Night or day?

[Wu Wei]

Is there any time of day that someone should not workout?
I always want to workout late at night, but then I almost feel as though im cheating my body even though I make sure i get some good food in me afterwards.

Anyone else, prefer to workout late?

[Apprentice]

in fact, i never have worked out during the day, i never have enough energy, the only time u can say i "worked out" during the day is when i played football 4 years ago...now i workout at like 10 usually, and i eat afterwards aswell, i wanna start working out during the day though, that way i can eat n the fats of foods wont sit on me, but im not fat at all so i dont worry bout it, ima have to start cardio-ing off the fat starting tho

[rubthebuddha]

i work 8-5 and teach or assist in a couple classes four nights per week, so i really don't have much of a choice but to work out late at night, then eat a small dinner and go to bed. i know it's not ideal, but it's what i got.

consider yourself well off. a lot of people don't want to work out at all.

[Wu Wei]

Apprentice: you sound like me.
I used to be worried about the fat sitting on me too, then i realized I have a long way too go before im 'fat'.

And Rub is absolutly correct. I've come to the point where i just have to work out often enough, otherwise it drives me crazy. So I am grateful for that much at least.

Nontheless, I am still curious about any physiological differences between day and night training.

[rubthebuddha]

i think it depends on how your day is structured. i feel that, ideally, if you live the typical day, a workout before breakfast is best, because you start the day with a kick to your metabolism and a relaxed, easy-going feel that usually lasts well past quittin' time. however, my a$$ is NOT getting up at 5:30 to work out when i usually go to bed by 2.

[GeneChing]

According to Master Tu Jin-Sheng, a renown Taiwanese Kungfu Qigong master that I did a story on in Oct 2001, you shouldn't exercise from 11pm to 1 am and 11 am to 1 pm. During those times you can focus on meditation instead.

[Suntzu]

I was just thinkin about this topic last night. I have been trying to talk myself into getting up early and workout but 7:30 is hard enuff as it is.

After working out at night I find it hard to get to sleep, but once I'm out…….. I'm out.

[Paul]

>>>>you shouldn't exercise from 11pm to 1 am and 11 am to 1 pm

I used to work out every day between 11am and 1 pm now I'm hearing that was a bad thing? I don't have the time to workout during lunchtime anymore, but what's the reasoning behind this?

[fa_jing]

Cause then my muscles can heal while I sit on my ass all day at work. I find myself working out late sometimes for time reasons, but rarely past 8 o' clock. Otherwise I'm too wound up to sleep.

When I can motivate myself, I like to do horse training and situps in the morning, before I eat anything. Doing the horse training also keeps me from having jumpy legs while I sit on my ass all day at work.

-FJ

[Aramus]

What kind of workout? I've read the same as Gene if doing a more Tai chi/ internal style to do them first thing in the mourning and closer to the night (the book I read said midnight or before actually, which does contradict what Gene wrote...oh well). The chinese workout book also said to do more meditation midday rather than working out.

If you're talking weights, well that might be different based on your own schedule, meal times, etc. Thanks to my messed up work schedule (go in at 11:00 am and leave around 8:00ish pm), my ideal times are around 9:00 (get my daughter up, eat breakfast, relax, play and then goto the gym at 9:00) or after 8:00. Either time feels good to me.

My brother, a doctor, has always felt the best time for him to work out is 9:00 pm or later. He is a big strong guy, so this must work for him. He has stamina, strength, and is pretty explosive when need be.

good luck, keep working out.

[shaolinboxer]

I've been training at night for so long it feels strange to train during the day....usually I train from 6-8 or 9pm.

[russ]

I've read that training hard early in the morning is bad for you, because the shock of exercising right after you wake up is too great for your body. I personally have more energy to work out at night after I've had a day of eating and stocking up calories.

[Ginger Fist]

Anyone else, prefer to workout late?

--i prefer 2 not workout at all ... does that count? here's how it's been forced on me 4 years ... 5am-8am workout ... 12noon-3pm workout ... 12midnite-3am fu*cking work out ... i'm male so i get off ez ... not so with my sisters

[Aramus]

I remeber reading that a few years ago in training for the olympics, the guy that got the gold and his training buddy won and they trained a bit different. He trained at 4:00 am when he was at his weakest. He played no music to pump himself up and he put himself through the ringer. I thought the idea was that he would be even stronger during the exciting moments in the actual olympics would help him lift even more. However, I'm not training or working out for the olympics, so I won't be doing this...just a thought.

[Starchaser107]

wu

im nocturnal so when i train i prefer nights I usually get to th kwoon at around 6 in the evenings and stay till late, then I go home and practice more, sometimes during the week I dedicate entire days training but I havent been that enthusiastic or cruel to myself in a while. I prefer nights though its more soothing on the brain less noise from the world.

Ginger Fist you must be a BadAss in jook lum tong long if thats the everyday regimen. Does your moms and grandma know how you feel towards thier intense training ?

[Ginger Fist]

Ginger Fist you must be a BadAss in jook lum tong long if thats the everyday regimen.

