The TRUTH About Empty Stomach Cardio

I never weight train on an empty stomach but find I have excellent cardio workouts when performed this way. I don’t think there is any harm eating a small protein based meal prior to high intensity cardio, but I feel eating a meal with carbs prior to low/moderate intensity cardio to be a bit of a waste of time.

Sue

I always have oatmeal with yoghurt and blueberries about an hour and a half before my workout. It gives me extra stamina to be able to actually do the workout!!

Joel,

I tried empty stomach workouts once (I don’t do as much “cardio” as weight training). I would always feel nauseaus and didn’t get a very good workout. I seldom got through all of my sets before I had to stop so I didn’t throw up in a public gym.

Now I usually eat 1-1 1/2 hours before my workout and they are MUCH better. I finish all of my sets and feel great coming out. I’ve had to keep increasing my weights that sometimes it’s tough to remember what weight I’m on that week. I suppose there could be worse problems ;)

Great advice, though. My mom and sister do empty stomach stuff, and I’m trying to get them off the habit. I think this article would be a great place to start. Thanks for the great tips, as always!

~DK

Hi Joel,

I hear what you’re saying but I have always done empty stomach cardio, either metabolic resistance or HIIT. I’m up at 5.25 am to start my work out at 5.45am and the thought of getting up 30 minutes earlier and eating just does not do it for me! If you feel your energy levels are okay doing your cardio (because it’s what you’re used to), is it ok to continue with this pattern, or are you actually saying there is a physiological disadvantage to not eating other than lower energy levels?

Great post - it’s amazing just how many of my buddies workout on an empty stomach.

Thanks for the heads up!

I find that I feel better with my workouts when I have something to eat even just a protein bar or toast with jam if I’m not hungry in the morning. I also last through the whole session of the routine. I certainly believe that having something to eat before a cardio or resistance training is the way to go.

Hi Joel, I work out 3 mornings a week getting up at 4:20 and hitting gym by 4:50 (takes 10 min to drive there). I’ve found that if I try to eat anything I am really nauseous during my workout. The chocolate whey protein is a very yucky flavor to have around when you are working really hard. I don’t notice any performance hit, but again, I’ve never really eaten before i work out so who knows? I have to be back home by 6am to get my family’s day going. and the thought of gettign up even earlier to eat something doesn’t sound good either. thoughts?

PS - question - does the cheat day have to be sandwiched between two night’s sleep? or is it any 24 hour period and could be 6pm Friday to 6pm Saturday?? Thx!

Thank you for this article. I have done both and have been confused about what to eat before a workout. Lately, I have been eating a bowlful of berries & walnuts before a workout. Is this a sufficient before workout meal?

I totally agree wt u man. I’m gonna stop doing my cardio wt an empty stomach deffinetly

I am up at 0400 hrs in the morning I am unable to have breakfast this early. I hit the gym at 0500 hrs and train on an empty stomach. I do not feel week but tend to have enough energy to go through 1.30 to 2 hours of training. Is this going to effect me in the future. I do 1 hour cardio ( running 30 min and cross trainer (30min ) + 30 min to 1 hour weight training. I also need your recomendation for nutrition or suppliment I need. Take into account I had a triple by pass about 1 and a half year ago.

Hey Joel,
Interesting, the debate rages on! I’m wondering - if you get up early in the morning and don’t really have time to digest food for 30 minutes before starting, would it be acceptable (or even optimal) just to have 1/2 serve of Surge of similar prior to beginning?? (assuming of course, your stomach doesn’t mind training with that “empty” feeling which mine doesn’t).

Oh by the way I’m referring to a weights training session, not cardio. Thanks!

Ok. I guess what your saying makes sense. I’ll have my whey prior to my morning training both cardio and weights. Would bcaa’s do the trick as well? Lisa from Australia

on occasion i’ll get up early in the morning and drink a strong cup of coffe or black tea and then immediately drive to the gym 2 miles away and do cardio; sometimes continuous moderate and other times intense intervals. no weighlifting. i manage fine but i am very hungry after it , so i always bring a protein/carb shake with me and i consume it at the gym. i have read a lot of research over the years that says that fat loss is greater when cardio is done in the morning first thing with at least 200 mg. of caffeine. i don’t get it. are they lying? only once i saw a study that said the opposite. as a personal trainer i have been encouraging my clients to do so. now, i wonder if i’ve been wrong.

Thanks for your information on this. Your post is interesting as it goes against what I have been taught by my personal trainer. His gym professes that you should perform cardio (not weights) at least 2 hours after eating (not sooner) and you shouldn’t eat for at least an hour after a cardio workout (not weights). Co-incidentally, I have been working out for years in the early morning and then having breakfast about an hour after my workout, after my shower etc. and have not noticed any issues with lack of energy. So now I am confused!

I agree that eating - even a little something - in the morning is a more efficient way to work out. I have tried both ways and found I’m way more productive if I’ve had a bit to eat first.

I’ve always been one of those people who had a terrible time eating first thing in the morning. I’d rather have coffee… Now I have a few hard boiled eggs or a small bowl of raw oatmeal with milk with a wee bit of sugar or berries. Works great.

Here’s the situation, 2 months ago, I used to weigh 172 lbs, Been exercising and eating right.. 2 Months later, I did my weigh-in. It read 188 lbs.. I was shocked and sadden. I’ve been doing over 30,000 steps a day from power walking everyday outside, but I cannot seem to pass under 180 as of now. I’m trying to reach down to 150 lbs… Is there a way to break this plateau? Will muscle milk break the plateau? I may end up boosting my daily power walks to 75,000 steps a day, 6 days a week at seems.. Please respond, thanks.

Oh i totally agree that one has to eat before any kind of cardio… whether its morning or evening. I tend to work out in the evenings and i do need that burst of energy to have a really optimal work out… else its really useless spending the time at the gym cos you are not achieving anything.

Joel,
Thanks for the information. I ride my bike to work, and often do not eat at home before I leave. That would now explain why I am dying before I get to work on those days I don’t eat! I will now make sure to get up early enough to get at least a light meal in before I hit the road.

Thanks

Would be great if you could link to the available research - until then this post is as much a theory as empty-stomach-cardio is.

I was told that though you should not workout on an empty stomach, you should not work out right after eating either. Is this correct? And if it is, how long should you wait after eating a regular size meal? Because I work out at night. I don’t have time to work out in the mornings.

Hi Joel,

Thanks for the post. Actually, the one an only time i managed to have more of a six-pack, was when i did my cardio before breakfast, but i have to confess, it made me have a miserable start of the da every morning that i hit the gym. Now i gained some weight (hopefully muscle ) and try to get back to the abs -thing, but i don’t work out first thing in the morning, but seemingly keep on the same fat-percentage level…and leaves me a bit confused after reading your advice. (Either i do cardio after workout or extra on seperate days…
Peter from the Netherlands

I just started your program and am only on my second day! Obviously I can’t eat carbs this week so is it still ok when on a low carb week and what is the best thing I should eat! I do know if I have nothing my workout is rubbish! Any advice welcome!
Cheers Nicki

I’d like to see the studies, all the studies. Is it possible that whether one should eat or not depends on the type of cardio ones is doing? Anyways, when I exercise in the a.m., usually 5 to 5:30, I don’t eat first.

My sons will not run or work out when they have eaten because they don’t want to throw up. My son learned in training that if you ate before you worked out hard you would throw up your food. I try to have whey protein with some fruit but nothing really heavy. Usually if I am going to do cardio I can’t eat very much at all. But with resistant training it is easier for me to a little protein before and after a good work out.

When I played sport (Rugby with 45 min halves), I always felt that playing fasted felt a lot better…..until the second half :-(. So I did feel energy loss after a while and had to hydrate and carb up a bit at half time. But if I do ‘fasted’ morning cardio, it doesn’t last more than 15-20 min (HIIT or Tabatas) so I feel energetic and light and at the end when I am absolutely drained, I have a protein shake/meal and am rejuvenated. A lot of times, I also feel that when I do fasted cardio, I feel ‘hotter’ than usual throughout the day and especially hungry. But overall, I notice more a decrease in performance if I am dehydrated, than if I am hungry or that my stomach is empty. As far as lifting weights goes, If I eat, even a little before lifting weights, I have to wait at LEAST an hours or I’ll go to the gym feeling sluggish. In the past, I have tried MAKING myself get used to eating a half hour before a weight lifting session and found that I could only take protein shakes or risk feeling sick and slow. I also tried to drink a protein shake before morning cardio, and the sloshing in my stomach was too much to take. I believe that dehydration has a lot more to do with how performance is negatively affected by fasted morning cardio.

But if fasted morning cardio is worse, than why bother getting up early to do cardio (unless it only fits into your schedule that way)? If you wake up and eat/have a protein shake, it makes it almost like any other time of day (unless you’re arguing that eating after an 8 hour fast sleeping pre-workout as opposed to a 3-4 hour fast between meals is the defining factor). I think that now, after reading this article, I would be more apt to just do my cardio at the end of the day, if fasted morning cardio is not all that effective. That way, I don’t have to worry about the eating(weighing down of food in the belly)/sloshing problem (the slosh ofI a tasty protein shake while working out) because I will have already eaten, don’t have to wake up early, and I will have the same fat loss effects.

Am I understanding your contention? Are you still advocating morning cardo as the best for fat burning–just not fasted? Or are you more so pointing out that regardless of the time of day or length of a fast, that cardio is best done after having eaten for fat burning AND performance sake?

On a side not: I’m loving cheat your way thin–I’m starting week 3 and jeans are already a bit looser!!!!

I had been doing morning fasted cardio but not anymore! It makes TOTAL sense to eat a little first and maintain energy needed to sustain cardio rather than be a complete mess trying to just finish 20 minutes without passing out. Good advice, thanks so much for this post!!

I Agree and it makes 100% sense what your article states. The type of Cardio that I do fasted is more like a brisk walk for 30 minutes or so first thing in the morning. Definitely not high intensity and no weights involved. I would crash very quickly if I attempted to do much more while fasted. I also save fasting Cardio for plateaus or when I’m down to those last couple bits of fat.
Great article and thank you for sharing.

