What is the right time to do cardio and strength training exercises?
Cardio vs Weight training
An ideal workout routine should comprise both cardio as well as strength training exercises. Where cardio exercises help to strengthen your heart muscles and lower blood pressure, strength training exercises are excellent for strengthening bones and toning muscles. For staying healthy it is recommended to engage in any kind of physical activity for 30 to 40 minutes every day, whether you choose to do it in the morning or the evening. But there is an old age debate as per which performing cardio in the morning and lifting weight in the evening can help you achieve your fitness goal faster. Here in this article, we tried to find out the truth behind this claim.
Cardio in the morning
Cardio exercises are preferred in the morning over stern exercises like weight lifting. This is because of the way our internal body clock works. When you wake up in the morning after resting for 7-8 hours then cardio seems better as it is less strenuous as compared to weight lifting. The chances of getting injured in the morning while pumping iron might be a little higher. Cardio also instantly lifts your mood and energises you which can help you manage your day quite nicely.
Weight lifting in the evening
For weight lifting generally, the evening is preferred as our body temperature is normal. However, this might not be the case for all. It all depends from person to person. Some people prefer to do weight training even in the afternoon.
As per research, weight training in the evening might be the best option. This is because of the functioning of two hormones, which are believed to play an important role in muscle building: Cortisol and Testosterone.
Cortisol, apart from other things it contributes to, also helps to regulate blood sugar level by breaking down muscle tissue when required. This process is called catabolism. On the other hand, testosterone helps to build muscle by utilising protein, which is referred to as anabolism. The level of both cortisol and testosterone are highest in the morning, while the level of cortisol drops by the evening.
The study suggests that the ratio of testosterone to cortisol is highest in the evening, which might be beneficial in building muscle.
The bottom line
When it comes to timing, all of us have our comfort zones. Some prefer to workout in the morning, while others find the evening more convenient. It seems fair as we all have different sleeping and waking routines. We mostly prefer to plan our work out according to that daily schedule. Though there are proofs that back the theory of exercise timing, yet the picture is not very clear. All we can say is exercise whenever you find the time. Do not forget to warm-up and cool down before and after exercising and fuel yourself properly.