If you are looking for the best time of training to optimize your results and gain more muscle mass, the answer to this question would be essential: What Is The Best Time To Gain Muscle?

Timing your workout depends on your fitness goals and personal habits. But, what does it mean? Studies show that a late afternoon or evening exercise notably helps you gain more muscle. In other words, the best time to gain muscle is in the late afternoon or evening.

However, if you are a morning person, the results can be different. If you are not a night owl, then maybe you should try a morning exercise after coffee to gain muscles. Why is that so? We have explained all here. Let’s see why.

When Should You Workout To Gain Muscle?

As you’re surfing the net for an answer to this question, you’ll learn that there are basically two schools of thought on this subject:

•  It’s ideal to work out in the late afternoon or evening to gain muscle.
•  It doesn’t matter when you train, consistency is the key!

Advocators of the first theory point to studies that show athletes perform better in the evening workouts. They claim that if you do the same, you’ll be able to use heavier weights in your exercises which means you’re gaining more muscle and strength simultaneously.

Proponents of the second position claim that although most people have better training in the evening, your body may also adjust to morning exercises over time, nullifying any advantages of training in the evening.

Küüsmaa et al. studied the impacts of a workout program performed in the morning or the evening for 24 weeks. Although body strength and physical endurance improved similarly across both groups, those training in the evening gained surprisingly more muscle mass.

All in all, it depends on your unique preferences and chronotype. If you’re aiming to build muscle, there are many different perks to exercising in the morning or at night—but the benefits are more about your personal schedule and habits that correlate with your workout time, rather than the time of day itself. But, why would the workout time according to habits affect how much muscle you gain? What kind of magic is working here? Well, it indeed happens because of your circadian rhythm.

Circadian Rhythm

Your circadian rhythm is a cycle of biological activity in a day. The biological activity with the most famous circadian rhythm is your sleep-wake cycle. It seems like your body has an internal clock that regulates when to activate every system. In fact, the part of your brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) has been built in a way that functions very much like a pacemaker.

That’s why the SCN is usually called your internal or biological clock. The SCN interacts with virtually every main system in the human body, including hormone production and central nervous system activity. For people who aim to gain muscles, especially athletes, systematic daily variations in core body temperature, energy metabolism, and hormonal milieu are the most important factors. As you can imagine, many of these factors significantly impact your athletic performance and are influenced by your circadian rhythm.

More evidence of the advantages of matching your chronotype to exercises comes from a study conducted by scientists that published in the National Library of Medicine (NIH). They found that if you’re a morning person, you’ll probably perform better when working out in the morning or early afternoon. However, if you’re an evening person, you’ll maybe perform better when training in the late afternoon or evening.

What Time Of  Day Is Best To Lift Weights?

Although there is no universal “correct” answer to this question, most studies indicate that late afternoons and evenings are the best time to lift weights. But, be careful and try to plan your training schedule under your circadian rhythm. This planning will help you be stronger, faster, and more powerful. You will also gain more muscle after the training.

Several studies have looked at long-term muscle mass and strength gains in groups exercising at different times of the day. Even when they are consistent with their exercise times, muscle gains up to 84% higher when they’re training in the evening instead of the morning. Moreover, your body strength and endurance increase in the early evening. So, that would be the best time for any heavy weight lifting that leads to muscle building.

Is Working Out At Night Good For Muscle Gain?

Hitting the gym at night also has great benefits, especially if you’re aiming to build muscle. Generally, the human body’s muscles tend to be weaker in the morning and gradually increase in strength throughout the day. The body’s muscles achieve peak strength in the late afternoon and evening.

One research in the “Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research” observed different groups of men who trained at different times of day for several months. At the end of the research, people who exercised in the late afternoon and night gained higher muscle mass in comparison with those who worked out in the mornings. Men who worked out in the morning saw their quads—specifically, their outer thighs—grow by an average of 12 percent. While those who hit the gym later in the day, mostly at night saw their thighs grow 50 percent more quickly.

Lastly, you should consider that there are pros and cons to whatever time of day you schedule your training. However, if you want to build strong muscles as fast as humanly possible, research points to the afternoon and evening as being the best time of day to train.

Can You Still Gain Muscle If You Workout In The Morning?

Studies show that you can still gain muscle by working out in the morning. However, you cannot expect the same results in muscle growth in the evening. If you are looking for faster muscle gain, you should fit your training program in the evening.

Medical Daily reports that morning exercises “prime the body for an all-day fat burn”. In addition to more easily attained weight loss goals, morning workouts allow for better sleep patterns and stress reduction as well. One research showed that people who worked out consistently in the morning experienced a reduction in blood pressure levels.

To sum up, working out in the morning has plenty of benefits, including weight loss. So, if you want to get fit and drop some pounds it’s better to exercise in the morning, especially before breakfast. But, if you are looking for building massive muscle and greater body shape, fit your exercise plan in the evening.