Q & A from fatblastzone.com

Why do some people say it’s better to exercise in the morning versus the evening?

There are a number of reasons why an individual would consider the time of day to perform exercise. Many of these reasons that people perform workouts in the morning or in the evening, however, are not always necessary. Research has shown that there is a difference in hormone levels, mood, ability, and other traits depending on the time of day. These variations are based off of the circadian rhythms that we follow. Our bodies regulate things such as blood pressure, core temperature, and metabolism depending on the time of day.

This pattern would make it seem as if there are preferred times to workout during the day. Many people believe that morning is the best time to workout because testosterone levels are at their highest point in the morning. While this is generally true, cortisol, which is a catabolic hormone, is also at its highest in the morning, . Studies have also shown that there is a greater rise in testosterone levels after evening workouts when compared to morning workouts. The truth is that neither of these differences in hormonal levels are significant enough to really make a noticeable difference in your results. One fact that has been proven is that the body’s core temperature rises throughout the day. Studies have shown an increase in performance levels with athletes in the afternoon/evening workouts when compared to the morning. Because of the increase in temperature, muscles are stronger, more flexible, perceived exertion is less, and reaction time will increase.

The problem answering this, however, is everyone is different. We all have different circadian rhythms and our bodies will react to exercise differently throughout the day. You need to determine the best time for you to workout. This will be through trial and error. Try a few morning workouts and a few evening workouts and see which ones produce better workouts. The bottom line is to make sure you are taking the time to exercise regardless of the time of day. If you have time in the morning, then workout then. If you have time later in the day, then do it at night. Anytime you workout will produce significant results as long as you are performing a safe and effective program and eating a healthy diet.

Mike
www.sandiegopremiertraining.com

The Best Ab Exercises

One question that every personal training has been asked is, "what is the best ab exercise I can do?" As with most answers you will receive from a personal training you will hear it depends. This really is true. It depends on what exactly you are looking to accomplish. Are you trying to get a stronger core for a sport? Do you want a six pack? Are you trying to improve back pain because of a weak core?

You can start to see how this becomes a tough question for a trainer to answer. Regardless of your goal however you core musculature needs to be trained. There are two types of core exercises that you can do. Both are necessary for any type of goal. These are core stabilization and core mobility exercises. First, you need to master core stabilization exercises. These are exercise where stress is placed on the abdominals and other core muscles but the spine does not move. It is the goal of these types of exercises to learn to use your core to prevent your spine from movement. One of my favorite "ab" exercises is a core stabilization exercise called the spiderman mountain climber.



Core Mobility exercises are those in which you actually have your spine move. These are your more traditional ab exercises such as sit ups, crunches, and twisting. With these and all core exercises the more body parts your can incorporate the better. Total body ab exercises will work the core the way it was meant to be trained and will burn more calories. For example Burpees may not seem like an ab exercise but when performed correctly they will work the abs as well as many other body parts.