Evening Exercise Benefits If you're bodybuilding, hormones are on your side later in the day. Your body may produce more testosterone in the afternoon than the morning – which enables greater gains in muscle and strength.
If you're training to gain muscle, studies show that working out in the afternoon to early evening time can boost muscle gain by a modest amount compared to morning training. Determining your own circadian rhythm, or sleep-wake schedule can help you find a time of day where you get the most out of your training.
SCHEDULE You want to train each major muscle group at least 2x/week. You can divide this up in several ways: For most people, we recommend starting with a full-body program. It's more efficient (only 2-4 days per week instead of 5-6), and your body doesn't NEED more workouts at this point to grow plenty of muscle.
The present results indicate that combined strength and endurance training in the evening may lead to larger gains in muscle mass, while the E + S training order might be more beneficial for endurance performance development.
“There is some relevant evidence that shows that peak performance, especially strength and power, tends to occur a little later in the day, specifically mid- to late-afternoon,” Arent says. “So if you're looking to optimize strength in your training, you're going to get the most out of it in that window.”
Typically, muscle mass and strength increase steadily from birth and reach their peak at around 30 to 35 years of age. After that, muscle power and performance decline slowly and linearly at first, and then faster after age 65 for women and 70 for men.
Research investigating lean muscle gain over a month is limited,2 but experts suggest that most healthy individuals can gain 1 to 2 pounds of lean muscle mass per month. This rate varies based on age, gender, physical health, genetics, diet quality, and training program.
According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), a good schedule for resistance training for muscle growth is at least 2–3 times per week, with a minimum of 48 hours between sessions. This allows for proper rest and recovery, ensuring your muscles have enough time to repair and grow.
Evening Exercise Benefits
If you're bodybuilding, hormones are on your side later in the day. Your body may produce more testosterone in the afternoon than the morning – which enables greater gains in muscle and strength.
Best Age for Building Muscle
The best age for bodybuilding is when you are in your 20s or initial 30s. The primary natural hormone which aid men in building muscle mass and strength is testosterone. This hormone production reaches its peak usually by the age of 19.
Whether working or at home, most people hit the dreaded afternoon slump around 3 p.m. A recent study of more than 90,000 people found that working out in the afternoon reduces the risk of heart disease or early death more than physical activity in either the morning or afternoon.
Overall, the experts agree: Exercising in the morning is the best time of day to work out for logistical, effective and health reasons. When it comes to weight loss, a 2023 study published in the journal Obesity found exercising between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. could help.
The average adult needs around 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Regularly having this much sleep is especially important for those looking to increase their muscle mass or change their body composition. Having a good night's sleep before and after every workout will ensure you reap the benefits of all your effort.
Downtime between workouts (whether you're lifting, doing cardio or training for a sport) is when our bodies have a chance to actually build muscle. Strenuous workouts cause muscle breakdown, while rest allows our bodies to build it back up.
“Too long of [a] rest isn't necessarily a problem unless you feel like you're out of the groove,” Tumminello says, noting that if you have a finite amount of time in the gym, an extended rest period probably isn't necessary unless you're reaching for your one-rep maximum.
A moderate repetition scheme with moderate loads (from 8 to 12 repetitions per set with 60% to 80% of 1RM) optimizes hypertrophic gains. A high repetition scheme with light loads (15+ repetitions per set with loads below 60% of 1RM) optimizes local muscular endurance improvements.
With the right strength training program, you can build muscle after 50. In this article, we give you tips for starting out and an example exercise plan.
Male desirability to women peaks in the late 20s and does not fall below the average for all men until 36. Other research indicates that women, irrespective of their own age, are attracted to men who are the same age or older.
Vitamin D may be protective for muscle loss; a more alkalinogenic diet and diets higher in the anti-oxidant nutrients vitamin C and vitamin E may also prevent muscle loss.