Here’s why exercising in the morning seems so difficult

Your alarm will go off. Somehow you manage to get dressed, drag yourself to the gym, and start squatting.

But why does it seem so difficult? Your legs feel heavy, and the weight you lifted just a few days ago – in the afternoon – feels almost impossible.

No, you can’t imagine it. Is large body of evidence which suggests that most of us are stronger, more powerful and have better endurance later in the day.

There are several reasons why exercising in the morning may seem much more difficult. Here’s why and how you can adapt to morning exercise if you need to.

Your circadian rhythm influences your training

Your body has a natural 24-hour clock that regulates your hormones, body temperature, and when you feel most awake or ready to sleep.

This clock is called the circadian rhythm. This is controlled by the brain but they can also be influenced by external factors such as sunlight. This may explain why exercising in the morning in winter can be especially difficult for some of us.

Research shows Your circadian rhythm is clearly linked to exercise performance, which usually follows a daily pattern.

Most people reach their peak between 4 and 7 p.m. This means that in the afternoon and early evening we are stronger, faster and stronger.

We don’t know exactly why. However, there are several potential explanations.

Body temperature

Body temperature is lowest around 5 a.m. and continues to rise all day long. When your body temperature rises, your muscles contract more effectively. We think this is one of the reasons why people are like this usually stronger and more powerful later that day.

Hormonal fluctuations

Insulin – a hormone that regulates blood sugar (glucose) levels – usually yes highest in the morning. This leads to lower blood sugar levels, which means the body can use less glucose for fuel, possibly affecting exercise intensity.

Function of the nervous system

While we don’t know exactly why, there is some evidence to suggest that your nervous system is better at it sending signals to the muscles all day long. This allows use more muscle fibers when you exercise, which essentially makes you stronger.

But what if I’m a morning person?

Sleep chronotype can also affect exercise performance.

This describes your natural tendency to sleep and wake at certain times of the day – basically regardless of whether you are a “morning person” (“morning person”) or you feel more productive and alert in the evenings (“night owl”).

Studies have shown that night owls have a late chronotype do much worse during morning exercise compared to people with an early chronotype.

While we don’t know why this happens, it could be that night owls experience less fluctuations in hormones and temperature throughout the day – although this is just speculation.

Interestingly, it feels like you’re sleep deprived affect physical performance in the afternoon more often than in the morning. So if you stay up late and don’t get much sleep, you may find it easier to exercise the next morning than in the afternoon.

So does time matter?

Regardless of the time of day, if you feel like you are working, you will make progress – such as height muscle strength and improvement aerobic fitness and heart health.

So if you’re exercising to get bigger, stronger and fitter, time doesn’t matter.

Plus, when we exercise, it often comes down to motivation and comfort. If you like to exercise earlier in the day and that works best for you, there’s no reason to change it.

But you can adapt if necessary

If there’s a sporting event coming up in the morning – and you usually train in the afternoon – you can prepare for it by exercising beforehand to stay fit.

There is evidence suggest that repeated training in the morning can bridge the gap between afternoon and morning results.

Generally, your body can get used to exercise over time, although it will probably take a few weeks.

Finally, if you notice that exercising before bed makes you feel overly alert, and it does disturbing your sleepyou can try doing something more gentle in the evening and/or exercising earlier in the day.