Who does fasted running in the a.m.?

kaylabree · 08-25-2008, 10:41 AM

since classes are back in session, i'll be waking up extra early to get some cardio in! this morning i did 25 min of fasted running, ill do 20-30min each morning.
just curious, who does it and do you like it? or do you prefer eating before you run in the morning? i'm going to try both ways to see which i like better, though i liked running on an empty stomach this morning!

i know you can burn fat easy and also burn muscle (not so good on the muscle part) but you do what you have to. are there more benefits to fasted running?

thanks all!

zakkala · 08-25-2008, 10:51 AM

When I was running regular last year, and trying to get all my training runs in for the races I had, I tried it - and hated it!

I live at the bottom of a hill so the first 1.2 miles of any of my training runs was uphill - if I tried it in the morning before breakfast I couldn't even get three quarters of the way up before feeling absolutely hideous and having to give up! I'd feel like I had no energy at all, legs weighed a ton and wouldn't move - I just felt slow, sick and horrid!

After a couple of attempts, I did all my training at lunchtime or evening (or during the day for long runs at the weekend). I admire anyone that can run on an empty stomach, but it's definitely not for me!

Twerp · 08-25-2008, 10:57 AM

There are no additional benefits to fasted running. NONE. ZERO.

It's a personal preference thing - some folks like to do cardio on an empty stomach, and some don't.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaylabree

since classes are back in session, i'll be waking up extra early to get some cardio in! this morning i did 25 min of fasted running, ill do 20-30min each morning.
just curious, who does it and do you like it? or do you prefer eating before you run in the morning? i'm going to try both ways to see which i like better, though i liked running on an empty stomach this morning!

i know you can burn fat easy and also burn muscle (not so good on the muscle part) but you do what you have to. are there more benefits to fasted running?

thanks all!

Maleficent238 · 08-25-2008, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaylabree

since classes are back in session, i'll be waking up extra early to get some cardio in! this morning i did 25 min of fasted running, ill do 20-30min each morning.
just curious, who does it and do you like it? or do you prefer eating before you run in the morning? i'm going to try both ways to see which i like better, though i liked running on an empty stomach this morning!

i know you can burn fat easy and also burn muscle (not so good on the muscle part) but you do what you have to. are there more benefits to fasted running?

thanks all!

I LOVE running first thing in the morning. Muscle preservation is a big deal to me, so I take 1.5 mg of l-carnitine, 5g of bcaas, and 1/2 scoop of whey isolate about 30 minutes before running and also immediately after. I'm still making muscle gains, so it seems to be working just fine for me.

Megin · 08-25-2008, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Twerp

There are no additional benefits to fasted running. NONE. ZERO.

I agree.. I agree.. I agree

With that said. I was perusing articles on bb.com (its an addiction

)
And for the life of me, I can't find where it is written but the statement is paraphrased as follows:

It takes 20 mins to get to the fat burning zone. Which is why cardio first thing or cardio after weight training is ideal (glycogen is depleted)
So, if you want to do cardio at other times, it takes a good 20 mins to get yourself to the fat burning zone...

IMO any cardio is better than no cardio, but for the sake of ideal..thoughts on this?

PS. I will post the link when I figure out where it was

Twerp · 08-25-2008, 03:45 PM

If you're asking for my opinion, the ideal form of cardio is HIIT. I know that's becoming a buzzword right now, but for good reason. HIIT increases resting metabolism, whereas regular cardio doesn't. Now, the 'fat burning' zone sounds great, but it's not all it's cracked up to be. There are as many philosophies on why fasted cardio "should" work (i.e. typically in the morning - leads to increased mobilization of fatty acids, testosterone is higher, etc...) as there are why it shouldn't (higher cortisol production, decreased hGH levels).

Any cardio is better than no cardio, and I can't stress this enough - if you have the time and patience to do 30-60 minutes of aerobic cardio, then get comfortable and do it. There's no magical fat loss zone, so whether you prefer fasted or not, all I would say is to push yourself.

LionChick · 08-25-2008, 07:25 PM

i've tried it both ways, and i generally have found that if you have time to allow 1-1.5 hours to allow breakfast to digest, it is good to eat. if you just want to get out the door and get it done, run on an empty stomach. be warned, however, while it's not too hard ot do an "easy run" on empty, doing HIIT is much harder. it makes me dizzy sometimes. and if you are doing a long run, definitley do it on a breakfast day...

kitebean · 08-26-2008, 02:28 AM

I want to PERFORM TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY whether it's lifting or cardio, whatever time of day.

and I can only do that if I have respected my body and fuelled it properly. We are athletes, remember

kaylabree · 08-26-2008, 09:03 AM

thanks to everyone who replied!
kitebean you're absolutely right!
its always nice hearing others opinions and i definitely got a bunch of them!
i do HIIT, but i do it after i lift. i am definitely going to keep up with that. i don;t think i'd be able to do that on an empty stomach, that sounds like a death wish haha.
anyway, thanks to everyone! i appreciate it!!!

Twerp · 08-26-2008, 09:06 AM

Just one last thing, fasted cardio is ONLY FOR LOWER INTENSITY STEADY STATE CARDIO.

That's not up for debate, nobody in their right mind would suggest that you should do HIIT on an empty stomach. The principles behind why fasted cardio *might* work better (emphasis on might) do not apply to lifting and/or HIIT.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaylabree

thanks to everyone who replied!
kitebean you're absolutely right!
its always nice hearing others opinions and i definitely got a bunch of them!
i do HIIT, but i do it after i lift. i am definitely going to keep up with that. i don;t think i'd be able to do that on an empty stomach, that sounds like a death wish haha.
anyway, thanks to everyone! i appreciate it!!!

daisygirlxo · 08-26-2008, 09:13 AM

damnit, i do HIIT on an empty stomach.
i cant do annny running with food in the system.

Twerp · 08-26-2008, 09:24 AM

Sorry

I wasn't trying to imply that you're not in your right mind, just that the conditions aren't ideal....

daisygirlxo · 08-26-2008, 09:27 AM

hehe, its k, it does take time getting used to it though- to switch from using the carbs to fat for fuel.

LionChick · 08-28-2008, 03:46 PM

yeah, i was more thinking of fasted cardio in the sense of "i have a doctors appointment at 7 am and i'll be busy all day, it's cardio at 5 am or none at all"... in which case gettin gup at 2:45 to eat would be (in my mind) unpleasant, and i'd rather go fasted. defintiely, if you have time to fuel and digest, DO IT!