Is morning exercise better for us?
#26
Senior Member
For many years on this forum there's been a relatively constant message that burning a higher proportion of fat during moderate effort cycling will make you a faster cyclist over a long course. Chapple wrote a whole book about it. While many riders suggest that your percentage of fat burned will increase no matter what if you ride enough. there's always been a suggestion that going out fasted for a couple hours will get you the most progress in the least time. I think both those things are true. The study in the OP confirms that latter to my satisfaction, though I think the bump would have been even larger had the ride been for 2 hours. I've found that 2 hours on the rollers just below VT1 really does the job for me. I can't do that outdoors - it's too hilly here.
#27
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Regardless of whether there is data to support it or not, exercising first thing in the day does wonderful things for my mood the rest of the day. I also find it easier to do it straight off rather than wait for other things to get in the way.
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#28
Senior Member
I understand what you are saying. However, what I see is that the far right, 6:00 is 24 hours after the morning exercise group. But only 8 hours after the later group. I would have liked to see the horizontal axis be time elapsed after excercise, not clock time.
And admitedly, I did not read the Materials and Methods section of the study, but it appears that the morning group had much more intense exercise. Why is this? Where the groups not matched? Was this double blinded?
I am not saying you are wrong, but there are so many variables here that IMO any meaningful conclusions are difficult.
And admitedly, I did not read the Materials and Methods section of the study, but it appears that the morning group had much more intense exercise. Why is this? Where the groups not matched? Was this double blinded?
I am not saying you are wrong, but there are so many variables here that IMO any meaningful conclusions are difficult.
#29
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The spike you see for the early morning exercisers is fat oxidation, not exercise intensity. Measured energy expenditure was virtually identical for all 3 exercise times, as seen below:
Energy expenditure for no exercise (white), morning exercise (blue), afternoon exercise (green), and evening exercise (red).
#30
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I used to exercise in the evening.
Then we had a kid and I got a new job, by the time I got home it was supper time (or later) and wife had enough of child care.
I told myself I would start again when things settled down.
Finally realized they never would, so started getting up at 4 so I could exercise regularly, and have been doing so for almost 30 years.
Several years ago there was a study that looked at people who exercised in the morning versus after work (late afternoon/early evening). The upshot was that the PM exercised to somewhat higher intensity, but the AM were much more consistent.
I like exercising early in the morning, it is quiet, and I get my thoughts together for the rest of the day.
Now that I am retired, I can even have a leisurely breakfast and read the paper.
Then we had a kid and I got a new job, by the time I got home it was supper time (or later) and wife had enough of child care.
I told myself I would start again when things settled down.
Finally realized they never would, so started getting up at 4 so I could exercise regularly, and have been doing so for almost 30 years.
Several years ago there was a study that looked at people who exercised in the morning versus after work (late afternoon/early evening). The upshot was that the PM exercised to somewhat higher intensity, but the AM were much more consistent.
I like exercising early in the morning, it is quiet, and I get my thoughts together for the rest of the day.
Now that I am retired, I can even have a leisurely breakfast and read the paper.
#31
Senior Member
Thanks for the clarification. I did not see that in the original post.
#32
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When you're touring, you're usually up & moving pretty early, and getting excercise even if you're just walking your bike. I think it gets you in the right mindset, for whatever happens that day. Like an early bird gets the worm kind of thing. 😎
#33
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That's all well and good except for people that have work normal job hours. I don't happen to like getting up at 3am, ride my bike, get home, shower then go to work, yuk! so until I retire in about 8 months I ride when I can, after work, on weekends I'll ride in the morning though.
#34
On the roads around where I live it is far safer in the mid to late morning when there are fewer motorists around who are likely to be paying more attention to their smartphone than to the road. In cities I prefer to ride after 7 PM to have minimal traffic and it is much easier to see when a car is approaching from the rear or the sides.