Cardio On Empty Stomach Is Stupid (My Analysis)

[saint sinner x]

Think about it, to burn fat you must be on a calorie deficit, low intensity cardio burns fat during cardio, moderate pace cardio gives you a little afterburn effect and it's good for conditioning, and the favored of many bodybuilders is HIIT because it burns a **** load of calories during and after the workout is done, however HIIT shouldn't be done on an empty stomach because it is taxing on the CNS, and a HIIT session should be short and intense, therefor cardio on empty stomach sucks, I've tried both btw, and HIIT on a full stomach will allow you to output a stronger effort, creating a stronger calorie deficit and a powerful afterburn......

[BruceLee23]

Originally Posted by saint sinner x

Think about it, to burn fat you must be on a calorie deficit, low intensity cardio burns fat during cardio, moderate pace cardio gives you a little afterburn effect and it's good for conditioning, and the favored of many bodybuilders is HIIT because it burns a **** load of calories during and after the workout is done, however HIIT shouldn't be done on an empty stomach because it is taxing on the CNS, and a HIIT session should be short and intense, therefor cardio on empty stomach sucks, I've tried both btw, and HIIT on a full stomach will allow you to output a stronger effort, creating a stronger calorie deficit and a powerful afterburn......

You don't want to go on an empty or full stomach. Generally I just try to eat like at least 2 hours before any cardio, preferably 3. If I ate at noon though and I'm working out at 6 I'm gonna be lacking some energy most likely, though it's arguable if it really effects your performance(I think you just gotta focus hard)....Eating before you do cardio is a lot worse than not eating though.

[cameronlf06]

doing cardio as soon as you wake up before eating will melt the fat away assuming your diet and everything else is squared away

[Dramatic]

Originally Posted by cameronlf06

doing cardio as soon as you wake up before eating will melt the fat away assuming your diet and everything else is squared away

You should look into Alan Aragon's research.

[MMarshall_76]

Originally Posted by cameronlf06

doing cardio as soon as you wake up before eating will melt the fat away assuming your diet and everything else is squared away

^^^That's how the military does it. And I've never seen a fat soldier (Except medics but they get away with it)

But yeah... That makes sense... Why put anything in you and then try to burn it? I say burn it first and then refuel

[cameronlf06]

which has what conclusion because you can make research/numbers say whatever you want them to say...personal experience is always the best measure of success

[Avila]

Originally Posted by saint sinner x

(1) and the favored of many bodybuilders is HIIT because it burns a **** load of calories during and after the workout is done,

(2) however HIIT shouldn't be done on an empty stomach because it is taxing on the CNS, and a HIIT session should be short and intense, therefor cardio on empty stomach sucks,

(1) are we talking about competitive bodybuilders?

(2) i guess the title of your thread should have been HIIT on an empty stomach sucks... your title is not specific, cardio is too broad and can include walking or jogging which are lower intensity than hiit and could be alright to do on an empty stomach, IMO.

just my 2 cents

[gbrs5]

Originally Posted by MMarshall_76

^^^That's how the military does it. And I've never seen a fat soldier (Except medics but they get away with it)

But yeah... That makes sense... Why put anything in you and then try to burn it? I say burn it first and then refuel

Originally Posted by cameronlf06

doing cardio as soon as you wake up before eating will melt the fat away assuming your diet and everything else is squared away

While it is true that you will lose the fat very quickly, it is also true that you will lose a lot of hard built muscle very quickly as well...the choice is yours! And it really depends on your goals!

[MMarshall_76]

Originally Posted by gbrs5

While it is true that you will lose the fat very quickly, it is also true that you will lose a lot of hard built muscle very quickly as well...the choice is yours! And it really depends on your goals!

^^^ That is also true... If your body has no carbs or calories to burn... It will begin eating your muscle.

[derekk1]

Originally Posted by MMarshall_76

^^^ That is also true... If your body has no carbs or calories to burn... It will begin eating your muscle.

i third that

[DaVe-M]

Originally Posted by derekk1

i third that

what about if your doing keto though

and run on an empty stomach

keto changes the bodys fuel source from carbs to fats

so keto run on empty stomach should burn pure fat

true ?

[mrdoggypoo]

couldnt you just eat something small, like a protein shake and some nuts right when you wake up, and then do your cardio within 20-30min?

ive heard ppl say that you should treat cardio like a lift session, but i'm pretty sure i'd start cramping if i had an actual meal in me and tried to do cardio (even if the meal was 2 or so hrs prior).

thoughts?

[Oscar_Mike]

I like 10-15g of BCAAs before cardio if I'm doing it first thing in the morning. Preserve muscle and still get the benefit of increased fat metabolism by doing it than. For me, these are never intense sessions, rather steady state cardio done for 30-45min. While these sessions help with fat loss, the main reason I do them is for improvements in my resting heart rate.

The majority of my conditioning is HIIT, and I definitely agree that you need some food in you before it or you really detract from the intensity you cna attack it with.

[hellawaits77]

It seems like everyone has a different opinion on this subject, but after the research I've done, it appears that low to moderate intensity cardio on an empty stomach will not burn muscle IF :

You take in a few grams of whey + BCAA's. Glutamine would help too.

Not an expert here, it just seems that this is the deal.

