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Question
26 Jul 2010
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Best time to gym
Hi Doc,
I am an 36 old male.
I just want to hear you opinion on going to gym late at night, please? Most people say it will interfere with my sleep patters. I was thinking that going to gym at 9pm would be great as I then destress, relax and even have a refreshing shower before bed? Its just the eating pattern which Im not too sure of? Can''t eat after gym that time of the evening, that would be defeating the purpose, wont it? Also, I am in fair shape and one of those guys who tend to struggle to keep their weight up, if that is significant to you in any way.
Thanks in advance! Looking forward to hear your thoughts.
Regards,
Francois
I am an 36 old male.
I just want to hear you opinion on going to gym late at night, please? Most people say it will interfere with my sleep patters. I was thinking that going to gym at 9pm would be great as I then destress, relax and even have a refreshing shower before bed? Its just the eating pattern which Im not too sure of? Can''t eat after gym that time of the evening, that would be defeating the purpose, wont it? Also, I am in fair shape and one of those guys who tend to struggle to keep their weight up, if that is significant to you in any way.
Thanks in advance! Looking forward to hear your thoughts.
Regards,
Francois
FitnessDoc
Hi Francois
It can affect sleep, yes. I know some people who can train at 9pm and be asleep by 10pm, but others who would lie awake until early morning while their body's metabolic rate drops. So it's a very individual response, and you may well find that you can switch off very quickly after.
In terms of eating, if you start training at 9pm, you could eat something at 7pm and be OK, and also hen just have something very light after training, say around 9.45pm. This would not be a dinner, but a sandwich, some fruit, maybe a protein shake, something small just because if you don't, you'll wake up at 4am with major hunger.
THe pre-training meal also wouldn't be a big one - you would probably have to shuffle your meals a little to make sure that you didn't compromise, but a bigger lunch would be a good idea, more regular meals during the day too. Then you could get a smallish dinner at 7pm, a post-exercise "top up" meal and you'd be fine.
The key is whether you can sleep after doing it and you'll only know that once you've tried.
Good luck
It can affect sleep, yes. I know some people who can train at 9pm and be asleep by 10pm, but others who would lie awake until early morning while their body's metabolic rate drops. So it's a very individual response, and you may well find that you can switch off very quickly after.
In terms of eating, if you start training at 9pm, you could eat something at 7pm and be OK, and also hen just have something very light after training, say around 9.45pm. This would not be a dinner, but a sandwich, some fruit, maybe a protein shake, something small just because if you don't, you'll wake up at 4am with major hunger.
THe pre-training meal also wouldn't be a big one - you would probably have to shuffle your meals a little to make sure that you didn't compromise, but a bigger lunch would be a good idea, more regular meals during the day too. Then you could get a smallish dinner at 7pm, a post-exercise "top up" meal and you'd be fine.
The key is whether you can sleep after doing it and you'll only know that once you've tried.
Good luck
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