--i'm a decedant, lazy bag of sh*it ... not much room for badas*s

Does your moms and grandma know how you feel towards thier intense training ?

--dude!!! i don't even mention it ... "oh, so u don't want 2 train so much? ok, u now train even more. that way ? u r doing now won't b so bad." made the mistake of b*itching about it 1 time ... won't make that mistake again ... ever

[Royal Dragon]

I work an VERY demenading manufactureing job (I run our welding department). So I have no energy for training by the time my 9 to 10 hour day is over. Actually, that's why I teach, It forces me to get out on the floor. I do the warmups and conditioning with the kids, I know it's light for me, but it's better than laying around at home in my tiny apartment NOT doing anything. Then, I do the forms with them when I'm not checking and correcting. I often make sure I do 20 minutes of "Demonstraition" with them before I start corrections for at least one class of the three I teach in the evening.

Now, for the good part. we manufacture Gas Log Fire places (Ask for genuine "Master Flame" products at your local Hearth and home dealer). So basically we are REALLY REALLY busy during the colder months, and totally dead during the warmer months. So during the spring and summer, I am layed off collecting unemployment. :D

Usually I sleep all day and night for the first two weeks after the yearly lay off, and then I start to train. 1 1/2 hours lightly at first. Then after about 6 weeks of that I'm getting up and running every morning just after sun rise and doing Taji for 40 minutes and then running home again (10- 20 minut run each way). T

Then I eat break fast, usualy loading up on fruites and laying around or sitting on the KFO board for a wile. Then around 10:00 am, I start conditioning. It'snot a regimented thing mind you, I'm just board with nothing to do so I just start a lazy warm up for about 20 minutes and then I do condtioning for another 40. Generaly it's a buch of different pushups sit ups, wieghts and such. Last year I did this stuff from former navy seal Scott Halvereson (GREAT conditioning system by the way).

I then do Kung Fu Basics untill I get hungry, maybe another 20 - 40 minutes. It consists of stance training, punches, kicks or drilling favorite techinques in the air. This is often not a hard work out, more like playing. If I'm taking Kung Fu drilling seriously that day, I skip the regular conditioning. Generally I end up doing Condtioning 2 days in a row, serious Kung Fu drilling 2 days followed by a day of hiking in the local woods or spending excessive time here on KFO etc :rolleyes:

Every few days (4 to 5 days a week by the time our season at work is ready to start), I do forms for 2 hours starting anywhere from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. I start lightly to warm up, doing Wu Bu Quan or the Louhan set from Don F. Dreggars book, and then once warm I get serious from 40 to 60 minutes. This is folowed by a cool down and "Martial Play" for another 20 to 40 minutes. In my younger days the "Serious" time was often as long s 1 1/2 hours, ut now I'm just not in that good of shape to do it. Training always ends by 4:30 pm

In the evening 2 0r 3 hours, I "used" to spar and fight with friends or classmates if I was in a school, but now I just hang with my future wife and daughter if I'm not teaching.

NOW, if I could keep my summer routine up for more than 3 months, I'd be a Kung Fu God!! But alas, by the time my season is over i'm all out of shape and must start over. But wait untill I have a self supporting school!!!!!!:D

RD

[Ginger Fist]

dude that's a great schedule ... let's u ramp up ... round out of shape - relax - refresh ... then ramp up again ... totally kewl

[DelicateSound]

Good job I don't have that schedule. A 2 week summer would mean 2 weeks of training. Well, It'd be more than Ralek's ever done I suppose.........

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

i dont like working out in the morning. i have tried it and it doesn't feel like i can push as much weight lifting and get as good of a work out. my ab workouts feel far less intense. even my chigung feels much less focused.

do you eventually just get used to it?

as is i would much rather work out late.

i started training at 11 this friday, and didnt get done lifting until 2am, and i had an awesome work out that didn't leave me too sore to move the next day.

it was saturday so i did get to sleep in a little, but on the weekdays i still feel best working out between 8 and 9 till 10 or 11. i just don't sleep much.

[diego]

in your case the mind is up but the body is still ****faced.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

hehe . . sometimes ... but i feel that way when i dont drink too.

like today . .. i havent drank anything since last sunday and i did all my breathing sets and stomach exercises as soon as i got out of bed. and it still felt far less intense and focused.

just doesnt feel like i can really rip into myself like i can at night.

[diego]

you get up and you realize you may run into alot of idiots and the dead,you leave work get home loosen the tie/thai kick some thrash,then its guns time,you think!!.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

actually dieago .. . you summed it up perfectly in your own way . .. and i understood it.

it's 7am here and i need some sleep.

[diego]

:D you love deathmetal its your wet dream to rip the face off your boss/supervisor???.uh then your also a clear headed"usualy"martial artist who loves his family.
so i deduce as a youth you were a ****kicker now you getting old,sucks dont it from your perspect,but rules dont it when you think of your FAM.

onthose lines anyway,yah im all giddy quit my job the other day,gonna train hardcore for like a month.