Finally! This makes great sense, I have become tired of hearing(reading) about working out w/o eating first it always seemed to me that that would make your body want to start fat even more. Thanks for the validation.

Hi Joel, I do 3 to 4 cardio sessions per week and 2 resistance training workouts in the morning, and a further 2 resistance training workouts in the evening. With the morning sessions I have found that both my concentration and performance is noticeably improved if I have a light protein based snack such as whey beforehand. However if I eat a larger carbohydrate based breakfast beforehand I feel sluggish and lazy unless I wait 2.5 to 3 hours prior to working out. Interestingly if I eat a carbohydrate breakfast before working out in the morning I feel compelled to eat significantly more during the day, and especially have difficulty avoiding sugar and processed carbs. Any thoughts?

I feel for you, all that hard work and not getting the results you hoped. It’s frustrating. Hang in there - maybe Joel’s cheat your way thin program will be that plateau breaker. That is my hope as well! Good luck to you.@Michael Powell -

Im 50/50 on this… i can see why lacking energy from food can lead to less energetic workouts but didnt our ancestors (cavemen) wake up to the prospect of having to hunt for food? ie. fasted state cardio. isn’t that how our bodies are designed function?

Both make sense to me. Personally i would struggle to eat upon waking and then train 30-60 minutes later… but have more energy and focus later in the day. So i guess its personal preference and what works best for you

What I heard was doing only cardio on empty stomach, e.g. jogging without breakfast first thing in the morning. I kind of felt slimmer at the waist line, though it may be psychological though. This article will reenforce the truth and I will stop upholding the “burning fat faster on empty stomach” theory eventually.

I never train weights on an empty stomach, but quite often I do my cardio on an empty stomach. I will have a glass of water with lemon juice (or green tea) when I wake and hit the bike.

Ive been training for about 3 years and i gotta say my training section never fales on an empty stomach. Day or night. But everybody is different.
Also the info is muchly appreciated. Thanx

I used to do cardio on an empty stomach back in the day several years ago. Now I always try to get a little something in my stomach before doing cardio. I currently do three weight training sessions per week and two cardio sessions. On my cardio days I generally get up around 5:00 and I’m at the gym by 5:45 or so. I don’t have a big meal, usually just a half or full scoop of whey protein with a serving of BCAA powder mixed in. I go from the gym straight to work where I will have a meal when I get to work between 7:30 and 8:00. So if I don’t get something in my stomach after I get up and before going to the gym I would be up for between 2 1/2 to 3 hours before eating anything which is way to long for me. I think my cardio sessions are better by eating a little bit before hand because I am not starving and feeling my stomach growl the whole time.

I like to do wieghts or cardio about 1hr to 1 1/2 hrs after a snack. Seem to have more energy,especially if I have some protein.

I am useless with out a meal inside me. I have seen it in running mags saying that at least one run a week should be done on an empty stomach. But if I tried I ended up walking home. I usually get to the gym at 10am so I always have a small snack, often sitting in the carpark. If I don’t I soon feel sick and have very heavy limbs.
So I am glad it is all nothing but a myth.

Joel, it makes sense to eat “something” to get yourself going. Don’t know about the supplements, or anything that would load you down, but say yoghurt with cottage cheese and fresh fruit what might qualify for a smoothie, If I understand the correct food values, its a low carb that provides a spurt of energy with some protein to provide some strength to last out the cardio. A way to prime the pump, as it were.

When reading this was just having black coffee, green tea and some water while preparing for some overnight fasted cardio! ha thanks for that

Great insight - I agree, doing workouts on an empty stomach is too distracting and hard. However, I find that having a stomach that is too full can also keep me from doing a good workout - especially when it comes to cardio workouts.

Hi Joel!

I see your point in recommending people to eat something before workout to improve their performance during workout - but I would not go as far as to recommend complex carbohydrates and protein as PRE-workout nutrition.

Why would you want to consume protein BEFORE a workout? The body does not have a higher protein turnover before workout, only afterwards, for regenerative reasons. Carbohydrates would be the right thing to ingest before a workout, but I recommend simple carbohydrates (fruit) instead of complex carbohydrates. They are a lot easier to digest and do not draw the power off the workout.

As for working out on empty stomach, I can absolutely and wholeheartedly recommend it (and thereby swim against the stream). I never feel better than on empty stomach, as my whole body is aggressive and tuned for energy output rather than occupied with digestion, which is the absolute opposite of what I’d like to achieve. Feeling nauseous is probably a symptom of change, but in the long run, working out on emtpy stomach works out just fine.

But this is a tough question between the high- and low-frequency-feeders. I admit being one of the latter and feel better doing so.

Regards,
Simon

@karen -
or you can eat a grannola bar. maybe a powerbar. thats what i do , and it seems to be ok.

Hi - what if I am on a low carb day - what must I eat?

hi joel, yep that’s what i read to, that cardio first thing when you get up is supposed to be good, well i tried it a couple of times and i just could barely get myself going, let alone keep myself going. i gave it few tries and it just was’nt for me and it didn’t work. i do better after i eat something and then let it digest and then go work out. thanks dennis

@Michael Powell -

Michael–to lose weight:
1. Start counting your calories–80% of results
2. Start resistance training (weights)–15% of results
3. stop the cardio LIE! (low intensity exercise). Do sprint training instead.

I have lost 80 pounds (yes-eighty) but realise it is mostly calories in that makes people fat.

I think it’s more psychological than of practical benefit to have a meal before working out early in the morning. The rise in blood sugar pumps your adrenaline up to think you have more energy. This positive mental response is important for intensity because a large part of it is mind-muscle connection. However, you body has plenty of stored glycogen to use to get through a workout. If you have a glass of water (and sure, have some whey), you should be set to go and have enough energy to get a cardio workout in

Sure, if you’re going to go heavy on the weights, have something to eat or else your body will go into a catabolic zone real fast. However, if you’re just doing cardio, you’ll find that your energy levels go up after a few minutes as your body starts mobilizing fat stores and tapping into glycogen…you just have to ‘wake’ your body up…

As for more energy during your workout…sure, you’ll have it. However, the extra calories beforehand will cancel out the extra calories you burn during your workout (unless, once again, you’re going for muscle work and growth…then eat before).

In the end, do what works best for you

I have trained for over three decades without eating prior, and never suffered any issues from doing so. Being the energy used is from the night prior I am able to push as hard and as long as needed, void of any detrimental effects.

I generally always train on an empty stomach. It just works for me, if I do eat something before a workout, I will give it half an hour or so before I do anything but it always repeats on me and is very unpleasant.

There is proven fact clinical research that proves empty stpmach cardio burns more fat. I have always dont cardio this way and it works.
“A study carried out at Kansas State University (Wilcox, Harford & Wedel Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, 17:2, 1985), indicates that a kilogram of fat will be oxidized sooner when exercising in the fasted condition in the morning than when doing the same exercise in the afternoon. By measuring respiratory gas exchange, caloric expenditure, and carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism, these researchers showed that the mass of fat burned during aerobic exercise amounts to 67% of the total energy expenditure achieved when the same exercise is done later in the day or in the fed state.”

Hi Joel, I usually do my HIIT - Empty Stomach. But your logic does sounds good, let me try it, will keep you posted of results.

Best Regards,

Sumeet

After completing my Personal Training course we were taught the empty stomach cardio was highly effective as long as you were only doing low intensity training. eg between 60% and 70% of your maximum heart rate.

Hahaha, I didn’t realize people were STILL doing that! Dang! That research is ANCIENT! I don’t really read fitness mags, but do they really still teach this?!? I always eat before I workout in the morning. Or whenever. If nor I end up whining on the floor. Hahaha. Not a pretty sight!

Oh well. Hope you reach many enough to spread the word. I know I do!

Have a great day everyone!

Joel

Wondering if you are able to provide the referneces for the research you refer to?

Thanks mate

Every morning I start my day with having some Choco-cereals and a glass of orange juice. I then wait for about an hour or so then start of with a little streching eg: leg streches etc.. take abou 4 minutes on it and then start to warm up and all. Now the difference is when I dont eat before starting of my warm up I dont start to sweat neither do I have any stamina since I just get of the bed and off to exercise would be kind of dum. Further more after warming up through aerobics and all when I get to start my Push-ups which I do 80 each day spreading equally to 25-25-30, I can do them better with having a moderate Breakfast but when I didnt eat my breakfast I just cant seem to keep up and lose track in the second set. But with out breakfast I do feel a bit lighter when doing my workout, but that doesnt convince me from not having a good breakfast. I recommend breakfast for all, especially for those of you out their who are teenagers like I am 17.

Hi,
just started your program & am on week one on Low Carbo which means that my food intake follow your stated guidelines. But I still continue with my daily habit(6 years morning ritual) of taking Reliv Protein+fruits(grapes/strawberry/blue berry,sunkist/grapefruit etc one type per day)+1 spoon Bragg Apple Cider Vineger + UDO oil on empty stomach when I woke up in the morning before I head to the gym for workout. Usually, took an hr & did group cycling on Mon & Thur, Yoga on Tue & Wed, weight & 20mins interval cardio on Fri & Sat. Sun, hill slope sprinting 20mins & body weight exercise. My weight stable at 50kg at 5Feet. Hoping to hit 48kg. Then I report for work at 9am. My concern now is will my morning protein juice intake affect my progress since I am at Low Carbo week or Low GI etc. 2ndly, I dun feel lacking energy when I did my 1 hr workout, of course with protein shake intake.

I’m familiar with the empty stomach cardio workout, though I myself strive to have a proper meal before any training. What I would like to know is why some supplements such as USN’s Leutec require one to take six pills on an empty stomach before a workout, and three thereafter. They’re supposed to help one’s body into an extreme anabolic state.
Could the way they are taken pose a risk to one’s health?

