The fitness industry, TikTok, and your gym friends are full of ideas about when is the best time to weight train, when to eat, and which days not to eat. Some of this may be solid advice, but dealing with misinformation and speculation can be even more exhausting bench press drop set After a hard day at the office.
Michael Bates, Director trainfitnessKnows this very well. “Whether you’re a beginner or a gym veteran, you’ve probably heard one or more of the following:” he says. “‘Training in the morning is better for fat loss; training in the evening builds muscle; you should train on Mondays, except Fridays.'”
It’s kind of confusing. But, as Bates points out, “Our bodies don’t work on a stopwatch, and while some timing strategies can have an impact, they’re nowhere near the most important factors for driving outcomes.”
So then, here’s a guide to how and when you should train, backed by real experts with decades of expertise in training people perfectly.
Best time to weight train: morning vs evening
When you can train depends largely on your schedule, but a post-lunch break may yield the best results. Bates and Adam Enaz, both founders of Anna’s FitnessBig proponent of mid-afternoon weight sessions.
“Performance really varies throughout the day,” Bates says. This meta-analysisPublished in Chronobiology International in 2019, it shows that our strength and power output will typically peak in the late afternoon or evening, largely because our body temperature is higher, the nervous system is working more effectively, and we have been awake long enough to properly activate muscles.
“The strongest time for the average person is around 14:30 to 20:30,” says Enaz. (So, in the US it’s 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm) In fact, a 24-week study published in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and MetabolismStrength improvements were found at any time of the day, but muscle mass increases were greater in the evening.
“That said, the benefits are usually small,” Enaz explains. “You should not underestimate the experience; if you train more consistently in the morning, you should get better results despite not training in the ‘biologically optimal’ window.” And if you train in the evening makes it hard for you to sleepYou should also keep in mind what is best for your recovery plan.
“The most important thing is what happens over the weeks and months,” Bates says. “When a person trains consistently at the same time, his body becomes adapted to performing at that time.”
fasted training vs fed training
The fast vs. Fed debate applies more cardio workout instead weight session For a good reason: If you’re gaining weight, you need energy to be able to do it. As stated, for light weight sessions HIIT CIRCUITor even a calisthenics workoutA fasting session can help you stay healthy while working.
In reality, when it comes to increasing muscle mass and strength, the evidence shows no real benefits either way. A 2025 Meta-analysis published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies studied fasted versus fed resistance training and found that the results – except for fat loss – were more or less the same.
But what about what to eat after the gym to maintain those gains? To what degree does the anabolic window apply? “The idea that protein should be consumed within 30 to 60 minutes of training to maximize muscle protein synthesis has been repeated so often that it is considered fact,” says Bates. “But, a Meta-analysis of 23 studies involving over 500 participants found that scheduling protein intake during workouts had no meaningful benefits for muscle growth or strength.
