lift in the AM without eating breakfast first???

[nlavale]

Just wondering if you girls train in the morning without eating breakfast first. I usually do cardio first thing in the AM but there are times when I lift and i am just not that hungry first thing (that's the only time I'm not hungry). Just wondering... thanks

[ktb007]

If I eat before I workout in the morning I get nauseous, so normally I don't. But if you can tolerate it you should eat something small. Your body needs the fuel!

[wakechica]

I go fasted if I workout early AM- just have some PWO to energise me

[nlavale]

i drink 2 cups of coffee with a little FF cream. today I had a low sugar detour bar in addition to that. I am always able to do cardio on an empty stomache. I wonder if it is detrimental to your body and the process, to not eat, when trying to build muscle???

[Miranda]

I wonder if it is detrimental to your body and the process, to not eat, when trying to build muscle???

eh . . . what do you think?

and if you're trying to build muscle, why would you do cardio fasted?

[nlavale]

trying to do both. build muscle and lose fat. I know, aren't we all... again, like most women, my lower body holds most of my body fat and my upper body needs more muscle.

[Miranda]

trying to do both. build muscle and lose fat. I know, aren't we all... again, like most women, my lower body holds most of my body fat and my upper body needs more muscle.

no such thing.

you'd do better to prioritise one over the other, or you will shoot yourself in the foot.

if you feel you don't have enough muscle on top, you more than likely don't have enough muscle in the lower body either - it only looks like you may do because you hold fat on top - so better build until you feel you're where you want to be.

getting rid of lower body fat so that your legs look 'lean' is a long-term project better left for when you feel you've built a good overall muscle base.

if you're a pear, you hold a LOT of fat in your hips, thighs and glutes. it takes long-term commitment and prioritisation to strip it off. you're not going to build any significant muscle anywhere while you're at it.

[Botika]

Just wondering if you girls train in the morning without eating breakfast first. I usually do cardio first thing in the AM but there are times when I lift and i am just not that hungry first thing (that's the only time I'm not hungry). Just wondering... thanks

I train fasted every time because I literally roll out of bed and get to the gym at 5.30am. It's been working for me. I have managed to capitalise in some noob gains in terms of losing fat and building muscle. I think they have slowed now though so I'll be looking to bulk/cut soon.

[rdferguson]

Even a light walk for 30min while fasted is enough to make me nauseus, and anything more intense can outright render me unconscious on the floor, as I've learned the hard way. So definitely no lifting whilst fasted first thing in the morning for me.

[nlavale]

Thank you!

[whatevergirl]

I go to the gym for lifting, before work now, and I don't eat anything beforehand. On leg day though, I've noticed I'm a bit nauesous by the end. So, thinking maybe I need something small before I head out for leg day. Guess everyone's a bit different.

[thehobbes]

Whenever I've gone very early in the morning (6am ish) I haven't eaten anything before, would probably make me feel sick honestly. Never seemed to make a difference as far as how the workout went. I wouldn't suggest not eating all day and then working out at like 5pm, would probably crash your energy. But for early morning you just ate until like 11pm the night before (in my case anyways) so it probably wouldn't matter.

[kittenesque]

I lift first thing in the morning, then shower and eat when I get home. I prefer it over working out in the evening because it helps set a good pace for the day. At least for me. :b

[Wtuttle]

I eat a couple hard boiled eggs (usually only one of the yolks, because I hate them) and down a cup of coffee before lifting. But I'm like Botika, I go super early in the AM. I have a protein shake with berries and flaxseed after. It's working fine for me. And I'm always a bit nauseous if I work hard enough, regardless of eating or not. So I just deal with it.

[Ma110W]

I usually go lift in the mornings before eating, except for on leg day. I'd prefer to actually at least have protein before hand, but I'm usually too much in a hurry.

[nlavale]

thanks ladies. we are all different as far as if we are able to lift on a fast but do think the effects are different? i mean if you are able to lift on virtually an empty stomach, first thing in the morning, and get a good hard session in, is the end result the same?? I think your body will use what it has for fuel. Hopefully, fat first, in the AM after a fast As long as you are lifting heavy to build muscle, and the recovery includes sound nutrition, the end result should be the same. what do you think? make sense?

[birdiefu]

I can't lift if I've eaten within 4-5 hours, and I've tried many combos and amounts, it all makes me sluggish and not on my game. I just feel awful with my GI system working on anything of substance. I tend to workout in the morning, and IF, so this works well for me most of the time. If I'm working out in the evening (rarely) I have to really be conscious of my food choices (nothing heavy) and it needs to be well before my gym time.

For meets, I eat well the night before, and might have the tiniest bit of whey about 2-3 hours prior the day of. During the meet I drink BCAAs and crunch on smarties (dextrose/glucose) every hour or so. That is the only "solid" food I can take in without feeling like crap, and actually helps give me a bit of boost during a long meet.

