Ever tried to join your friends for an early morning workout class, only to find yourself yawning and fighting for your life the entire time? Conversely, have you ever gone to the gym at night, giving your workout barely anything because your body was on low battery? Some people thrive while working out at nighttime, while others find their energy levels to be through the roof in the morning. This has everything to do with their chronotype (aka being a “early bird” vs “night owl”), and it’s important to know yours to maximize efficiency, work alongside your body’s natural mechanics, and cultivate a worthwhile gym routine. Here’s a deeper dive into what it means and how to recalibrate accordingly. 

What Your Chronotype Means

A chronotype refers to your body’s natural factory settings for sleep and alertness, driven by your internal circadian clock, which regulates hormones like cortisol, melatonin, and testosterone. Also influenced by genetics, being either an early bird (morning-type) or a night owl (evening-type) dictates the most optimal times of day for activity, defining your energy, mood, motivation, and ability to perform. 

When you work against your chronotype, aka forcing yourself to exert the most amount of energy when your performance ability is low, you’re essentially working against your own body. Why make things harder for yourself when you could align your schedule with your body and maximize efficiency?  When you train against your chronotype, you’re suddenly dealing with a slower reaction time, lower strength output, higher perceived effort, increased risk of injury, and a harsher recovery journey. When you train with your chronotype, however, you’re tapping into your body’s peak physiological window.

Chronotype Self-Test

You’re likely an early bird if:

  • You wake up easily in the morning without an alarm
  • Your best energy and focus happen before noon
  • You feel sluggish at night
  • You get sleepy around 9 or 10 PM
  • Morning workouts feel doable

You’re likely a night owl if:

  • You struggle with early mornings even after a good sleep
  • Your brain “turns on” in the late afternoon or evening
  • You feel your strongest or most coordinated after 4 PM
  • You naturally go to bed after 11 PM
  • Morning workouts feel like punishment

It’s, of course, not black or white, and you may find yourself somewhere in the middle. It’s simply important to take note of when you feel the strongest, when you recover the fastest, and when workouts feel energizing rather than draining.

Working Out For Your Chronotype

When it comes to aligning with your chronotype, it’s all about working smarter and not harder. The benefits of aligning your workouts with your chronotype include: 

  • Better strength and endurance 
  • More consistent motivation 
  • Improved recovery and sleep quality
  • Lower stress response
  • More willingness to commit long-term

Once you know where you fall, you can use these example workout templates for your respective chronotype to change up your routine and get the most out of your training. It’s important to note that not everyone has a malleable schedule, but if there’s any opportunity at all to align your workout with what your body naturally yearns for, it’s most certainly worth the accommodation.

Training as an Early Bird (Morning Chronotype)

Early birds tend to wake up with higher cortisol levels, making mornings ideal for focus, discipline, and steady energy. They often thrive on structured, moderate-intensity workouts in the morning, including:

  • Steady-state cardio
  • Low- to moderate-intensity strength training
  • Pilates, barre, yoga
  • Endurance-based workouts
  • Technique-focused sessions

Sample Early Bird Workout Routine

Time: 8:00 AM
Duration: 45 minutes

Warm-Up (10 min)

  • Dynamic stretching
  • Light mobility flow
  • Walking or easy cycling

Main Workout (25 min)

  • Goblet squats – 3×12
  • Push-ups or chest press – 3×10
  • Romanian deadlifts – 3×12
  • Seated rows – 3×12
  • Plank hold – 3×30–45 sec

Cool Down (10 min)

  • Light stretching
  • Deep breathing to prevent cortisol spikes

Training as a Night Owl (Evening Chronotype)

Night owls experience peak coordination and muscle strength later in the day. This makes evenings ideal for power, speed, and high-intensity training, including: 

  • Heavy lifting
  • HIIT and interval training
  • Sprint workouts
  • Sports and group fitness
  • High-skill or explosive movements

Sample Night Owl Workout Routine

Time: 6:30 p.m.
Duration: 50 minutes

Warm-Up (10 min)

  • Dynamic drills
  • Activation work (glutes, core)
  • Light cardio

Main Workout (30 min)

  • Barbell squats – 4×6
  • Deadlifts – 4×5
  • Bench press or push press – 4×6
  • Walking lunges – 3×10 each side
  • Box jumps or kettlebell swings – 3×12

Cool Down (10 min)

  • Stretching
  • Slow nasal breathing to wind down