Pros and cons of evening jogs: trainer's tips

An evening run can be a great alternative for those whom for one reason or another are not suitable with morning jogging.

First of all, you need to calculate the time for your workouts in such a way that they bring pleasure and do not harm your health and well-being.

There is no definite answer to the question of when to exercise in the morning or in the evening, said Tatyana Petlyuk, Honored Master of Sports of Ukraine, silver medalist of the World and European Championships in 800-meter running, coach of professional and amateur athletes.

Running is useful at any time of the day, the main thing is to choose what is convenient for you, and of course do not forget about regularity.

“There are no huge pluses or huge minuses in running in the morning or running in the evening. Each athlete, each person involved in sports, has a different body, each responds differently to stresses, so training is selected individually” says Tatyana.

“There are people who find it very difficult to wake up in the morning. Morning workouts are not suitable for their biorhythms, and there is no point in pushing themselves. Such people, of course, are better off training in the evening. They come to their “normal” state by the afternoon, and the body is at the peak of performance in the evening.

Some people may experience sleep disturbances after an evening workout. They have other biorhythms, and evening loads are not permissible for their body, they will work in the negative direction. It’s better for these people to train in the morning” the trainer recommends.

Pros of running in the evenings:

1. Evening runs help to relax, relieve stress accumulated during the day, provide an opportunity to abstract from a million work tasks, and bring thoughts and feelings in order.
2. Running before bedtime (at a moderate pace) helps you fall asleep faster and even fight insomnia. Everyone knows that high-quality healthy sleep is an integral part of our life, a guarantee of health and productivity.
3. If you started running to lose weight, it’s proven that evening jogging is more effective. In the evening workout, the excess calories accumulated during the day are quickly burned.
4. Scientists believe that in the evening, from 18:00 to 20:00, a person is at the peak of physical activity. Therefore, the effectiveness of jogging in the evening will be greater.
5. Evening runs make it possible to replenish the oxygen supply in the blood and tone the muscles of the whole body. This will be especially useful for those who work at the computer.
6. The beneficial effect of running on the whole body has been scientifically proven: those who exercise regularly slow down the aging process.

Cons running in the evenings:

1. According to surveys, for many it’s hard to go for a run after a hard day. If you force yourself every night and have difficulty going out for training, try jogging in the morning.
2. In the evening, air pollution is higher. Better to avoid running along roads and freeways.
3. After evening exercise, sleep problems may occur.
4. Jogging in the dark is less safe.