The Best Time to Go to the Gym If You Hate Crowds — and If You Love Them

A quiet gym is a rare and blessed gift. Less people at the gym means shorter wait times for your favorite machines, fewer eyes on you during your workouts, and (speaking from personal experience) the occasional confidence to venture out into the free weights. That said, knowing the busiest and quietest hours at the gym is usually less of an exact science and more of a low-risk guessing game . . . until now.

In order to find the busiest and quietest gym times, experts from fitness brand Set for Set analyzed Google data across every state in the US. They specifically looked at the number of gym visits reported at each hour of the day, discovering the most and least popular times to work out. In New York, for example, the busiest time and day to visit the gym is 5 or 6 p.m. on a Tuesday. If you're looking for a quieter time, Sunday at 2 a.m. and Saturday at 11 p.m. are your best options for an empty gym. In all honesty, we're not sure if a solo workout is really worth a 2 a.m. gym time, but the decision is yours to make.

Although these findings vary slightly from state to state, most of the times are pretty consistent no matter where you go. General gym trends suggest that most people are hitting a post-work workout, and avoiding the gym in the early mornings and late nights (gym bros have to party too). You're also less likely to find a crowded gym later on the weekends, when people might be relaxing, recovering, or just taking a rest day.

You can use this knowledge to avoid the crowds and prioritize your privacy, scheduling your gym time for a quieter, more efficient workout. Or maybe you're a people person and you prefer a busier gym anyway — no judgment here. Ahead, check out the busiest and quietest hours at the gym, and feel free to plan your next workout accordingly.

Chandler Plante is an assistant editor for POPSUGAR Health & Fitness. Previously, she worked as an editorial assistant for People magazine and contributed to Ladygunn, Millie, and Bustle Digital Group. In her free time, she overshares on the internet, creating content about chronic illness, beauty, and disability.