Time of Day and Workout Quality: Is there a Link?

The alarm clock rings. “Oh God”, you think, “How can I possibly train this early in the morning? I just know this will be a terrible workout, I’ll be so weak”. Ring any bells? Or perhaps you get home from work and think that after all day you can’t possibly perform to your potential during your evening workout. While either of these scenarios may be far too familiar to you, it’s worth considering the science that has been conducted on circadian rhythms (your body’s natural clock) before you put off that New Year’s resolution for another year.

The Science:

In one of only a handful of studies examining the topic, researchers at the University of Rhode Island examined the influence that time of day at which a workout occurred had on the mental readiness, power, and force output (But not swoliness!?) of college aged men. These poor fellows were strength tested at four different times of day, 4:00 (ROUGH!), 10:00, 16:00, and 22:00. Interestingly enough, there were no differences in force output, power, or mental readiness between any of the test times.

The Take Home Message:

So what does this mean for you? Well if you are only able to exercise during the early morning or later in the evening than this research indicates you should achieve the same results as any other point in the day! While lack of a comfortable time to exercise may be a good excuse for many people, don’t let it be yours! This New Year’s, instead of making another excuse, make a commitment to yourself!

References:

Hatfield, D.L, Nicoll, J.X., Kraemer, W.J. (2016). Effects of circadian rhythm on power, force, and hormonal response in young men. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 30(3), 725-732.

Prepared for the JKC blog by Coach Thomas.

Photo credit: JP Mullowney

Sean Leet

Personal Strength Training by Jon-Erik Kawamoto

I saw an article in Men’s Journal that quoted Jon in about 2018 while traveling and was impressed that someone in St. John’s made that international magazine. Jon spoke about an exercise called the Farmer’s Walk and I started working that into my routine at the YMCA. I tore that article out of the magazine and kept it, meaning to make contact, but got busy. Then I had lunch with an old friend Bruce Dyke. I hadn’t seen Bruce for a while and I remarked that he looked super healthy and fit. He told me about his, and his son Cas’, experience at JKC and then I remembered the Men’s Journal article! No coincidences!

The experience is unique on many levels – great people, camaraderie, passion, purpose, and dedication. Jon and Thomas are attentive, precise and understanding. Their teaching has unlocked a new perspective for me with what our bodies are capable of. I still appreciate the YMCA, wonderful place, but I can’t imagine working out without Jon and Thomas now.

Astrid Billfalk-Kelly

Personal Strength Training by Thomas King

I wanted to add strength training to my cardio, but have always felt gyms to be a bit intimidating, and was worried I would hurt myself without some supervision and help. JKC was highly recommended by several work colleagues. Thomas and Jon are both fantastic, making sure that everyone gets a highly personalized work out in a very supportive environment. The attention to detail and professionalism are second to none. The groups are very small, but very supportive and make the workouts even more fun. Since getting pregnant (36 weeks as I write this) I’m so happy that they continue to help me get stronger while always being safe.

Chris Stratton

I had been struggling with work-life balance resulting in not exercising or playing hockey as much as I had been doing in the past. In addition to being out of shape, I was starting to experience some back/shoulder issues and realized I needed to make some changes. Around this time, a friend (who was also a client) recommended JKC and that’s when I started!

You really feel part of a community where everyone is welcoming and supportive. You get a program that is designed specifically to achieve your goals, with the ongoing coaching, progress tracking and support required to achieve them. The JKC team are very knowledgeable about fitness and conditioning, and very engaging with everyone to answer questions or discuss anything and everything training related. I also like the flexible scheduling and gym times that work for my schedule (I like early mornings and evenings).

Nizar Ladha

I am the oldest client at JKC at 79 years, soon to be 80. I started training at JKC July 2021. I started at JKC because two of my three sons Justin and Michael and their partners Andrea and Keir and one of my doctors recommended JKC. They all train at JKC Now my wife Linda trains at JKC too. My third son Jonathan lives in Kingston. There is a congenial community atmosphere at JKC. People are introduced to each other. There is effective personal training at JKC.

Krissy Hussey

I originally joined JKC because I was anxious about passing out and embarrassing myself since I hadn’t weight trained in a while and I’d hoped to find somewhere sympathetic. My husband @terry_hussey had been training at JKC and his success there made me miss the achievement you feel from a good workout. I went to meet Jon and immediately knew it was going to be a safe space for me. I was never judged for the fears I had and where I was starting from. Jon and Thomas made sure to check on me often, and found a way to challenge me but make me feel secure at the same time, and Terry and I were able to book sessions together, so working out became a shared win for us!

JKC is different from other gyms because of the personal growth you have outside JKC (the sessions inside JKC creates a great positive feedback loop!). You gain self confidence, learn how to show up for yourself, meet a community of newfound friends, and get the support of your trainers who are behind you 100%. I’ve left a scattered workout so proud of myself I’ve honestly shed a tear in the car on the drive home. JKC is the mental health relief valve I need to stay positive, and keep my anxiety and health related fears at bay.

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