Is Morning Exercise better for Women and Evening Exercise better for Men?

(Arciero et al., 2022)

According to the current best research, evening training seems slightly superior for peak performance (Knaier et al., 2022). It’s an important question to raise, does this differ in men and women?

Arciero et al., 2022 a 12-week randomized trial investigated whether resistance, interval, stretching, and endurance exercise affect differently for men and women. The participants were randomly assigned to complete training sessions in the morning between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. (AM exercise) or in the evening between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. (PM exercise). All study outcomes were measured at baseline (week 0) and at the end of the intervention (week 13).

In women, AM exercise reduced total fat mass by extra 3%, abdominal fat mass by 7%, blood pressure by 7%, and increased lower body muscle power by 9% compared to evening exercise. Surprisingly PM exercise improved upper body muscle strength by an extra 7%, upper body muscle power by 29%, and upper body endurance by 15% compared to AM exercise. PM exercise also improved mood and satiety more than AM exercise.

In men, PM exercise increased fat oxidation by an extra 5%, reduced blood pressure by 9%, and fatigue by a whopping 55% compared to AM training. Both AM & PM exercise improved performance and body composition, with no difference between groups.

Caloric intake, macronutrient composition, and meal timing were tightly controlled in this study, so these findings are unlikely influenced by nutrition or other lifestyle factor and are more likely due to training time of the day.

Practical Application:

· There is no significant difference between AM & PM training for men except for fatigue. If you are experiencing a lot of fatigue from training, you can try changing the training time to the evening.

· On the other hand, AM training seems to be better for lower body training, and PM training appears to be better for upper body training and mood for women.

· For an average person (including myself), I wouldn’t worry too much about specific training times. I’d get it done when it’s practical and convenient.

· For professional athletes competing in competitive sports, it’s worth exploring training in optimal training times.

Reference: Arciero PJ, Ives SJ, Mohr AE, Robinson N, Escudero D, Robinson J, Rose K, Minicucci O, O’Brien G, Curran K, Miller VJ, He F, Norton C, Paul M, Sheridan C, Beard S, Centore J, Dudar M, Ehnstrom K, Hoyte D, Mak H, Yarde A. Morning Exercise Reduces Abdominal Fat and Blood Pressure in Women; Evening Exercise Increases Muscular Performance in Women and Lowers Blood Pressure in Men. Front Physiol. 2022 May 31