[RockPower11]

Originally Posted by gbrs5

While it is true that you will lose the fat very quickly, it is also true that you will lose a lot of hard built muscle very quickly as well...the choice is yours! And it really depends on your goals!

If you're taking BCAA's your muscle will be protected.

[cheeseandrice]

assume you take BCAA's. will you burn more fat opposed to cardio at night?

[mrdoggypoo]

Originally Posted by Oscar_Mike

I like 10-15g of BCAAs before cardio if I'm doing it first thing in the morning. Preserve muscle and still get the benefit of increased fat metabolism by doing it than. For me, these are never intense sessions, rather steady state cardio done for 30-45min. While these sessions help with fat loss, the main reason I do them is for improvements in my resting heart rate.

The majority of my conditioning is HIIT, and I definitely agree that you need some food in you before it or you really detract from the intensity you cna attack it with.

so what if you took in BCAAs, or some sort of whey protein drink, and something else small (apple, almonds, etc) and then did HIIT. I guess by the time you did your HIIT, it would be 30-35min after waking, and 25min or so after that small whey/apple meal.

if you physically can muster up the energy to run sprints, would it then be wise to do so? or would that be detrimental to muscle? i am interested to hear what you guys have to say, for me cardio on weekends is best (due to schedule) and i like to get it down early, so that I have rest of my day ahead of me.

thoughts?

[elmariachii]

LISS on an empty stomach in the morning will use 85% of fat as energy and 15% (protein+Carbs)

Pros: it will use the Fat that was stored
cons: might catabolise your muscle but wont hurt u if u take a good protein meal after



HIIT: burns 85% of glycogen for energy and 15% of fat and muscle

Pros: lots of calories burnt in short amount of time
raised metabolism for the day
Cons: doesnt target stored fat in your body, so if you want to directly lose the Bodyfat, it needs lots of time.


Source: couple of months away from my MS in nutrition

[Oscar_Mike]

Originally Posted by mrdoggypoo

so what if you took in BCAAs, or some sort of whey protein drink, and something else small (apple, almonds, etc) and then did HIIT. I guess by the time you did your HIIT, it would be 30-35min after waking, and 25min or so after that small whey/apple meal.

if you physically can muster up the energy to run sprints, would it then be wise to do so? or would that be detrimental to muscle? i am interested to hear what you guys have to say, for me cardio on weekends is best (due to schedule) and i like to get it down early, so that I have rest of my day ahead of me.

thoughts?

As long as you can perform, there isn't a problem. As long as you get some aminos in some form in you and enough carbs or fat for you to have the energy you require than you'll be fine. Do your training and than eat a good meal after and than move on. HIIT isn't inherently catabolic. In fact it's more likely to preserve muscle than steady state cardio is, which is one of the reasons its so popular.

Most of the people, myself included, who choose not to do HIIT first thing in the morning on an empty or near empty stomach aren't choosing that based on wasting muscle but on performance. I tran much better later in the day after I'm loosened up from moving around, and I have some food in me. First thing in the morning, I feel like crap and take forever to get loose enough to where I can go 100% without injuring myself. I also need to get a couple meals in me first so that i have some fuel stores to work with.

[mrdoggypoo]

Originally Posted by Oscar_Mike

As long as you can perform, there isn't a problem. As long as you get some aminos in some form in you and enough carbs or fat for you to have the energy you require than you'll be fine. Do your training and than eat a good meal after and than move on. HIIT isn't inherently catabolic. In fact it's more likely to preserve muscle than steady state cardio is, which is one of the reasons its so popular.

Most of the people, myself included, who choose not to do HIIT first thing in the morning on an empty or near empty stomach aren't choosing that based on wasting muscle but on performance. I tran much better later in the day after I'm loosened up from moving around, and I have some food in me. First thing in the morning, I feel like crap and take forever to get loose enough to where I can go 100% without injuring myself. I also need to get a couple meals in me first so that i have some fuel stores to work with.

i actually am just like you in that i feel crappy in the morning. on the days that i lift, i definitely need to be up for at least 6hrs or so. i do cardio on the weekends (as well as 2 random days after lift). i would rather do my weekend cardio later in the day, but my schedule (errands, family) won't allow it.

[Oscar_Mike]

Yeah, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. I don't think it's something to worry about. A morning session that isn't quite as productive as a later session is going to be much more beneficial than a missed session.

[Streety727]

i believe if u first take some BCAAs which will help preserve muscle and then take some L-Carntine that will metabolize and transport ure fatty acids more efficenetly then morniing cardio would be very effective, however it also depends on your weight

[PowerD]

We run first thing in the morning, before chow. Im still gaining muscle, but I'd probably gain faster if I ran less, but Id gain more fat too. IDK, I have a scoop of purple wraath before my run and it helps my endurance noticeably. .02

[DudeManBro]

yea heres a quote I found online

"One of the biggest concerns brought up by opponents of fasted morning cardio is the potential for losing lean body mass. One way to help combat the possible loss of lean body mass is to eat a small protein-only meal or to consume a protein drink (no carbs) immediately upon awakening, then perform the cardio shortly thereafter. This decreases the risk by suppressing cortisol and preventing muscle breakdown, while maintaining the high benefit by keeping your blood sugar and insulin levels low."