I’ve tried a couple of times cardio with empty stomach first thing in the morning and I had nausea feelings, low blood pressure and performance issues. So, I gave up. I usually don’t have the time for cardio in the morning, but in the weekends I exercise after 1 hour after breakfast (cereals+yogurt). My usual is to do cardio at lunch time before lunch. Surprisingly, I don’t have any of the issues mentioned above even in days I miss my 10 am snack.

I heard about empty stomach Cardio, understood the theory behind and in fact tried once. I found I didn’t have energy in early morning to fuel those workout.
Instead I took 3 scoops of endurance drink mixed with 2 scoops of Betagen before and during workout, and some protein drink after for recovery and this way suits me best.

I play 1+ hours of intensive tennis at morning and feel much better with empty stomach. I think if its pure cardio like running or tennis, its always better with empty stomach. OFcourse for my evening weight training I follow the general pre and post workout meals.

To me working out first thing in the morning BEFORE breakfast spells disaster for muscles. This may not be the case with slow and steady cardio, but I don’t do slow and steady any more, interval is much more fun and much more effective so if I did interval first thing in the morning…hah good one :) not to mention weight training on an empty stomach. I just have a feeling that you would lose muscle by training first thing in the morning and where da heck would you come up with the energy as Joel says. Maybe it would be a good idea to eat some lean protein oatmeal and like a bowl of mixed salad in the morning and then go hit the gym if you want to go early in the morning.

It’s pretty funny… I just came back from my morning cardio session (on an empty stomach) which I actually don’t do that often but today I wanted to have my cardio done before going to work. Usually I do it in the evenings. Anywho, It felt really crappy and instead of feeling more energetic which I usually do I almost feel sick, even after having my breakfast. From now on no more empty stomach cardio!

Ps. Despite what I just wrote I DO think that you can perform well before breakfast, but that’s if you had a large meal late, the night before.

Have a good one!

It is just sad that we are continually subject to the changes in opinion of the “Fitness Gurus”. fortunately I test what works for me and stick to that. I always excercise on an empty stomach and eat straight after and it works for me. I am as strong as an ox and I particularly alterante my cardio between HIIT and steady state, to confuse my body enough and it works miracles for me. I have just turned fifty and I have yet to see anyone even the younger guys work head on with me. I excercise every morning and I am sticking to empty stomach. Keep up the good work, we learn so much from you guys.

Absolutely agreed with you joel. Thank you for clearing this one up!

Hi All… Thanks for all the interesting thoughts, but talking about FAT burning specifically, it makes sense that after a 7-8 hour fasting (Sleep time), then going for a one hour aerobic excercise at 75% HR will be a super fast burner session, is that fact or myth? now we have two opposite opinions and supported by research,, so what to do??

I always eat to have the energy before weight training workouts, but if I eat or drink anything within 2 hours of doing cardio, I get a massive stitch and literally can’t move, having to stop running etc to ease the pain.

So if it’s cardio, it’s first thing in the morning before breakfast!!

If i’m doing something like a half marathon or mini-triathlon, i’ll get up extra early to have a banana a few hours before, but for a smaller training session, I’m much better without food or drink in me!

I’ve done both. If it’s early and I don’t have time, I won’t eat but I do notice the difference when I have eaten. Much prefer my feelings about my performance after eating first.

The most practical recommendation to keep one’s body fit more especially the stomach part is to do a regular sit ups. This would be great in maintaining a healthy and fit mind and body.

The theory sounds about right; you will achieve more in the session if you have eaten for energy but I guess it all depends on what you class as a morning workout. I go for a 30 minute run every morning on an empty stomach but this is more as exercise for the dog and to wake my body up. I have to go within 10 minutes of the alarm going off (or I won´t go) so I don´t eat anything. My performance doesn´t suffer because it is not a high intensity session, more of a bonus to my proper routine and a way of waking myself up. I then eat oatmeal and a boiled egg when I get back. The mainstay of my training is whole body workouts, boot camp style. I live in Spain and the national custom is the siesta, a 2 hour lunch break from 14:00-16:00. I go to the gym in this break (it is empty then) and this means that I have had the whole morning to eat and prepare (light, balanced meals every 2 1/2 - 3 hours). If I ever have to do a session without having eaten then I have a crappy workout; I get laughed at at work because I bring in a coolbox with 4 meals in it to get me through the day! My workmates don´t understand how I am eating frequently to burn fat, they simply skip and then wonder why they are not getting in shape.

For those who don’t have time for the 30 min eating space what I do is taking coffee at half of my normal cup then off with my morning jogging straight away. This helps with those who gets nausea on empty cardio as caffeine kicks in to the rescue quite quickly plus giving you the stimulant to exercise to burn more fat! (The less sugar you put in coffee the more fat burning effective! bitter coffee anyone?) . However, for weight training I do need have some carb before hand.

hi joel,

thanks for the tip. i agree with you that we get better results when we eat several minutes before doing cardio.

I always do my morning workouts on an empty stomach, having only water and one cup of black, unsweetened coffee before. I feel great this way. Sometimes I tried eating before and it slows me down big time. I feel nauseous and tired no matter how “small” I eat. I think this is a personal thing. You just have to find your best way.

I do cardio on an empty stomach. I find if I have a large cup of coffee before doing my cardio, I have no problem giving 30 minutes hard and intense effort.

I never exercise without breakfast. That is one meal I simply cannot forgo….my breakfast is as early as 6:30 in the morning and I do not work out till almost 9…at times even later. If it is later than nine, I do have a wholemeal toast with some honey or a couple of digestive biscuits about an hour before my workout. I cannot exercise on an empty stomach….just doesn’t seem right….

This is an eye opener as I’ve been torturing myself by getting up at 5.30 to work out at home and just been getting through the workout. Guess I need to find a better time so that I can put in a better performance.

Hi! I am glad you are endorsing this as I never was really into morning cardio anyway. I always felt my performance was at minimum in the morning and the first thing I wanted to do when I got up from bed is to have a good breaklfast. I am into afternoon intense interval cardio where I can really feel energetic and give it all. This works fine, at least, for me and I came to a point where I accepted the fact that everybody performs better at different times. I was feeling though as I was not doing my best by skipping morning cardio. Not any more. I feel justified now. Thank you!

Excellent post - scientifically makes absolute sense BUT even so I just cannot train that way - can still manage eating before weight training but no ways when I’m doing cardio. Have tried to eat before a cardio workout and land up having to give up half way - nausea, cramps, body feels heavy and unco-operative, feel sluggish and cannot peform optimally! Scientifically that probably doesn’t make sense but it’s what I’ve found works for me! I guess that is at the end of the day what counts - whatever works for you as an individual.

hi,
I always work-out before I go to work, because I play or train my sport/game (badminton) in the evening. This means getting up early and then I can’t eat and if I do I have to wait at least an houre before working out or it will come up again, so I work-out on a empty stomach. But I am depleted after that and I do have to eat right after the training. maybe I should get up around 04:00 eat breakfast, get 2 houres sleep and start my morning training then? what do you think?

@David - I like David’s comment - how he describes what happens during a cardio workout definately works for me - I never feel energyless doing cardio on an empty stomach in fact I feel more energised as opposed to when I’ve eaten something - once I feel “woken up” I’m good to go and feel my body coping well with the cardio session - I just seem to perform so much better on an empty stomach……

i have to say you got this one right,me and my sis go to the gym together and like your friend she thought empty was better than breakfast untill one morning she got dizzy fainted and was so embarassed when our gym instructor asked what she ate for breakfast and her reply was nothing.so she got a bollocking for being stupid and told of the dangers of exercising on empty.a lesson she learned very quickly,and glad to tell everyone since she started eating breakfast her stamina has improved and her weight loss more even.ann

Hi, i still do my weight my exercise in the morning on empty stomach ,because I get up very early and I feel good doing it that way, if I eat ,first of all it is too early for me to eat, second I get stomach upset . I do it A.M. otherwise I would never have time later, interferes with my family routine and I find this is the only way I can stay committed: it is my private time! I hope I have not being doing wrong all these years.
thanks
josephine

I tend to do cardio first thing in the morning so I find it difficult to fit breakfast in beforehand, especially as I swim and eating so close to exercise could leave me cramping up. I havent noticed not eating affecting my performance but I do have a stubborn final layer of belly fat that I cant shift so I’m now torn between carrying on as I am or trying pre-workout nutrition to help get me out of my plateau

Joel,

My issue with eating before workout is that I get up at 5:30 everyday and begin my workout which includes cardio. I workout for an hour then eat and hit the shower. I am at work by 7:30 and usually don’t get home from work until 7:00.

I do not have the extra 1/2 hour in the morning to wait for food to start digesting.

Suggestions?

Thanks

Rick

I pretty much follow these rules:

-Always eat prior to weight-training
-Always eat prior to HIIT (Although I don’t really do a lot of HIIT beacuse it increases the risk of overtraining)
-Low/medium intensity cardio is okay on empty stomach.

Advantages of empty stomach morning cardio (low/med intensity):
- I can start almost as soon as I get out of bed (thereby saving 1/2 hour)
- It’s a great way to wake up
- I won’t have to do it in the afternoon when I’m tired from work.

Disadvantages
-Intensity (as in heartrate) will probably be a bit lower compared to if I ate first.

I do cardio seven times a week, so some days I do both med-intensity empty-stomach morningcardio, and then med-intensity cardio after meal# 5 in the evening. Usually, I’m more tired in the evening, so eating first doesn’t really make any difference.

(Currently @ 148 lbs, 9% BF. Have lost 11 lbs of pure fat the last months, and gained 1-2 lbs of muscle.)

My first post here and only yesterday got your Cheat Your Way Thin package, so there is a lot to learn. Great post Joel. Some people are still saying to workout on an empty stomach for fat loss, so there’s some confusion about this out there. I’ve tried it and it doesn’t work for me, but perhaps it only works for the people that do their workouts very early in the morning. As I usually work out before lunchtime, there is no way I could workout on an empty stomach. The good news is that some trainers are changing from the don’t have anything before your workout to have some protein. However, I’ve found that I need some carbs too that I can easily digest like fruit and oatmeal.

