Should I be doing Fasted Cardio?
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Is exercising on an empty stomach the magic bullet for burning fat? I’ll admit I have recommended fasted cardio in the past even though I personally NEVER do fasted cardio, at least not intentionally. Due to time scarcity, I usually have to squeeze cardio right after my workout anyway because I won’t have time to get to it later, but I chug down some quick liquid carbs before activity. I personally have never felt I performed well unless my muscles have “enough” glycogen stacked in them. But feelings and facts are two different matters. Are my feelings in line with the facts?
Fasted Cardio Benefits claim to:
- Increase utilization of fat as a fuel source.
- Improve lipid profile.
- Reduction of BMI.
- Reduction of depression.
- Increase longevity of life.
- Reduced mitochondrial oxidative stress, (pretty much the same thing as reducing the aging process increases longevity of life in fancy terms).
Backstory:
When you go to sleep your metabolism is still working throughout the night. When you wake up and exercise before you eat, you have less glucose in your muscles to use as fuel which means your body shifts gears to using fat as an energy source. However, if you do this long enough, your body will eventually adapt to what you’re doing and shift the gears from utilizing fat and glucose to utilizing protein. Your body is very smart and like us in the real world, it will do the least amount of work for the maximum amount of benefits. Protein is a smaller and easier compound to break down. Your body will start breaking down your protein instead of a big dense molecule like fat and this ultimately makes recovery after exercise even more difficult.
What does the Science say?
Findings indicate body composition changes associated with aerobic exercise and a hypocaloric diet are the same whether or not a person fasted while training.Remember the two main substrates that provide fuel to your body are carbohydrates and fat. Right, ok…. So one study in particular measured the intensity of the exercise by the percentage of peak volume of oxygen an individual can consume (VO2Peak). Multiple studies show the main substrates for high aerobic( i.e swim) and anaerobic (i.e HIIT cardio), energy needs are compensated by the metabolism of carbohydrates (VO2 Peak >85%), whereas low to moderate energy output (V02Peak <65%) uses fat oxidation as an energy source. So it does matter which exercise in particular you are going to do and what substrate (carbohydrate or fat) will it more than likely utilize. But again, the take away here is no matter what you do, your body will see changes with the appropriate exercise regimen to your particular goals in conjunction with a hypocaloric diet. There are also several studies out there on the metabolic effects post workout and I will write a separate post on that later. What to eat post workout.
Brad Schoenfeld, PhD is a leading expert in Sports Science. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers and his last book (available on Amazon) is nothing short of great science. I have a few of his studies and he pretty much debunks a lot of the myths out there in sports science.
Ultimately, you will see the same results in regards to fat lost both in a fasted and fed state. So you might as well perform better in a fed state.
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I’ll also randomly add my favorite skin toning and firming body gel cream by Nivea. I love the smell and texture of this cream. It has helped me to “firm” up some areas around my saddlebags where I tend to accumulate my cellulite. It is fast absorbing and non-greasy. Love it!
Disclamer
I am not a physician nor a person certified in any allied health profession that would be even close to remotely qualified to give health, diet or nutritional advice. Please consult your provider before trying any diet or physical activity that could result in harm to your health. That being said,from the information I have gathered both scholarly and from professionals in the fitness industry, in my personal experience I would not do a high intensity training session in a fasted state the first time around.A moderate intensity exercise during fasting is recommended as a starting point for the prevention of sudden hypoglycemia.
Nice!