Cardio in the morning on an empty stomache...

[Teddy057]

I've read various articles on Cardio in the morning on an empty stomache, some say its bad, some say good....
Im trying to lean out but stay around the same size, any suggestions?

[MiketheSwede]

Originally Posted by Teddy057

I've read various articles on Cardio in the morning on an empty stomache, some say its bad, some say good....
Im trying to lean out but stay around the same size, any suggestions?

Looooooooooots of discussion on this still!


MY PERSONAL opinion, is have a shake (no carbs) before you go.

[dawnoffatex]

After reading what actual science I could get my hands in involving it - i'd say empty stomach is probably not a good idea unless your ONLY goal is weight loss, with no worry about retaining muscle.


Otherwise, i'm going to say for most people - pop 25G of protein right before you go. Best of both worlds here in my opinion, especially if it's a protein like ON with a good amino acid profile.


I myself do my cardio post work out, and I sip xtend throughout to try to keep as much muscle on as possible. My goal is to keep fat gain in check while bulking however.

[Teddy057]

Ah alright, im currently on a pretty strict diet.. Im getting about 250g protein a day 70g carbs/fat... Im usually lifting after my 3rd or 4th meal, i do 10 minutes of cardio at the beginning to get a good blood flow. Then i do 20minutes post to finish it up. So, for the most part im doing cardio on somewhat of an empty stomach. Im5'9 177lbs, and i want to do a competition next year.. Ill be 19, so it will be the last year i can do a teen competition... So mainly im just trying to lean out and see much better definition.

[brighamw]

Originally Posted by dawnoffatex

After reading what actual science I could get my hands in involving it - i'd say empty stomach is probably not a good idea unless your ONLY goal is weight loss, with no worry about retaining muscle.


Otherwise, i'm going to say for most people - pop 25G of protein right before you go. Best of both worlds here in my opinion, especially if it's a protein like ON with a good amino acid profile.


I myself do my cardio post work out, and I sip xtend throughout to try to keep as much muscle on as possible. My goal is to keep fat gain in check while bulking however.

I agree, I would be too worried that doing cardio 1st thing in the AM on an empty stomach would burn muscle...NEVER a good thing IMOP!!

[in10city]

Very few things are inherently good or bad. Only when something is placed within a proper frame of reference can you have a discussion that is remotely sensible. The duration and intensity of the cardio need to be considered.

Muscle amino use is typically small under most conditions encountered by "bodybuilders" as the body has an interest in keeping it and using other sources. However, lots of microeffects may give a macroeffect if done repetitively over time as things add up. There is a lot of wiggle room here. For example, something low intensity or short duration won't have much of an impact while high intensity or long duration will not be optimal.

So while fasted cardio may *work*, it is not necessarily superior to doing cardio at any other time. People have myopia and only focus on one aspect [fat oxidation - but many seem sketchy about substrate usage patterns here since glycogen is still being used] and completely ignore all the other mitigating factors that tend to even the playing field. And one has to question if being fed and being able to put in the time and effort is actually better.

[beachguy498]

When I go to the gym in the morning, I'll mix up a serving of oatmeal. Even the instant is good enough to get you going. You are a machine, you need to be fed to work properly!

BG

[ramrod63]

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=747976

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