Joel,

I have tried this and my tummy has always said “What are you doing?”. So I eat a small protein based breakfast at 4:45 and start working out by 5:15. After the workout, I cool down have some grapes, shower and I feel great when I am at work.

I never used to do any cardio on an empty stomach. I waited about an hour before exercising. Wasn’t that stupid!

@karen - Try drinking a cup of OJ before your workout. It’s good to consume fast digesting carbs especially in the morning before your workout :)

Telling you based on what I read and my experience. It doesn’t let you gain weight at all. It will help since you get up really early in the morning.

I’m shocked! I’ve read a lot about diet and excercise from some really smart people (i.e. Jon Benson and Tom Venuto) who both advocate early morning cardio on an empty stomach. I’m going to experiment on myself and see what happens. I was a firm believer running on empty.

yo joel!

Man this is a wake up call! I have always done my morning workouts on an empty stomach (these are always usually cardio ones) believing that this is the key to getting the most fat burned off!

I try to avoid recistance traning in the mornings as i feel i train with more intensety with a few meals under my belt!

It can be so confusing with so many fitness gurus telling you that empty stomach cardio is beneficial.

mike.

I actually feel better working out on an empty stomach (Although I usually have some coffee (either hot or iced). If I eat a significant amount prior to working out it actually decreases the intensity of my workout. That being said if it makes a positive metabolic difference I can certainly add some whey protein to the cofee. When I am engaged in prolonged exertion ie surfing for hours or 50+ mile bike ride I usually bring something to eat after an hour or so to prevent running out of energy, however whether or not I eat seems to make no difference. I starting doing weight training on an empty stomach first thing in the am quite a few years ago. I was embarked on ship and working out with someone who purchased the “Cybergenics” package. We got goodresuls but I suspect the main thing was the intensity (negative failure drop weight by half and negative failure) and consistency of the workouts. The literature he had said that weight training after an overnight fast (nothing since dinner evening before) increased growth hormone levels which in turn should help wth muscle growth and fat burning. I do not know if this was based on solid clinical studies so if anyone knows more please share.

I always have a scoop of whey and some amino acids and a cup of coffee before morning cardio, and then breakfast.

I always eat something before my workout, I would pass out if I didn’t. This morning I had 1 1/2 eggs on gluten free toast & a small slice of roasted red pepper. Thanks for putting this info out there!

I swim 3 times per week on an empty stomach. I just take 5g of BCAAs about 30 minutes before, but i dont’ wanna get up any earlier than 5, so eating is tight, but i’ve noticed that i get side cramps something horrible when i eat, and nothing when i have an empty stomach, so the choice was always made easy, i just workout better on an empty stomach, not sure why, so its always what i’ve done for early morning. When i heard it was better for fat burning i was a bit excited. The annoying thing is i cant find any specific scientific studies done on it. It is always just hearsay and opinions shot back and forth around fitness “guru’s”. It has always worked for me, thus i do it. Personally how can another body tell me what is good for my body? i think the most important thing is just figuring out what works for you and doing it as hard as possible. :)

I’m a cyclist and it doesn’t work for me. I have a bana before I start and will have a onother bana,fruit bar or energy bar for every hour of the ride.

Most of these posting are surprising me with the type of questions they are asking. Look, if you are getting results on an empty stomach continue on your path. If you are not try and switch it up a little. Do it until you get the type of results you want to get. I do agree that research ISN”T very credible anymore, so you have to use your own discretion. What works for some doesn’t always work for others. My 2cents.

Hey Joel,

I perform two types of cardio training: steady-state and high impact interval training. When I’m trying to cut the last of stubborn belly fat, I will do 20-30 minutes of stead-state cardio (e.g. light jogging or inclined walking) on an empty stomach because performance is not my priority. Later in the day, after a solid pre-workout meal, I either lift or do my HIIT for gains.

In theory, I agree with you because in your example, the morning cardio session sounded pretty intense. In that instance, I would never come to the gym on an empty stomach. I surround any workout focused on performance and gains with two quality meals.

Thanks for your insight and advice.

I don’t eat before any of my workouts. I get up anywhere from 4:30 - 5am to workout (depending on what’s on the agenda for the morning). I feel that if I eat, I won’t have time to wait the 30 minutes to digest whatever I eat and will end being nauseous. However, I have noticed that if I workout in the afternoon, after a full day of eating, I have more stamina. I was wondering if maybe eating something as small as a banana or having some oj before my morning workout will be of benefit. Oh and on top of everything else, I have a carnitine deficiency and Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism which already makes it difficult for my body to go to those fat stores :-( But I haven’t given up!

It depends on when I work out. I am not hungry when I wake up. I do well if I just have my ganoderma coffee drink and exercise within an hour of that. Otherwise I go by how I feel. If I am a little hungry I eat some yogurt or a small breakfast and wait 1/2 hour and then work out.

Thanks for all the great info. Due to economy and husband losing one of his jobs I could not afford your 1/2 price sale. I hope you repeat it once in a while. I am going to buy your last book off Amazon, that should give me more info than I have now, at least.

@Dave - i agree Dave. And a lot of it is somatotypes too. Endomorphs will usually do better on empty stomach than ectomorphs. I have gone for several days eating around 30-50g of carbs a day, and still performed fine, where as i have a friend who is complete ecto and was running on empty after the first day. It really is just a lot of trial and error.
I also like to give the example of jay cutler and Ronnie Coleman. Both are body building giants who train completely opposite. Jay is volume training, Ronnie is intensity and heavy weights. Yet, every day there is new “research” coming out saying that volume training is better, or intensity is better, when clearly they both work; just depends on who is doing it. The problem is most people get caught up in the “I WANT RESULTS NOW!!!” mindset instead of making small changes and putting in the time and effort to really see results. I’m a trainer in NC and constantly see little guys coming in wanting ridiculous results in a few weeks. they try training, and get $500 worth of supplements and when nothing happens they give up and leave. The most important thing you can ever learn is yourself. and that goes for everything.

I recently purchased Cheat Your Way Thin, however I have an issue. Pro grade do not ship outside of the USA/Canada. I live in the UK.

I’m a newbie to supplements, workouts & fitness, so I don’t really know what to look out for. I don’t want to buy any old supplement, if it doesn’t have a similar quality to the supplements that Joel recommends.

Any help is really appreciated!

Kelvin.

Hey Joel…great program by the way…2 days and I am already feeling a difference. I’ve noticed when I don’t eat something before a workout, I am dying after my first circuit of weight/cardio (usually do 2 x 20 min circuits). If I have something small like yogurt before hand it does the trick to get me through my workout. If not, it is definitely not an effective workout.

Thanks hope evryone learns from this. I used to do the empty stomach cardio thing in the morning–sure I lost weight–I think I lost alot of muscle too.
Glad I eat a small healthy breakfats now.

Hi Joel,
I workout first thing in the morning [cardio or weights] and until I started your program 2 days ago I always had something before leaving the house…be it a low fat yoghurt, a banana or just a cup of skim milk and coffee. Seeing that this week calls for low carbs I really don’t have any clue as to what to et: the thought of a protein shake at that early time or anything like eggs, meat really makes me feel sick….I would really like to know what I can have that won’t ruin my workouts….It is the second day I have done it and I find that I have a mild headache….
I also have another question. In your program you never speak about milk is that for a reason? Or are we allowed milk on low GI/GL days?

Many many years ago I used to do 3 hours on a treadmill 1x/week and didn’t eat anything beforehand. I’ve learned (after the fact) that this was full of mistakes.

Mistake 1: I should have eaten at least a protein shake about 1 hour beforehand.

Mistake 2: I wasn’t doing short enough intervals on the treadmill, as I did a steady run, a program, and then a progessive decline program.

Mistake 3: 3 hours is WAY too long for 1 interval session period! (I now do about a 15 minute interval session and don’t use my treadmill at all).

Mistake 4: I can’t even guess the damage I was doing to my body. I honestly don’t know how I did it but I managed to for several months. When I finally stopped, I gained weight and felt defeated, especially because I didn’t lose much weight throughout that process. Thankfully now I know how to train better. I just need to work on the eating part and yes I’m going to start the Cheat Your Way Thin program realistically in about 2 weeks (need to select meals/grocery lists/plan/prep).

Hi Joel, how’s it going…thanks for sharing interesting info and comments. With respect to empty stomach training, if you’re fully recovered and fueled up a day before hand, generally speaking you could train on an empty stomach, although it depends on the training you’re doing

(Variables to consider i.e., eating patterns, exercise, amount of sleep, stress, hydration level, etc…if you plan to skip a meal before training make sure you are fit and healthy).

It wouldn’t make sense to short cut by skipping a meal for the sake of burning more fat when you’re actually slowing the metabolism and release of energy.

From experience, you’ve got to know how to eat according to time and activity levels (type of activity, intensity and duration of the workout.)

If the workout involves a lot of heavy lifting, tough, intense and short breaks, I’ll eat protein with fats (flaxseed oil) to increase muscle growth & burn more fat.

20 minutes afterwards eat carbs (bannana with wheat grass shot), this combo quickly energizes, shortens recovery times, keeps metabolism stoked, it’s a longer term advantage.

Joel,
Thank You!!!!!! for addressing empty stomach cardio…….I have been doing this for years since body for life and i would get the the gym by 900 by this time i am up two hours do my cardio then i go right into my weight training now were talking three hoursmaybe four since a got up and run home and eat and still feel so depleted….. I AM SO HAPPY YOU ANSWERED THIS QUESTION …I WAS WONDERING WHY IT WAS NOT ADDRESSED IN “CHEAT YOUR WAY THIN”
THANKS ELAINE

I have heard the myth dispelled by others before and of course heard others argue with them vehemently that they were wrong. Sometimes it seems so hard for people to let go of what they have believed.

Many if not most of my workouts are on an empty stomach. Not so much because I believe it is a benefit, but because it seems the only time I can make my workouts is first thing in the morning when the gym opens at 5:30am. For my “resistance” workouts I typically drink a simple carb & protein shake/drink before, during and after my workout so perhaps with this new knowledge I will start to do the same for my “non-resistance” workouts.

