7 am vs 7 pm: which is the preferred time to workout?
There are two types of people in this world. Early birds and night owls. Two distinct types of people, and their internal clocks affect their daily lives. I myself am I night owl, and have to drum up enough discipline to not let my mind completely wander and watch movies til 4am. Other people are in bed by 9pm and up at 5am.
I’ve personally never understood the whole worshiping of the early bird, but the old adage the early bird gets the worm does hold some weight.
People like Mark Wahlberg or Mike O’Hearn that get up at 3am are absolute weirdos. Ya, you’re up super early, but you went to bed at 7? I bet you’re a ton of fun…
Being a night owl is like being a pot head. It’s easy to go with the, “they’re lazy and never get anything done” cliché. Nowadays some of the most successful people are potheads. Seth Rogen, Joe Rogan, Brad Pitt, Eddie Murphy, all your favourite pro athletes, and the list goes on.
You can be a person that stays up all night pondering non sense, watching too many Alex Jones videos, and not getting anything done. This decision sabotages your next day to because it forces you to either sleep in late or run off less rest than you need. That definitely is an option and a lot of people do that.
Or, you can be someone who likes to work in the silence and seclusion the night sky provides. My point is, the early bird or the night owl doesn’t really matter. The move is to figure out what times your body and mind work best, and go from there. That being said, let’s see what your workout time says about you.
7am: Early Bird
7am: Early BirdThis person’s a try hard. They’re getting up before their alarm goes off, watching some David Goggins, and running through a wall. They’re determined to make the day. Their feet hit the floor and the devil runs. The coffees ready, the outfit laid out the night before, and they’ve already done a morning mediation and read 100 pages from some super intense book. They go to bed at the same time every night, and rise at the same time every morning. Revolutions.
They sip their coffee and lemon infused water on the way to the gym, and listen to an audio book or in depth podcast. They arrive at the gym ready to conquer. They’re probably fasted and working out on an empty stomach because why not? This person’s a machine, and machines don’t need food.
They do a quick jog, followed by hitting the weights. Super sets of course, lot of reps, really getting the pump and heart rate going. They finish with some core and probably more cardio because why not. They may even ride their bike home or to work. This person gets ahead of the day. They eat the frog. They arrive places early and are ready for anything.
They’re a low carb, low sugar person, but likely high caffeine. They even plan their cheat meals (meals not days) and stick to it. Amazing. Most likely they’ve suffered some intense emotional damage or loss by something in their past and refuse to give in and ever be a loser ever again. Stay hard!!
7pm: Night Owl
This person plays with fire. They’re living dangerously. They finish their normal work day, and expect to muster up enough energy/pre workout high to leave their house again and crush weights at their local pump palace. 7pm turns to 8pm turns to 9pm and before you know it, you’re making Pillsbury cookies and firing up Netflix. This can and has happened…… trust me I know.
Going to the gym anytime past 7 pretty much guarantees you’ll be up all night. The combination of pre workout and endorphins adds a few hours of jitters and energy that you won’t be able to defeat, and get to sleep. 7pm is the last window to get a workout in before sabotaging your night. It’s a good time to go to the gym because the after work rush has left, but there’s still a solid amount of talent in the gym for motivation. And by talent, I mean chicks wearing Lulu’s and Gym Shark gear. Every day is leg day if you’re a gym girl.
I personally love the 7pm workout because it gives me time to eat and digest food all day, so my workouts are much better because I have more strength and energy behind them. I don’t mentally wake up for the first 2 hours I’m awake, (not a coffee guy) so anytime I’ve tried to work out in the morning, the workouts have been absolute dog shit. If you avoid the pitfalls of bailing on the 7pm workout, it can really be the crowning achievement of a day well lived.
If you eat like shit all day, do a physical job, and expect to rip yourself off the couch once you’re comfortable at home, it probably won’t happen for you. Once again, matching your workout with your lifestyle and preferences is huge. The 7pm workout is something I look forward to all day. I like to get as much of my shit done during the day as possible, and have that time to myself at night. It’s my form of meditation.
After my 7pm workout, I come home to shower, eat, and enjoy whatever videos or movies I want before bed because I’ve earned it. All my productive shit for the day is done and I capped it off with a great workout. Day well lived. That being said, I wrote this article after a 7pm workout because I did other stuff during the day. The gym can be a great buffer and mental release. It works as a reset that can make things clearer. You come back invigorated and raring to get one more thing done off your daily checklist before landing the plane.
At the end of the day, find what works for you and do it. For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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