Skip to content
DinFit

The best time to work out in Ramadan: before iftar, after iftar or after suhoor

By DinFit · Published 29 October 2026 · How these articles are made

Every claim on this page names its source. It has been checked against those sources, not reviewed by a health professional.

In a 2012 trial, nine trained athletes did the same hard session at 8 in the morning, 6 in the evening and 9 at night, before and during Ramadan, and in Ramadan their performance fell in the morning and early-evening sessions but not at 9 pm, after the fast was broken.1 A 2023 sports medicine guideline for healthy people suggests training after iftar where you can, keeping any session before iftar light and short, and not training in the morning after suhoor.2 Below is what each time of day offers, and what the research behind it does and does not show.

If you would like a plan of your own that works around fasting days, DinFit's free plan builds one from your answers and sends it by email.

Is it better to work out after iftar?

The guideline's expert panel saw a session starting about three hours after iftar as the best way to stay fed and hydrated through training, and placed hard or long sessions there.2 It also warned that doing hard or long sessions at that hour too often can disturb sleep and leave you short of it.2 For people new to training, it suggests the evening after iftar.2 A 2012 review of practical recommendations for high-level athletes adds that training late in the day lets you eat after the session, which helps recovery.3

Who this research is about

The 2012 trial was of nine trained athletes and one kind of session: six all-out 30-second sprints on a bike, then a ride to exhaustion.1

What about training just before iftar?

The guideline suggests the hour or two before iftar for light to moderate sessions, or short strength sessions, finished in time to eat and drink straight after, and notes that this slot does not affect night sleep.2 It keeps sessions before iftar to 60 to 75 minutes at most, warm-up and cool-down included, and suggests making hard sessions 10 to 30 percent shorter than before Ramadan.2 A 2020 review that pooled 11 studies found that power in sprint tests fell during Ramadan fasting, while strength and aerobic performance did not change.4

Who this research is about

The guideline's recommendations are expert opinion, the lowest of its three levels of evidence, and are written for healthy people, most of them for athletes.2

Can you train in the morning, after suhoor?

The guideline does not recommend it: after a morning session, recovery waits until sunset for food and drink.2 If you do train then, it suggests keeping the session light and resting somewhere cool afterwards.2 In the 2020 review, sprinting in the morning was one of the measures that fell during Ramadan.4

Who this research is about

The studies in that review tested physical performance, and its conclusions are written for athletes.4

What about training late at night, after taraweeh?

No study we read tested training after the night prayer. The guideline notes that the late prayers of Ramadan already move sleep later, and warns that frequent hard or long sessions at night can disturb sleep.2 Sleep in Ramadan looks at what the research found about sleep and night training.

Who this research is about

That warning is expert opinion, written for athletes.2

How does this fit into a week?

A Ramadan training plan puts these times together into a week, and strength training in Ramadan looks at lifting in particular.

If you live with a health condition, take regular medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have had an eating disorder, talk to your doctor about training and eating while you fast.

Read next

A free plan, built around your week

DinFit's free plan is a personalised training and eating plan, sent to you by email as a PDF, with every claim in it naming its source.

Choose to have it work around prayer and fasting days, and it adds a section on training, eating and sleep on fasting days, for the parts your plan covers.

Get your free plan

Sources

Every source is described in our own words; none is quoted.

  1. Aziz AR, Chia MY, Low CY, et al. Conducting an acute intense interval exercise session during the Ramadan fasting month: what is the optimal time of the day? Chronobiol Int. 2012;29(8):1139-1150. PMID 22947072. Record on PubMed
  2. Chamari K, Guezguez F, Khalladi K, et al. Aspetar clinical guidelines: Ramadan fasting and exercise for healthy individuals. Tunis Med. 2023;101(1):1-14. PMID 37682254. Full text on PMC
  3. Maughan RJ, Zerguini Y, Chalabi H, et al. Achieving optimum sports performance during Ramadan: some practical recommendations. J Sports Sci. 2012;30 Suppl 1:S109-17. PMID 22769241. Record on PubMed
  4. Abaïdia AE, Daab W, Bouzid MA. Effects of Ramadan Fasting on Physical Performance: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Med. 2020;50(5):1009-1026. PMID 31960369. Record on PubMed

About DinFit

DinFit is also an app for iPhone: a daily check-in for training, nutrition, prayer and sleep, with a garden that grows as you stay consistent. It is on the App Store, and it is separate from the free plan above.

Visit dinfit.app