I tried empty stomach cardio once and I felt like I was going to get sick. Now I’ll have a bowl of cereal or oatmeal, then wait an hour before I get started with my workout. My energy is up, I perform better, and best of all, no upset stomach!

Jessica

@karen -
Maybe have a glass of skim milk with a scoop of protein powder a bit before? I started doing this, and am in the same situation you describe (actually, I have to start at 5AM on the dot).

You have to go with what works best for your schedule, and what works best to keep you on track. I have tried both - running on empty and running with some food in me. During the work week, I do much better when I’m up and running on an empty stomach at 5:30am. I feel better physically which makes me feel better psychologically. I have accomplished something before most people are up! I am more apt to follow my fitness plan throughout the day (eating and weight training) and I’m more productive over all. If I don’t start out early, I get anxious about not having enough time to accomplish my daily goals before the kids get home from school. And there is no way I’m getting up at 5:00am to eat before I run at 5:30 - nope. That said, on the weekends, I love to wake up a little later, have some oatmeal with the kids and then go for a real ass kicking run. You have to do what works best for you!

I always workout on an empty stomach. I usually workout fairly early in the morning. I have a double shot of espresso, give myself an hour to work and wake up, and then go outside and workout. I have been doing this for about 3 years, whether it is “cardio” workout or otherwise. I have felt like I was lacking energy during my workouts.

Part of the reason I don’t eat before I workout is because I follow Ori Hofmekler’s “The Warrior Diet,” and only eat one meal a day. I eat that at night, about 2 hours before bed. When I wake up, I feel strong and I workout. It’s been that way for about 3 years, and I have never thought about changing it.

Matt

Hey Joel, As usual you post progressive—>>proactive topics. Thanks.
Spinning is my early early a.m. workout. Followed by .5 or so free weights-barbell work. Cardio or lifting I wouldn’t be tempted to go w/o eating some sensible protein/carb. combination. Then post-workout I’ll have eggwhites,nut seed, cottage cheese right after. Then some oatmeal w/apple raisan etc. along w/Yerbamatte rainforest tea.

All this to say,You are right there —->>nutritional feeding of the body, &(the)total importance of timely nourishment. No matter what. Thanks for your scientific awareness here. Best to you & yours, Nekomas

I am a former competitive swimmer, and spent 15 years of youth going to an early morning workout prior to school. These workouts were always on an empty stomach, as there was not time to digest anything before getting in the water. Accordingly, I just don’t feel like eating when I first wake up. I do intense HIIT cardio in the mornings, and feel like eating when I am finished.

JUST DRINK CHOCOLATE MILK DON’T HAVE TO MAKE ANYTHING
PERFECT CARB TO PROTEIN RATIO

I’m not sure I have an option - I always workout on an empty stomach….I have 4 kids (ages 2-15) so if I don’t workout as soon as I get up (4:30-4:45am) I don’t have time to workout - I’m dealing with 2 different bus stop times and taking my little one to daycare before I head off to work. When I get home from work it is running the kids to activities/cooking dinner/helping with homework/etc/etc until I go to bed. My husband travels a lot so I’m usually doing all this myself. I’m guessing working out on an empty stomach is better than not working out at all, but if anyone has a suggestion let me know…Thanks!!

When you are doing anything with high intensity you better be eating. Your body needs good fuel in order to perform. Listen to what your body needs, it will tell you and you’ll have much better workouts. This is great stuff for my patients, thanks! Steve Edling D.C.

Joel - I think the information is great about eating before a workout for weight training, but does that apply to the 2 min easy/2 min fast stationary bike workout as well? At 61 I’ve spent many years getting right out of bed, throwing on the gym clothes and doing some sort of workout on an empty stomach. I think I would get pretty tempted to just move on with the day if I eat first. Most of the information of yours that I’ve read seems to be focused on age group lower than mine. I know a lot of things transcend generations, but with arthritis and the aftereffects of several knee operations some information focused on that group would be helpful. I started Cheat Your Way Thin on Saturday and found “cheat” day the hardest. I’d been focused over the last two months on Isabel’s diet program and it was hard to cheat. I made a valiant effort, but intestinally paid for it on Sunday.

Well, it seems to make sense. I am always afraid of eating before doing cardio cause i fear that my stomach would ake. I guess there is no use eating and going out to run just after, you really have to wait 30minutes. I have a question to Joel though: I am at the begginin of the “cheat your way thin” program, that I try to achieve meticulously. Is it possible to have oatmeal (as you say before your morning cardio) if you’re on a “low carb” day?

Like some of the other comments, I get up at 0440 and I am working out hard by 0500. No time for food and I haven’t felt my performance suffer. I do high intensity cardio whether it is running, biking, or rowing. On days when I get to actually ride on the road though I have to eat after two hours or I am spent. Also, I feel no nausea or sick feeling when I am hitting the cardio hard like I do with food on my stomach. There is nothing worse than burping chocolate protein shake the entire workout. But, that is the really early stuff. On days I get started at 0800 I will try to have a shake made with milk an hour or so before the ride.

All I know from my last post..(two above this one) Nourishment as is appropriate for the effort, is essential. Body fat, weight..(I)don’t even think about it. Joel’s program ROCKS(!!).. Thanks for reading. Yours, in ultimate HITT.

Oh yeah I get up & going at 4:20 am for a good HITT @ 5:45 a.m. LOL Thanks for reading.
Best, Nekomas

Hello Joel,
Well after reading your article on “empty Stomach Cardio” I’m a bit confused. You were the “Body for Life Champion” and if you followed Mr. Phillips’ carefully researched plan, it says to do cardio on an empty stomach. So who’s Carefully researched plan do we go by? WHO did the research? What’s it gonna be boy? Yes or NO????????
I’ll let you sleep on it. lol

I just am attempting the cheat your way thin, now what do suppose I can eat? Oatmeal is not on the plan? Your whole deal here is getting more and more confusing, I am on the calorie and carb restriction poriton of your plan and now I you say eat oatmeal and a protein before my workout? I always do my walk and now I have added weights to my am and before breakfast workout and I feel great. I found a protein powder that is 0 carbs and a lite soy milk that is about 2 carbs a cup so today I walked briskly for 10 min then did a circuit (that put me out of breath) for 15 min then drank that drink and I really felt GREAT!! I am not really too hungry in the morning and I prefer not to eat until later.

I did the P90X program every morning before breakfast and didn’t notice that I was zapped for energy most of the time. There were some days I would tank half way through the workout but they only happened about once in two weeks which might be normal. It seemed that the supper meal had more to do with that than anything.

There were times when I had to do the workout in the afternoon or evening and for the most part I didn’t notice a difference. There were a couple evening workouts where I seemed to have abounding energy but that was rare. I never had that kind of excessive energy in the morning.

Summary… for me, working out in the morning didn’t appear to diminish my performance for the most part as long as I had eaten a good meal the previous evening.

I do fasted morning cardio. I do high intensity intervals 3 days a week. 20 minute sessions. It hasn’t hurt my performance that I can tell. Maybe it has. I’ll try eating a small breakfast and see what that does. Thanks Joel.

i usually do my cardio in the morning on emphy stomach low/moderate for 40 min then i hit the weights in the afternoon for 30 min that is the way i got in my best shape.
6 ft tall
before 230 lbs @ 26% bf
now 185 lbs @ 10% bf

I didn’t know about the research. I just know I feel really lousy if I exercise first thing in the morning without eating. Almost fainted on the treadmill one time. Bad scene!

Joel, THANK YOU!!! This is yet another great article from you; and I appreciate all your insight and easily discernible information! I have for some considerable time, contemplated performing empty-stomach cardio (esc) because I was inundated with those notions of esc being the most effective means of burning fat early in the day. But I work out alone with heavy dumbbells, and I invariably need every ounce of energy and focus to perform incline dumbbell presses (for safety reasons as well as training). So I always feel compelled to at least have a large cup of coffee mixed with creme & whey protein to be revved up. On that basis, I had assumed I was sacrificing a bit of the fat-burning benefits (to avoid dropping weights on my head- :D). But after reading this, I’m pleasantly surprised to find that my assumptions were wrong. Thanks again, and keep up the great job!!!!

Hey Joel,

Love your posts in general, you’re right on, but this one’s a little deceptive. Glad you said right at the beginning you were really talking about metabolic resistance training. I do about 10 minutes of high intensity interval cardio 3 days a week on an empty stomach when I first wake up. I NEVER do long slow distance, as I believe it’s an inefficient waste of time. I also do my strength training on an empty stomach when I first wake up, but I’m not into the “body builder” approach. You can see my results at age 60 here:

http://lookgreatnakedatanyage.com

Thanks for all the great info!

Robert

I do weight-training workouts 5 days a week. I always have a whey shake and some slow digesting carbs before a workout (Jeff Anderson’s pre-workout supplement formuias work great). However, recently I started doing a lot more cardio in order to cut some of the fat off my body, and I’ve noticed that I do great on a single whey protein shake and some yogurt about 30 minutes before my workout/run. I’m 5′11″, 220lbs, but with low body fat (not sure right now). I have a body-builder body type, however, I recently finished two 10K’s without any cardio traing prior to them beating my friend who runs all the time. It’s becaue I keep my weight training intense, and I really think the pre-run shake/yogurt combo with a bit of caffeine had given me the perfect amount of energy. Without it, I wouldn’t make it

I’m a religious progress journaler, and there is no doubt whatsoever that I get superior results doing intense cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. I don’t even get half the progress if I eat first.

I have been working out in the mornings on an empty stomach….but just didn’t know any better. Thanks for the tip. I’ll try it out.

I never do cardio or weight training on an empty stomach. I get nauseous, dizzy, and feel totally wiped out in the first few minutes if I do. Like your post said, I can perform better with something in my stomach and I feel better while I am working out! Great article!

I understand the idea of not doing intense work on an empty stomach, but I think most advocates suggest very light cardio(like a brisk walk) on an empty stomach. This way you are not relying on a high performance workout to burn your calories. Instead you are trying to increase your calorie burning overall with something which won’t tax your CNS and interfere with recovery and your resistance or metabolic workouts. Thoughts?

