Best Time to Work Out?

I get this question all the time:

What is the best time to work out?

The answer I give every single time is whenever you can!

I know that living today's fast-paced, rat-race lifestyle can put a real bind on your training schedule. What with kids, family and business obligations, etc., sometimes you don't have enough time in the today for yourself.

I am a perfect example. I bang away at the computer all day and night, hoping to bring you the information you need and want in order to improve yourself. I have 2 small kids, a loving wife, bills to pay, lawns to mow, cars to attend to, older parents to take care of.

When do I train?

When I can!

Now, I've made it my goal to work out in some fashion every single day. I get in at least 3 weight workouts a week, 6 sessions of "cardio," and a lot of play time. Fortunately, my kids take care of me on that one!

Many days, I stack my cardio on top of my weight workouts since I only want to hit the gym once a day. And I don't spend a lot of time there! Last night, for example, I pounded by back, chest, shoulders, and lower back in the span of 20 minutes. Then I went home because I had a LOT to get done.

So, getting back to the point – exercise whenever you can!

I will say that there probably are IDEAL TIMES to train. I made my best "hardgainer" gains when I worked out in the morning. My energy levels were highest, I could eat before and after my workouts (even during!), and I could spend the rest of the day in a relatively lax state.

Now, I am finding it a little difficult to work out in the late evenings (the only practical time of day for me right now) and NOT eat like a freaking horse afterwards, right before bed. Eating a lot right before sleep is okay when you're on the skinny side. But it's really not conducive to effective weight control, if you know what I mean.

It's clear that when you workout determines when, what, and how much you eat. Here are two charts – one for men, one for women – that lay out the when, what, and how much you should eat depending on when you work out.

Again, the best time to work out is when you can. Just make sure it happens. A workout today is better than none at all, if even only just for a few minutes. And use the charts as a baseline for determining what, when, and how much to eat, especially in terms of supplementation.

Timing really is everything.