder must physically and mentally feel energized to engage in the given weight lifting session, and this very factor must determine when a bodybuilder best plans a weight lifting session for sustained muscle growth.
Many are wise in scheduling weight lifting workouts during early morning hours, as they either experience their greatest energy surge upon awakening, and feel inspired to engage in a weight lifting session at that time, or, due to hectic work and family commitments, cannot possibly schedule a weight training workout session at a time other than the early morning hours, prior to beginning many personal obligations, therefore forcing such an undertaking. But many who attempt to pursue morning weight lifting workout sessions despite having the time to train later in the day must analyze their own emotional and biological response to stress, and if they sense that early weight lifting allows them to provide the same level of mental focus and physical intensity as an afternoon or evening weight training workout, then they may maintain such a practice, but if a bodybuilder senses a surge in energy and motivation during later hours, far beyond what is noted earlier, then clearly, schedule permitting, the most advantageous time for that particular individual to perform a weight lifting workout is in the later hours, when he or she is capable of focusing maximum physical and mental effort towards intense weight lifting.
One other variable that must be considered is whether a particular weight lifting time allows for improved consistency, as some who pursue early morning weight lifting may find that on some days, due to fatigue, they sleep later, and begin skipping workout sessions due to lack of motivation. The bodybuilder must then determine if moving the weight lifting workout later in the day is possible given potential scheduling conflicts, and if doing so is realistic, then this will be the best choice to help with consistency.
Although weight lifting at different times each day is valid, and can work well if a bodybuilder is extremely disciplined, most weight lifters will find that performing their workout sessions at similar times each day increases the chance of long term consistency, as scheduling, a critical element in keeping humans on task, can force a bodybuilder into regular weight lifting workouts through eventual habit, while to the contrary, regularly restructuring weight lifting workout times can easily encourage a bodybuilder to abandon workout sessions without experiencing any sense of remorse.
Although scheduling weight lifting workout sessions at the same time each day is preferred, those with a variety of work shifts may have no choice but to perform workout sessions at changing times based on their unpredictable work schedule, yet it's best to try and plan ahead as far as possible to determine when those workout times will be so that, mentally, you develop a sense of accountability towards meeting weight training obligations. This is superior to the haphazard method that many bodybuilders adopt, which normally results in excuses for missed workouts.
The key in producing maximum muscle building is to choose a time in the day when physical energy is at high levels, and I recommend consistently staying with this same weight training schedule if work and family obligations allow. Although there is no best period during the day to perform a weight training workout that fits every bodybuilder, as this will depend upon personal schedules, clearly, the most important criteria in deciding when to schedule a workout will be to choose a time when maximum physical and mental effort is possible, which will increase the chance for an intense, productive weight lifting experience.
Francesco Castano authors the www.MuscleNOW.com web site, which is a diet and weight training program teaching the exact techniques for muscle building without supplements or drugs. He also owns the www.FatVanish.com site, teaching exactly how to lose fat without supplements.
www.MuscleNOW.com