Joel! great article! First off, I want to mention that I agree 100% but I also think that it depends on the individual. I know many people who can work out on an empty stomach and never hit a wall and they lift heavy and never fizzle.
With that said, I’m here to tell you that I’m not one of those people lol! I tried it many times before and felt EXACTLY like your friend did and I gave up working out in a fasted state. I always eat something before I do any exercise and My strength and workouts are MUCH,much better. Now that I read this article, I wonder if the people who don’t eat before exercise would have even greater workouts/results if they ate something prior to exercise. I remember back in the day when Bill Phillips came out with the morning cardio routines on an empty stomach and Im willing to bet that the ECA stack that he recommended had more to do with the fat loss then the empty stomach theory :)
I hope all is well!
~R~

@Marge -
Marge,
I too am just starting the Cheat Your Way Thin and am on the first week of the Priming Phase of Low Carbs too. You can eat a little more carbs before or after a workout than your other meals and still be ok. I don’t over do it, but I allow myself more before or after a workout (whichever you do) to give me energy or refuel.

@Danny K -
Danny K: A tip, keep a journal where you write down what exercise, how many sets, reps and weight you used. That way you keep track of your progress. If you can, add a little weight each time to your final set of the excercise (if you do more than one set).

I do cardio weight training twice a week along with weight training three times a week. I take a whey/soy protein combo along with pineapple juice before exercising. I also add a teaspoon of powdered magnesium with my pre-morning shake.

Hi Joel - This one always concerns me. Truth is, I do just fine and get in hard workouts, but I’ve heard about the research you mention so I wonder. I get up at 3:30am and I’m in the gym by 4am. Taking the time to eat just doesn’t work for my schedule. Should I mix up a small whey drink the night before and drink it when I get up? Would my body actually use it while I was working out? I do drink a lot of water during my workout. After workout I immediately do whey and now following the primer stage of your plan. Thanks! Shawn

I actually do well with the empty stomach cardio but I will try it with a small bowl of oatmeal and some egg whites to see if my performance gets better. Thanks for the update. It never hurts to learn more.

I used to do this when I was younger (I’m 39 now). I also used to walk to work for more than an hour each day, and I’d try to make the walk without eating breakfast, thinking it’d shave off a little more fat. I had a serious body image problem, because I was already very thin and beautiful - everyone would tell me so - but I thought I must not be thin enough because I wasn’t happy yet. I thought if I were thin enough then I’d be happy. I know now this isn’t true.

This thought pattern along with a traumatic marriage put me in my current state of adrenal burnout. Now I can only walk for exercise, and not too long, or I end up exhausted.

Joel, do you have any experience with adrenal burnout, or anything to say on the topic?

Joel,
I take daily thyroid medication that has to be taken first thing in the am on an empty stomach…an hour before eating anything. I am a busy mom with 3 kids so I work out at 5:30 in the morning (or else it doesn’t get done!). So what do you suggest for me? I can’t change my medication regimen… I feel okay exercising in a fasted state.

Hey Joel, From reading responses set to my email. I just want to say ‘happy feedings’ is up to ones own personal prefrence & sched. So may variations.

I know for sure sound nutritional multi-feedings thru the day is optimal for growth.

I like the poundage I have 175, 5-11, 8.6 BF. With your sensibe multi eating..& awesome Cheating..
In all tho, what counts most in my personal opinion is:
ENDORPHIN RETURN… Every lift, every HITTT cardio just get’s better w/each rep(!) Thanks again for your common sense approach to working w/body instead of AGAINST IT!!! Nekomas ~

In my case I tried both empty and with a small meal. The differences I realized is about performance (I can’t measure how many fats I burn per session with or without meal, and I really don’t care) and pre-mind setup. In my opinion Is better having something in my stomach first, I feel stronger, well tempered and the workout is really enjoyable. More than one reason to have a good and effective training session.
Lifestyle, that’s what we are talking about. Don’t make it bothering.
Regards to the forum , and excuse me for my English, I’m not native speaker.
Joel, thanks for your advices, I find them really really interesting.

I agree with you Joel. You have to put something into your stomach if you are going to do resitance training. I always try to get a small protein based snack in before my resistance training, usually it is whey protein mixed with water. If I want to add carbs then I may mix the whey with fat free milk and add a banana. I personally can not do resitance training without some sort of fuel in me. However, I have seen no effect to doing HIIT (I don’t do long cardio) on an empty stomach.

Last summer I did mostly empty stomache workouts (HHIT for 15 min + core exercises) 5 days a week. I lost 14 lbs. Stopped for several reasons (hormone issues + sick child). I hit a brick wall, HARD. Put it all back on and am now stuck.
Been working out 3 days per week since Jan doing lots of resistance training, I feel strong and actually have some muscle definition (very cool) but the scale will not budge.
I started Cheat Your Way Thin in hopes of changing this but it’s too early to tell. I was just thinking about starting morning workouts again. But I do notice I have way better workouts post supper on Mon, Wed than I do empty stomach Sat morning.
I think this just confirms that for I prefer to have the stamina to go that little bit extra. I’ll be eating breakfast on Saturdays now.

Hi, I am doing John Bensons 7minute Muscle workout followed by 12 minutes high intensity interval training on the treadmill five days a week at 6.0am before work. I never have breakfast before I train and I am in the best shape I have been in for years. ps I am 63 years bold. Reguards Chris.

Having trained regularly for over a half century, including eight different sports, I don’t think there is a definitive answer to the “eat before a workout” issue. If you are going to run hard, you better eat at least an hour before you train, or you might see your breakfast a second time. A small meal with carbs can help you if you are going to do an intense work out. Other than that, you are going to burn you body’s glycogen stores. If they are depleated, you are in for a rough time…like the guys in the marathon who “hit the wall” at about 20 miles.

How you feel in your morning training session may have more to do with what you ate the night before than with what you ate that morning. If you skipped dinner or starved yourself the day before, you could wind up with a lousy morning trainig session the day after.

My main thought is that you need to look at what you have been eating for the three to four days before your workout to guage how you will perform. There are many other factors to consider. If you are overtrained, it does not matter what you eat..you will do poorly. Fixating on the one meal before a training session genrally will not tell you very much

@Michael Powell -

Thanks for this article Joel, I am hungry when I get up, and sometimes I wake up because I’m hungry. My body needs to eat first thing or I am a useless in my workout. My clients seem to feel this way too, so I encourage them to eat before their training session to get the most out of it. Thanks!

Gustavo, Said it well with Mind -Frame- one goes into-/-out of workout with.

No doubt. Endorphinal return like I said in blog before his is really what’s working.

Stay motivated-Lean-& Fit.. w/HIIT & LiFT MoRE..LOL ~

I think meal portion and timing before workouts are important and differentiating factor in getting good workout and crappy ones. It might be different from person to person but for me, the optimum way is to eat small to moderate amount 1 or 2 hours before workouts (cardio or weight ).

If I gorged too much and too near a time to workout like 30 minutes , I can’t perform well in workouts.(Even whey shakes/drinks before 30 minutes ain’t for me)

Not sure because energy are used in digesting the food or whatever - there might be some logical researched explanations but hey, I’m not writing a thesis. As long as one can gauge what is good for him/her and what’s not, it is good enough, I think.

I am a strong beliver of making sure I have had something to eat before working out. I get a longer, stronger workout and am less hungry after the workout. If I work out on an empty stomach, I will literally eat the entire contents of the refrigerator after the workout. And we really don’t want that, do we.

The only time i do okay with no food before a workout is if it’s SUPER early in the morning and outdoors!

I still enjoy cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach so long as I’m not doing any weight bearing routines after. I find if I eat anything I often have to wait at least 3 hours before I can do an effective cardio session. And by that time I’m watching one of my favorite shows and a bulldozer couldn’t scrape me off the couch. Best to hit it in the morning when my energy is at it’s peak and my brain is still to o sluggish to talk myself out of it.

I think too many people fall into the habbit of not eating before activity for three reasons:
1) Laziness - I personally work with a lot of collegiate athletes, and a lot of them are just too lazy to get up to make their own meal, so they just go on the empty stomach.
2) Timing - Some won’t allow enough time between the small meal and the activity. It can coincide with laziness by not getting up early enough to eat the meal and let it properly digest so it won’t cause any discomfort during the workout. Or it may just be lack of information regarding how much time to give, etc.
3) Type of food being eaten - Eat something heavy in fats, it will digest slower and probably cause stomach discomfort during activity. Not to mention, it will slow down the absorbtion of nutrients that your body needs during the activity. Eat highly processed foods or foods very high in sugar (simple sugar, HFCS, etc) can have a similar effect too.

I personally almost always make sure to have something in my system before, during, and after activity. Generally will eat a meal 1-2 hours before and then have a carb/protein shake before/during/after. Each person will be different in how they react to foods in their system during activity. Some react better to different ratios of nutrients. You just have to see what works for you through trial and error. But overall, I push more towards having something in your system, even if it is just a scoop or two of whey like the author mentioned in the article.

I haven’t personally tried this yet.

I recently read some research that indicates that swishing a 6% glucose solution around your mouth (without swallowing) improves performance. That might be all that’s needed to workout in the morning before eating.

I can’t work out too soon after eating (1 hour for cardio, 2 hours for weightlifting or I get nauseated).

Thanks for the eye opener. I had always heard one should do cardio on an empty stomach so I would rush through it so I could eat. :)

Sorry Joel, but I think you’re generalizing. What works for one person may not work for another. Each of us has to figure out what works for us. It’s too easy to look at someone and say they’re wasting their time. But if they’re getting the results they want, that’s all that matters. I’ve done morning cardio and the fat melted off pretty quickly. True, the workouts were harder since I hadn’t eaten anything yet. But the fact that I was losing fat and maintaining muscle was enough reason for me to keep doing it.