[missmetal24]

Yikes! I have to eat before I go, otherwise I get lightheaded. I always am trying to lift heavier and go harder. I can't leave everything I have in the gym if I am only performing at like 60%.

Every day I have a whole wheat english muffin with natural peanut butter. I'm going to start eating egg whites and greek yogurt instead, starting tomorrow

[mariia]

Each person has is rhytm and i can only workout in the morning in a fasted state . It´s impossible to me to eat (IF follower).
Good workouts.

[Miranda]

i mean if you are able to lift on virtually an empty stomach, first thing in the morning, and get a good hard session in, is the end result the same?? I think your body will use what it has for fuel. Hopefully, fat first, in the AM after a fast As long as you are lifting heavy to build muscle, and the recovery includes sound nutrition, the end result should be the same. what do you think? make sense?

it makes sense, but there are a few things at play.

you need to consider what your goal is and then decide whether you want your approach to be 'sufficient' or 'optimal' toward meeting that goal.

first off, 'fasted' means 'fasted' in my book. you're not 'fasted' if you sip BCAAs . . . or have milk in your coffee. or a tablespoon of sugar for that matter - it pretty much has the same effect as those darn BCAAs. those may be 'sufficient' but it doesn't mean you're necessarily in an 'optimal' state to perform. you're not 'fasted' after 4-5 hours of eating either, because it takes longer for meals to fully digest.

if you want to optimise building mass, it would make sense to prioritise fueling yourself adequately to lift full force with a good program and then eat to reap the benefits.

say you can 'manage' a lifting session on an empty stomach, and perhaps bang out a good one every now and then, but are consistently able to really push yourself balls-to-the-wall with food in your system. which one would better suit your goal?

i really don't understand why you're so desperate to burn fat during your workouts. if you think it will somehow make you burn fat and gain muscle at the same time . . . well good luck spinning your wheels.

what you burn during exercise is irrelevant. fat loss happens in a calorie deficit. mass gains happen in a calorie surplus. you can't make them both meet, unless you do some sort cyclical dieting/training, and even then you need to prioritise one over the other. your body cannot do two things at once very well. so why compromise yourself?

you can cardio your brains out on an empty stomach but it doesn't matter if you're not eating less than you burn. you can fumble in the gym on an empty stomach and 'lift weights' but it doesn't matter if you're not eating more than you burn.

[nlavale]

makes sense. thanks miranda wish we could pick and choose where to build and where to cut at the same time. Like a sculptor. LOL. Wouldn't that be nice! I have never done a bulk or cut, ever. the thought of the word," bulk", scares me. I want to build muscle, yes. but just scared it will go to the wrong places and aftraid i will not be able to get the extra off when the time comes to cut.

[stephanielynn76]

I'm on dat dere lean gains IF time. The only thing I have before lifting is coffee and BCAA's... and sometimes a pre-workout. I'm bulking and training fasted has not affected my gains at all.

[sweetkissees918]

My opinion, I would never do fasted cardio. If i am doing cardio first thing in the morning (note, this would be for fat loss) It wouldnt be on an empty stomach, i would atleast have protein shake, or some eggs, anything but carbs or fats.

If your doing it in the morning for muscle gain. To me thats kinda pointless. Muscle gain requires calorie surplus. Dont burn your calories in an unnessacary way. When gaining muscle and still wanna do cardio, do steady state cardio just to keep up your stamina. Do it on off days.. and remember, what ever extra you burn, you have to put back. But thats just my 2 cents.

[nlavale]

Thanks okay, so when you ladies are trying to gain, do you do cardio? at all and if so, how often, how long of are your sessions and what kind_ steady state or HIIT, interval...?

[Lioness27]

Personally, I have to have fuel in my body to workout. I don't mean eat and then go right away though. You should give your body at least 30 mins after you eat to get your workout started. I always thought that breakfast was super important since it starts your metabolism up, and if you don't put something in your body at least 30 mins-1 hr after you wake up, your body may slow it's metabolism. But, I maybe wrong...

[Miranda]

I always thought that breakfast was super important since it starts your metabolism up, and if you don't put something in your body at least 30 mins-1 hr after you wake up, your body may slow it's metabolism. But, I maybe wrong...

you are wrong

[Lioness27]

you are wrong

Great, I love it when I am wrong, so I can learn new things. Can you explain this to me?

[Miranda]

Great, I love it when I am wrong, so I can learn new things. Can you explain this to me?

what's there to explain? your metabolic rate (BMR) doesn't slow down during sleep or between meals, so eating won't speed it up.

[Kitteh]

I usually work out in the morn, so I usually just have a couple of coffees and maybe a banana. That's it.

[womanoid]

I roll out of bed, have 1-1.5 servings of Amino Energy during my workout (20 cals of BCAA & green tea extract supplement by Optimum Nutrition). It gets me through a 10 min warm-up, 25-45 mins of resistance, 15 mins of stretching, 20 mins of HIIT & my shower. THEN I chow down on breakfast.

Hip hip hooray for caffeine!