Hitting the gym late at night

UnknownSpecies

It's been a while since I've done serious work in the gym but I'm back in now. I just got membership to a gym that's available for me to use 24/7. I work at 9am and my commute take 45mins so I'm usually up at 7am which means I don't have time to go before work. When I get home in the evening, I am usually pretty tired until about an hour after my dinner. So I'm just wondering, does anybody here have experience with doing all their workouts late. When I say late, I might be heading to the gym at 10pm+. I'd have no problem with this at all but I'm not sure if it's ok to do. Just looking for ye're own experience and opinions. Thanks!

token

Go straight to the gym after work and have dinner when you get back. For me that often means eating dinner close to 10pm. I couldn't go home first, eat, sit around for an hour and then go to the gym. I would have lost my motivation by then. Just eat something near the end of work so you have energy in the gym.

UnknownSpecies

Yeah that was the most obvious change I was thinking of making but I am genuinely exhausted a lot of days after work. It's tough because there are some nights I'm perfect and I'd have lots of motivation to go late at night and others where I'm thinking meh. My overall motivation isn't very consistent at the moment either, I get great spells of motivation and other days I can't get myself up.

harvester of sorrow

Is this gym in Ballincollig?Just askin because i see your from east cork like myself and since Midleton fitness centre closed ive been looking for a good gym.
Sorry for hijacking your thread:p

UnknownSpecies

Such a pity about the fitness centre, I go there in the Summer. No, it's our club gym, for players, not open to the public. It's grand for the squad but couldn't hold very big numbers.

GASMANN

If you GENUINLEY can't go am, get up earlier, or straight from work before dinner , then go at whatever time cos the alternative sounds like not going at all. Where are you thinking of squeezing sleep into the agenda though ?

hardCopy

Gotta be before dinner for me, couldn't go on a full stomach

Rob32

I go about half8-9ish and never had an issue, always ready for bed though!!

InTheTrees

I get up at 5am to get to work at 7am.

I leave around 3:30pm and usually get to the gym around 430pm. So thats amost 12 hours since getting up.

Go before dinner.

I think thats your prob, go and workout before eating and you'll feel far better. Have a banana or something if your getting too hungry but once you get into working out your hunger will go away.

Also eating after wards feels so much Better.

InTheTrees

dorgasm wrote: »

Yeah that was the most obvious change I was thinking of making but I am genuinely exhausted a lot of days after work. It's tough because there are some nights I'm perfect and I'd have lots of motivation to go late at night and others where I'm thinking meh. My overall motivation isn't very consistent at the moment either, I get great spells of motivation and other days I can't get myself up.

I find however wiped out I am from work, going to the gym gives me a little extra energy in the long run.

Motivation is the thing. The old phrase "just do it" applies. You gotta just power thru it.

Caiseoipe19

I started back doing gym work about a fortnight ago and like yourself it's available 24/7 cause it's the club's equipment. I've been going any time from 11 to 12 at night so am interested in seeing is there any science behind this being less effective compared to going earlier. One thing I find is that I'm exhausted the next day and I wouldn't be getting up too early at all. Mind you that mightn't have anything to do with the going so late at night.

InTheTrees

No idea if its relevant but I've heard (and I could be Wrong!) early morning is the very best for getting rid of stubborn fat because at that time with no reserves on hand the first place your body goes for the energy is to the Fat reserves.

For whats its worth...

shimmery

Is working out first thing in the morning before eating burn fat as energy?

UnknownSpecies

Just an update on this from me. I've been going late at night ie. 10pm+ and I must say, it's amazing. I feel great after it. Afterwards, I have a shake, stay up for an hour or so and then bam, I'm sleeping soundly. So far so good, I'll update periodically in case anyone else is interested.

Mellor

dorgasm wrote: »

I work at 9am and my commute take 45mins so I'm usually up at 7am which means I don't have time to go before work.

Just my 2c.

I work 9 to 5 and commute takes 45 minutes commute also. I've gone before work a few times when I was busy that evening.
I prefer going in the evening, tonight I'll be at the gym 6 to 8.30 (my longest session) so will be 9pm before I get dinner.

If going after 10pm is working, then by all means stick with it. But the options are there. The more flexible your gym time is, the more work you get done.

UnknownSpecies

Absolutely, I could probably go from about 8.30-9pm but I like to make sure that my dinner has had enough time to settle because it tends to repeat on me if I do anything strenuous too soon! Also, it's quite strange but after I find myself more and more motivated as the night goes on. It's as if work has burned me out a small bit and it takes until 10pm to get me motivated again :P

Anyway, I'm going to continue to do it while my motivation is high as that's my biggest problem. I should add, I do interval training 1-2 times per week and I do that before dinner because I heard it's better to do it on an empty stomach and it only takes me 15mins to do. Maybe I'm just a weirdo :P

gara

I love exercising in the evening, it feels like such a reward to get out for a long run to unwind at the end of a long day. It often means I eat dinner upwards of 9/10pm but food feels even more enjoyable after a hard run and a hot shower

nice_guy80

plus, sooner you get to bed, the quicker the body can start recovering and rebuilding those muscles