I agree- empty stomach cardio is near pointless! Not just mentally, but physiologically. I don’t think anyone should load up on heavey carbs 30 minutes before their workout, but you’ve got to have something for your body to function on… the overnight fast from sleeping always leaves me ready for breakfast in the a.m. It helps me recognize that my body is burning calories and running efficiently while I sleep. If I woke up without one ounce of “hunger”, I’d feel that I had eaten too late/much the night before. As for the workout side of things, I personally get much FURTHER and feel much BETTER at the end of my cardio each morning with a small breakfast in my tummy! And as you said… better performance = more calories burned. Isn’t that what we’re all looking for?? :)

I still do empty stomach workouts in the morning because I stumble out of bed into my gym clothes and head straight to the gym. I do 5 mins of cardio for a warm up and then do strength training for 25 mins. then I rush home to shower and get ready to go to work. I do about 3 times a week. My other exercise is done at home with DVD’s, normally when I return from work at about 6pm.

I have a weak stomach and am not hungry in the mornings until after I am done with my shower and about to jump in the car to go to work. I am deathly afraid of throwing up the food I ate during or after my workout.

I’ve always done this. If I eat a banana in the morning, would that work?

I have been training on and off for many years now. Because of my personal situation, the only time for me to train is at 530 am. Therefore it is impossible for me to eat anything before I train. On rare occasions when I feel hungry then I have a banana or yoghurt or a glass of fruit juice before workout. If I go to the gym for a workout (rather than at home) then I usually drink about 300ml water on my way to the gym.

I have not noticed a difference in my performance when I eat before my workout vs not. I work out very early in the morning and the thought of food before my workout is not appetizing in the least. I do know that I am very hungry after my workout and can refuel my body immediately following to feel good the rest of the day.

Joel, Can you give an link or point us to the research studies that you are citing in this article? Thanks.

Joel, I purchased your Cheat Program and I really love the concepts behind it. I pretty much agree with everything in the program. That being said, I think there needs to be a distinction made between AM Cardio, i.e. resistance type and metabolic work. I do agree if you are doing that type of training in the AM you should have something in your system. However, AM NEPA walking is a completely different story. I think that is where most people become confused. NEPA first thing on an empty stomach is perfectly fine, no longer than 45-60 min. Personally, I do take some BCAA’s before I go, but I believe that NEPA in the AM is great for recovery and fat loss.

If I do my workout super early (4:30-5 am) I don’t eat first and do fine. If it is a little later in the morning I have to have a small breakfast. When I am working on abs with the fitness ball, I really don’t want anything in my stomach so I often do that just BEFORE breakfast. But it is good to know that it is not particularly helpful to go without anything at all…that it doesn’t mean I’m going to burn more fat if I have an empty stomach. Thanks for the article.

I take my greens with my vitamins in the morning about 1/2 hour before my workout. Eating food actually makes me feel sick. I do find if I don’t take my greens, my workout suffers.

Originally Posted By DaveMost of these posting are surprising me with the type of questions they are asking. Look, if you are getting results on an empty stomach continue on your path. If you are not try and switch it up a little. Do it until you get the type of results you want to get. I do agree that research ISN”T very credible anymore, so you have to use your own discretion. What works for some doesn’t always work for others. My 2cents.

You said everything!
I’ve always hesitated to do steady state cardio on an empty stomach.
But now I do it every day when I’m in a cutting phase and have no problem reaching 5% bodyfat without losing muscle.
As Tom Venuto said, losing muscle has more to do with inadequate diet than with excessive aerobics (in a fasted state or not).

To follow up on the diversely opined today’s topic of e.s.c.
Guidelines like Joels are helpful, BALANCE is everything..from sound nutrition, restive sleep,intelligent use of-intensity- Totality of workout experience being KEY here. Change is always going to be(the)Constant. So Adjust ing accordingly to what needs be presenting at(the)time is a personal choice for each one.

“NEXT” enthusiam is contagious. ‘Infect’ some one near w/ a good DOSE of it.
ACE your day weLL..in all ways.. ~

By the way, I think weight training or HIT cardio on an empty stomach is a really bad idea.

Oh no Joel! Look at the “Comment Monster” you’ve created! I see this quickly evolving into a message board :)

I think what Joel is trying to say is that, if you are approaching empty stomach cardio because you believe that it boosts fat/calorie loss, then you need to re-evaluate your strategy. If you are doing it because it is just simply practical for your life, then don’t change it if it messes up your routine. It’s simply an optimization tweak for your workouts. It will net better results, but not if it impacts your lifestyle in a negative way.

A lot of people are asking if their “breakfast of choice” is sufficient before a workout. This question was already answered in the main post, you want to have some form of complex carbohydrates before exercising. If you have the Cheat Your Way Thin program, it lists many common complex carbohydrates, however a simple google search for ‘complex carbohydrates list’ will give you the answers you need to what foods are acceptable. Nearly all grains, fruits and vegetables are considered complex carbohydrates.

@Andre Takahama -

Personally, I couldn’t agree more w/you. I hope that is(the)message you got from(my)post;undoubtedly. Thanks for being fit. Nekomas

This is definitely an eye opener for me. The past 6 months or so I’ve been running on an empty stomach right after waking up. I’ve been taking some fat burners (due to the energy they give you) and its been working pretty well but the longer I use these fat burner the less and less energy I get because my body gets used to them. It makes sense for burning more fat on an empty stomach but I’m definitely gonna give eating a small meal before a shot and see how it goes. Just a quick question open to everyone reading this. Is it better to run first followed by weight training or the other way around? Thanks!

I always eat appx. 1 1/2 hour before any workout, then have some kind of protein shake 1/2 hour before working out.

I do intense cardio on an “empty stomach” (well with specific amino acid supplementation) because if I run more than about 30 mins and I have eaten even as much as 90 mins before - I end up with major stomach cramps and spend half of my time running hoping I can get to the next restroom. I do my weights and moderate cardio after a small meal (usually a protein shake). Got most of my training advice from Jon Benson and his various programs - they’ve been working great!

Hi. Thanks for the article.
I don’t have a problem training on an empty stomach, especially running HIIT.
I don’t think that affects the intensity of the exercise, at least it doesn’t for me. Sometimes i train after a fast of 16 hours. when you are empty you perform well and feel light.
But I guess that doesn’t work for everybody.
Allways try it yourself and then decide.

Can you please give us more details about the researches that you based your idea on?

thanks.

As for the question asked by Chris, i think cardio should be done last, and better not in the same workout. There are two reasons for that:
It fatigues you before your weight training session, and
if you do it last you take advantage of the raised fat burning hormones, e.g testosterone, from the weight training (according to men’s health)

I do my cardio after my weight training, which is in the afternoon when I get back from school around 1400. I usually eat 30min to an hour before heading to the gym and my cardio goes great. When I don’t, I get so hungry when I get to my cardio that I can’t run at all.

Joel - What if a person doesn’t have a half-hour before a.m. exercise - I get up at 5 15am - put my contacts in, dress and lace up sneakers and out I go for my 1 hour walk! My kids are up a 630 so how is this dilemma solved? a glass of milk? I DONT DO SMOOTHIES!!!!!!!! Thanks, Mary

I think it comes down to what your purpose in the GYM is. If it is for FAT LOSS, I do better in a fasting state because my workouts are SHORT and INTENSE. If I am in the GYM for STRENGTH and pure MUSCLE GAIN, I would eat something at least 30 minutes before hand. Either way loading with AMINO ACIDS pre-workout and post workout has been my trick.

I don’t find any problems with not eating before exercising. I typically do my cardio intervals after my weight training. Now sometimes I find I have issues but it is typically after I have eaten not before. If I am doing weights, I try to eat something before if I haven’t eaten recently.

I get excellent results when I train in a fasted state. Always have. Doesn’t matter if it’s resistance (and I use free weights) or HIIT–always better on an empty stomach. I do supplement beforehand, but better without food in my gut.

Do you have any studies on the effects of caffeine on fat loss during cardio on an empty stomach?

It’s so funny that you sent this out today. I just started your Cheat to Lose diet and am on my no carb week. Well, I do cross fit training and my workout this morning was horrible. I had no energy and was not able to make it through some of the reps. I usually eat oat bran in the morning and this morning I just ate turkey and then almonds. I thought that would be enough but it wasn’t. Does anyone have any suggestions on a quick breakfast when you are on a no carb day?

I used to believe this myth but then read information to eat a small meal before hand. This makes much more sense to kick start your engine and get some actual energy before you workout. I use the 30 minute method you metioned and it works great. Thanks for helping dispel this myth.

I find I do really well working out on an empty stomach or when I just have a protein drink beforehand. I pretty much work out in the am exclusively. If I eat a meal, even a small one before my workouts I find my performance suffers because my body is distracted with digesting and my stomach feels heavy and my strength zapped. It does make sense though, to eat something before working out. I used to eat nothing before my workouts ever and recently started having a light protein drink before them. I feel the same with or without it so I guess I’ll just keep going with them. I have been having a green drink, called Synergy, which provides about 4g of protein and Chlorella powder, which provides about 3g of protein. There’s hardly any carbs in that though so maybe I’ll add a piece of fruit as that’s easy to digest. Thanks for the post, Joel!

I have always done my morning workouts on an empty stomach, because I had read that that was the best way to burn more fat. Now I know why my energy level was so low during those workouts! I have a hard time eating early in the morning, but will certainly try to at least have some oatmeal before a workout. It is worth a shot to get a better workout in!

Hi Joel,
great Blog with lots of great info! Im going to ask you a few questions here regarding your ‘Empty Stomach Cardio” blog…though I would agree with you that for fat loss it is not critical for fat loss to train on an empty stomach, I would suggest there are other reasons why it is beneficial to train on an empty stomach: mainly digestion is one of the most demanding ‘tasks’ on your body, no food you eat will impact your blood stream within minimum the time it takes to be assimilated and converted into glycogen but the proccess takes up alot of energy and blood which taxes your body. So if digestion takes up energy and you do not get any energy benefit from food you eat before a workout, does it not make sense to eat many hours previous to impact your workout energy wise? And does the research show that it is hard on your heart to workout high intensity with a full stomach while digestion is in progress?

