Let's be honest, it's difficult enough to find time to train for many people within the hectic and busy schedules we have, without really being able to worry about what times are 'best' to train. The work patterns we have and family life are likely to heavily impact on the times we have available to train, not to mention for those who work night shifts when the daily routine can go out the window.
In this article, we are going to discuss the circadian rhythm, describing what it is and how it has the potential to affect our bodies and how this might influence our capacity to make the most out of our workouts. We'll also take a look at theories as to when the best times to train are, when you work shift patterns to try and make the most of your training.
The circadian rhythm is a pattern that the body follows over the course of a 24 hour period that corresponds to the release of certain hormones. These hormones are responsible for driving processes that affect how our body functions, this can affect how well our body performs specific tasks. This diurnal cycle (a 24-hour period) has shown that specific skills are typically best performed at certain times. For example, peak alertness is around 10 am, peak co-ordination is around 2:30pm, best reaction time 3:30pm, peak muscle strength at 4:30pm and peak cardiovascular function at 5pm.
For strength training and endurance/cardiovascular function, this is in the later afternoon at between approximate 4pm and 6pm. So for those who really want to maximise their strength, muscle size or performance gains, this is the most 'optimal' time to train. This associated increase in performance at these times are theorised to be caused by the central nervous system and muscles being at their most primed for activity, meaning better physical performance.
So what does this mean for those who train in the morning or later in the evening? Is all hope lost?
Well, not really; the body can adapt to a certain extent, to different training patterns and although it might not be ideal, as long as progression is made with training and adequate nutrients provided then you can still get excellent results. Failing that, there is always caffeine which 'wakes up' the central nervous system and can make up for some of the performance deficits observed, although be careful to not abuse it as tolerance will build fairly quickly, so try and only use it on training days or those hard training sessions where that extra kick is really needed.
One of the most challenging situations is when sleep has been disrupted or for those who work in shift patterns. It may come as a surprise but even when people are subjected to long periods of sleep deprivation or night shifts, the circadian rhythm is not severely disrupted. This means that training would in theory still be better performed in the middle of the afternoon, before a night shift, as opposed to training after work if finishing early in the morning - get your sleep in first!
In summary, finding time to train can be challenging at the best of times, but for those looking to maximise their performance and muscle gains, training in the afternoon is the best bet, failing that there's always caffeine!
Thanks for reading,
Paul Rimmer (BSc, MSc, PhD).
