A new study has revealed that you’re likely to run fastest on a Sunday and lift heaviest on Monday evening, making this the perfect time to attempt a personal best (PB) or set a record.

Social media is often the first place we head to when celebrating our latest fitness achievements, so the experts at SportsShoes.com have analysed when people are most likely to post about PBs on Instagram. Looking at over 35,000 Instagram posts has revealed the best time to attempt a PB for a variety of different sports and workout types.

Hitting a new PB (personal best) is what drives many people while running or working out, with many sharing their successes on social media. But is there a trend to when people are more likely to achieve a new personal record?

SportsShoes.com has analysed over 35,000 social media posts to uncover the exact day and time that seems to be best for setting a personal record. The research looked at the time that social media users posted PB photos, using over 15 hashtags relating to personal bests, and cross-referenced the posts with the fitness activities they depicted, to reveal the most popular times for hitting a PB.

The study found that overall, the optimal time for running performance is 7pm on Sundays. With many runners training for a marathon, Sunday running is popular for doing a personal best in terms of distance, but also seems to be the day that gives runners enough energy and headspace to go for a fast time too.

For weightlifters, the most common time to set a PB is Monday evenings. After a restful weekend, and at the start of a new week, physical and mental energy seem to tally up, resulting in heavier lifts.

Best time, day and month for a PB

April and October have been identified as the peak months for people posting about their sporting wins, perhaps due to mild weather creating easier conditions, and 7pm is the most common time to post a personal best, suggesting that it’s not always the early bird who gets the worm.

Those looking to make strides in their marathon performance should don their running shoes on the weekend, with Sunday in particular a hotspot for marathon records. Generally, runners are posting PBs most on Sunday (31%), followed by Saturday (17%) and Monday (16%).

However, if you’re a lifter, you’re likely to see your worst results on a weekend, so enjoy a lazier Sunday and hold off on your workout until the beginning of the week. 17% of lifting PB posts are uploaded on Mondays, while 15% are uploaded on Tuesday or Wednesday. Make sure you start an hour earlier than your running friends, as 6pm is the most popular PB time for all lifting, and for best deadlift results, attempt your PB at 8pm.

Here are the results:

All PBs:  Sunday 19:00
Any Running: Sunday 19:00
Marathon Running: Sunday 18:00
Cycling: Sunday 18:00
Any Lifting: Monday 19:00
Deadlift:  Monday 20:00
Squat:  Monday 19:00
Bench Press:  Monday 19:00
Swimming:  Monday 19:00
Fishing:  Monday 18:00

A full breakdown of the results for the optimal time to hit a personal best can be found at: Sportsshoes.com