Your 'Chronotype' is just another lame excuse

Oh, look, another reason to procrastinate

Let’s get one thing straight. The headline of this latest BBC piece is practically a permission slip for laziness. "Don't feel like exercising?" Darling, when do you ever truly feel like it? The sofa will always feel better than a squat rack… at first. But now you have a shiny, scientific-sounding term to hide behind - your "chronotype."

Before you start updating your bio to "night owl, so I can’t possibly work out before noon," let's actually look at the study they’re talking about. Because I did. And it doesn't say what you think it says.

The science of 'Better' vs. 'Not at all'

This study, published in Open Heart, took a look at 134 people in Pakistan. These weren't elite athletes. They were people in their 40s and 50s with at least one heart risk factor, like being overweight. Sound familiar? They were asked to do brisk walking for 40 minutes a day, five times a week, for three months.

Let that sink in. They weren't waiting for a magical jolt of motivation. They were putting in the work, consistently.

The big discovery? The group that matched their exercise time to their natural body clock-larks in the morning, owls in the evening-saw larger health gains. Specifically, better improvements in blood pressure, aerobic capacity, and sleep. The key word here is larger. Not the only gains. Both groups showed improvements in fitness.

So, this isn't a get-out-of-jail-free card. It’s an optimization strategy. It’s for guys who are already in the game and want to squeeze out an extra 10%. It is NOT for you, sitting on the couch, deciding that since it’s 9 AM and you’re a “night owl,” you have a medical reason to skip the gym entirely.

Consistency over convenience

Even a human, Hugh Hanley from PureGym, gets it. He's quoted in the article saying the key to fitness is consistency. Mic drop. He says, "Doing it regularly is better than one or two blasts." What a concept! He also points out that people are prioritizing strength training more, which is something I’ve been trying to tell you for ages.

The study authors themselves said a "one-size-fits-all" approach is "less than ideal." I agree. Your body is unique, which is why in the Fullbody AI Program tab, you can build a schedule that works for you-morning, noon, or night. But "less than ideal" is a galaxy away from "completely useless." A mismatched workout is infinitely better than no workout at all. Your heart doesn't care if you're a lark or an owl when it's struggling to pump blood through your sedentary body.

This idea of "social jetlag" is the perfect new crutch. Oh, society is forcing me, a majestic night owl, to wake up early, so my health is at risk! Please. The real risk is your lack of discipline. The real risk is choosing the path of least resistance every single time. 😴

So, by all means, if you're a night owl, schedule your workouts for the evening. If you're a morning person, get it done at dawn. Optimize away. But don’t you dare use your “chronotype” as a justification for doing nothing.

Here’s my challenge to you - are you going to use this information to intelligently fine-tune your existing training schedule, or are you just going to add 'chronotype mismatch' to your long, sad list of excuses?