When is the Best Time of Day to Workout?

So when is the best time of day to workout?  The best answer I can give you is that depends.  Let me explain:

When do you have the most energy?  

• In the morning:  If you are one that hop out of bed and ready to get this day started with then the morning is the best time for you to go. 
• evening? If you are one that takes their time to wake up and doesn't really feel good until later in the morning then afternoon is definitely the best time

What's your schedule like?

• If you're one of the very few people who can predict their day and have complete control over their schedule then you can obviously take the liberties with your schedule and hit the gym whenever you want.
• If you are one of the many that has things "pop" up then it is probably best for you to hit the gym in the morning before anything "pops" up and you can't make it. 
• Note:  Consistency is SO key to all of this.  Find a time that is consistent across the board to get to the gym if you can.  Using myself as an example, The only time that I have consistently free throughout the week is 4a... So that's when I go to the gym.  

What kind of results do you want?  

• Trimming down.  It is an old school thought to do cardio when your first wake up and before you eat anything "fasted cardio."  Which in theory, your body doesn't have to burn through any of the calories from food and will use its stores of energy (aka fat).  However, there is a new school of thought that doing cardio without food consumed before is setting yourself up for failure because your body has no sources to pull energy from so it will use pull from your muscles which will make you look scrawny.  Again using myself as an example, I can not do cardio with ANYTHING in my stomach, even to much water makes me feel nauseous so I have to get my cardio done first thing (and watch my water intake until after I'm done), plus I know if I don't get it done I will never make it back to the gym to do it (yes-even being a personal trainer and knowing its importance).
• Now weight training:  Best time is again when you feel at your best.  A few different things about weight lifting, hormones are a little higher in the morning than in the afternoon making the results happen a little faster, but pain tolerance is usually higher in the afternoon making it easier to push through a tougher set.  A lot of people I know usually lift in the evenings because they aren't early birds so its what's best for them.

What kind of person are you?

• Morning person:  If you're like me and hop out of bed with a pep in your step then morning is probably best for you.
• Night Owl:  If you're someone who takes a while to wake up and get moving and mentally wake up afternoon and evening are obviously better for you. 

Best time of the day to actually go to the gym.

• The middle of the afternoon there is almost literally no one at the gym so you could have it almost all to yourself.
• Evening is always the busiest, because everyone seems to go then. 
• The morning is always a good time.  It isn't very busy, people are usually there to get in and out, it's the same people all the time so after a few day there is a comfort level, people in the mornings are usually really (probably because they haven't hit rush hour traffic yet or got a call from their boss).

So this answer is more of a personal thing more than there is actually a right and wrong answer.  

Please let me know if you have any questions or have a comment.  Leave them below or feel free to email me at fitnesswerqs@gmail.com I would love to hear from you!!!