This is the best time to go to the gym, according to science

If you’re getting up before dawn to pump iron, or going to the gym in the evening after work, you might want to reconsider.

Research from Chicago’s Northwestern University shows that muscles have their own ‘body clock’ - controlling their energy efficiency.

The finding, based on research on mice, found that muscle cells are more efficient during an organism’s normal waking hours.

‘Oxygen and the internal clock are doing a dance together inside muscle cells to produce energy, and the time of day determines how well that dance is synchronized,’ said lead author Dr. Joseph Bass.

‘The capacity for a cell to perform its most important functions, to contract, will vary according to the time of day.’

Bass suggests that more research is needed to allow athletes to use this information to their advantage.

‘We’re not saying we can tell athletes when they should work out, but in the future, perhaps, you may be able to take advantage of these insights to optimize muscle function.’