Though 24-hour gyms are common in many Western countries, the trend of hitting the gym after hours is spreading fast through the busy young workforce in Ho Chi Minh City.

For these professionals, who spend their days behind a desk, night-time workouts are a much-needed health boost.

Southeast Asians are no strangers to working out at odd hours, but for going to the gym in the dead of night is still a novelty for many Vietnamese.

One 24/7 gym in District 3 is often crowded after 8:30 pm, when many of its younger members are just arriving after a long day at the office.

“Our place is most crowded during 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm. People still come after that, but it’s mostly the young,” said Dinh Duc Huy, the gym’s manager and head trainer.

He added that about 40 percent of night gym goers at his place are 18-24 years old and 30 percent are 25-34 years of age. The rest are in an older age bracket.

According to Huy, the number of gym members buying packages for the late-night shifts is low, with more or less 10 members showing up nightly after 10:00 pm.

“But they are the most consistent in their schedule. They still make it here, even on weekends,” he emphasized.

Their busy work schedule is what leads them to come at such unusual hours, he said.

“Due to their tight daily work schedule, they are only able to make time [for gym workouts] after 10:00 pm. Instead of burying themselves in their phones until 1:00 am or 2:00 am, they choose to spend two hours in the gym,” Huy elaborated.

Late-night workouts help to release stress. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Relaxation, appetite, moods

According to Nguyen Thi Thien An, an office worker who starts her workout at 7:00 pm five days a week, going to the night gym is a priceless convenience.

“If I work out in the morning, I’m worn out for the whole working day. I’m more stress-free after a whole eight hours at work so I often find myself in the gym,” An said.

Her original purpose for visiting the gym was weight loss, but now she is seeing benefits in her stress levels and ability to relax.

“It even helps my appetite and raises my general mood,” she remarked.

Sharing the same opinion, Nguyen Thu Huong feels that late-night gym workouts help her release her energy and get rid of any toxic substances she may have consumed during the day.

“I’m totally spent after a whole day at work, so my body is really pushed to the limits during these workouts. But I always feel so refreshed,” she explained.

“Others have also noticed I’m often in high spirits.”

Going to the gym is effective whatever the time of the day. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Sleeplessness?

Huy, the head trainer, acknowledged that the general public might feel that night-time is a strange time to head to the gym, but that the time of day a workout takes place does not matter.

“Many people are under the impression that it can mess with your biological clock. However, if you can maintain a proper diet and rest, it won’t have a negative effect,” he explained.

Nguyen Quoc Huy, a gym coach, noted that the major difference between day and night workouts is the effect on the biological clock.

“After 8:00 pm, the body is ready to enter a resting period, so sleeplessness might occur to those new to the experience,” he said.

“In fact, it can take your body two hours before it cools down enough for sleep.”

Sleeplessness may occur to some, but this can be easily dealt with. Photo: Tuoi Tre

He also proposed an easy tip for this situation: “Use protein and eat some rice afterward to stimulate the serotonin hormone which can act as a catalyst for better sleep.”

In his experience, working out regularly while sticking to the tips above can get the body used to the biological ‘jet lag’ within at least one week, and sleeplessness will be a thing of the past.

“It takes an average of 21 days for the body to adapt to biological changes,” he explained.

“Gym goers who do late-night workouts are even more energetic in the daytime than their counterparts, as their body is filled with power accumulated during the day,” he further explained.

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