This, like most topics in the world of fitness, seem to be in constant debate. I’m not one to take things on faith - I like to see the studies, their methodology and findings before I just believe what I read - Face it, you can find “evidence” to support any theory or point of view presented without backing data. I agree with the other comment, I would love to see the reference citations that you mentionted in your article….

I can see logic in eating before a workout but likewise there is logic in working on an empty or nearly empty stomach also. But lacking any true evidence I’m not ready to make a decision on what’s “best” just yet…

Oh, and how does eating a carb-containing pre-workout meal fit into the “Cheat Your Way Thin” plan? Especially in phase one when it’s pretty much a very low carb meal plan - very similar, if not identical, to Atkins induction?

Hi Joel
I get up 6am to do 1 hour weights workout on alternative days before going to work.so i do workout 1st on empty tum,then have breakfast afterwards or sometimes a little later @ work if i’m short of time.no llater than 9.30am.is this ok?
thanks
debbie

Originally Posted By DavidHi Joel,

I understand u must eat 1.5-2hrs before u hit the weights but for moderate intensity cardio I like many others have always beleived empty stomach cardio was the way forward. I like to keep an open mind cos things r always advancing. Could u please supply references for these studys….

I like to take 10gms of glutamine along with a ‘fat burner’ which clearly states on the label must be taken on an empty stomach, then 15-20mins later have a coffee, then 15mins later when the ‘burner’ feels like it is working I do 45mins to 1hr bike, rowing machine and skipping.

I must point out that I drink at least 1.5 litres before I start and energy is never a problem, sometimes it is hard to stay motivated to go out in the cold to train….

I do cardio first thing in the morning and like others, don’t like to wait around til my breakfast digests.

I’ll sometimes throw in a 2nd cardio session in the early evening to help speed things along.

Tell me, have I been doing this all wrong for all this time???

p.s. I forgot to mention I follow up my cardio with a whey mct blend for recovery and 20 mins later with oatmeal.

Please respond,
Thanks

In my experience having a jog on an empty stomach isn’t so bad. Several mornings I’ve woken up and can’t be bothered getting out of bed, I can’t be bothereddoing anything not even make breakfast.
But if I force myself to have a jog (which I find easy aslongs as my MP3 is on) and when I’m finished I feel great and I’m happy to make my breakfast, do whatever. Not only that but I find jogging first thing in the morning easier and just as, if not less tiring than doing it later having eaten something.

Though with that said I never work out hungry and I remember going to the gym only having a small yoghurt/trifle thing as a quick breakfast and I hadn’t eaten enough and could barley manage half way through the workout.

Hey joel so i’m day 1 into cheat your way thin program (and I am dealing with no fruit - i emailed you about being a fruit fanatic).

Anyway about exercising on an empty stomach, I used to always believe this was the best way to burn fat. I went to the gym one morning with no food in my stomach and really struggled with interval running on the treadmill. My legs couldnt keep up with doing 8.5 mile/hour for 1 minute. By the third interval I was done ( I usually do 6). So I changed my ways and definately think performance is the key thing. If you can’t push yourself to the max there’s no point being in the gym.
thanks for the info.

luv gillo

I take BCAA between the last 2 meals of the day on my training days. I take them with 2-3 rice cakes (22-33g carbs), is that ok on my NO CARB day?

Thanks,

TRAVIS

What you are talking about is apples and oranges. Most body builders that use this method don’t do anything CLOSE to the physical demands of ‘metabolic restistance training’ during their a.m. fasted cardio, and I’m pretty sure you know that Joel. What they do is steady-state cardio, walking, bicycling, etc., in a very non-exhaustive (read: low heart rate, no PANTING) manner, right? I’ve been using this method for years now (with a few tabs of BCAA’s at most) to ‘burn’ a little accumulated blubber and it works hands down and many other respected people in the biz (Dr. Lonnie Lowery to name-drop) swear by it as it is a TRIED and TRUE staple for cutting fat. Now I totally agree with you that if you are going anywhere near weights or physical activity that will be metabolically demanding whatsoever that you MUST have at least a protein shake prior to avoid muscle breakdown, but that’s not exactly what we’re talking about here are we?? I don’t figure you to be the kind of guy to resort to ’straw man’ tactics when trying to prove a point so I’m going to assume you had a mental lapse here???

“Currently we do not ship overseas due to the expense of shipping. We also have to make sure we comply with each countries health laws regarding supplements.

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I always eat a good solid breakfast, only because if I don’t I schlep through the day half dead. So, I’ve never tried to do empty stomach anything! The farthest I’ve gone with this is to walk my kids to school before I eat, but it’s only two short blocks (5 minutes) away so hardly counts as a cardio workout.

I was still working out on an empty stomach when I worked out in the morning, until now that is. I was always curious about this and have read so many different things about it. Thank you so much for clarifying:)

I wake up so hungry sometimes I would eat paper if I had to, so there’s no question about eating before I work out. I have no choice! So, I usually enjoy some oatmeal, some V8 juice and some herb tea before I hit the weights. My current routine takes about 1/2 an hour, but by the time I’m done, I am usually shaking with hunger, so I drink a smoothie made up of yoghurt, kefir, ricotta cheese, raspberries, strawberries and a little cocoa powder (my own recipe). This usually stops the shakes and then I am ready to face the rest of my say. I’ve lost a couple dress sizes so far in the past 4 months and I am looking forward to getting leaner and fitter all the time!

Have you heard of eat stop eat? There are people who go into workouts in fasted states anywhere up to 20-30 hours and they actually have really good experiences. Some say they are able to lift even more in this state. When fasting the body really burns fast in the 18-24 hour range, so adding the workout in here increases results.

The science behind eat stop eat and intermitent fasting is really sound and is definitely worth looking into. its really starting to catch on. any thoughts about this yet? I know some of the research and information you share goes against these ideas.

I’ve been reading the comments with interest. I’ve got to agree completely with Tman. Like tman said, bodybuilders perform empty stomach cardio as well as steady state cardio and in my opinion you only have to look at a bodybuilder/Figure competitor to see they know how to lose fat and gain or maintain muscle much better than the average Joe. The first rule any trainer should know is the Law of Individuality. Not everyone will respond in the same way – we are all different. What works for one, may not work for another. Indeed what works for one person one time, may not work for that same person the next time. Which is why you cannot make these blanket statements such as “cardio on an empty stomach is wrong” and “Slow, long duration cardio as you mention here is another extremely outdated methodology”. Are you saying it doesn’t work? People have been doing both of these for absolute years with great success. Not everyone can do high intensity cardio – bodybuilders and figure competitors who are on calorie and carb restricted diets in an effort to reach an extremely low body fat %, will often not be able to perform high intensity cardio in addition to heavy weight training. It’s just too hard on the body, and they are unable to recover. Steady state cardio is necessary in these instances. Someone with adrenal fatigue or chronic fatigue syndrome or other such illnesses may also have an issue with too high intensity cardio in addition to weight training. And I don’t believe eating prior to steady state cardio will do you any favors if fat loss is your main aim. I take glutamine and BCAA’s before I do empty steady steady state cardio, along with my morning coffee. As someone within the fitness/weight loss industry having dealt with a lot of different clients who again I reiterate, are all individuals, it makes me rather frustrated to read these generalized statements as this is exactly why the fitness public is confused and will continue to be confused. If something is working for you, continue with it – if it’s not, try something different (providing you have given it ample time to see some results).

Hi Joel
I find if I am doing cardio only (running, cross trainer) I can go with an empty stomach. If I really am exerting myself with some resistance training in the middle (push ups etc) I do need to eat 30-45mins prior to training, to ensure I have maximum energy to perform.

I have been doing cardio (if brisk walking for 7kms in the morning can be called that) and eating reasonably healthy meals for last 2 yrs!!!!!!! but haven’t had even an ounce of weight loss!!!!!!!! perhaps you are right Joel. I’ll try having whey protein before my walks from tomorrow, I’ll let you know my progress regarding my weight loss.

My workout is so early I have never thought about using some other source to make sure I maintain that energy. I will give the whey a shot and let you know how it works.

I have experimented with empty stomach cardio for many years, and to be quite honest never really bought into the theory. I always get such low blood sugar on an empty stomach that I have had the shakes and panic attacks on many occasions during such a run. My workout partner has had difficulty even finishing her workouts if she hasn’t eaten in several hours. I’m convinced that keeping blood sugar balanced is key to top performance. Top performance=higher calorie consumption and greater ability to burn fat.

Hi Joel
For myself I find eating 1hr before exercise good,anything under that and it feels as if the food will jump out my throat.
I’ve just started the program,day 3.Having no carbs at breakfast is a challange…I can’t think of what to eat other than eggs.Any suggestions?

I have been trained to eat something prior to any exercise regimen, a combination of carbohydrate and protein, instead of “trying to start the car with no gas in it” as my friend Michal says.

I normally do cardio on an empty stomach because I start my workouts at 4:45 am and I am not about to get up at 4:15 to eat something! I have noticed variation in my workout performance even without eating. Some days I feel powerful and dominant and other days can be a bit of a struggle.

As a single mum of 4 kids, I can’t get to the gym before 9.15 in the morning, so I always have oats with fruit within 1/2 hr of waking. I train 7 days a week and have never exercised on an empty stomach . To me the idea of not eating has always sounded wrong. I have lost over 28kilos doing this and have gone down 6 dress sizes in two years. I do find however that if I weight train after cardio I do need a protein drink or a banana inbetween otherwise I just don’t have the energy. Jo from australia

i eat before most weight training however i would like you to clarify this: DOES DOING REGULAR CARDIO (EX. RUNING ON A TREADMILL) BETTER WHEN DONE IN THE MORNING ON AN EMPTY STOMACH, thats usually what i do before going to school i go to the gym run for about 20min. shower then head to school (the gym is a block away from my school) and have breakfast in my first class–>usually a yougurt and fruit or cottage cheese and fruit or hardboiled egg. (the teacher is really cool about me eating in class)

i do cardio in the morning (empty stomach) and weight in the afternoon i feel much better when i do cardio in the mornin on an empty stomach i tried eating it makes me slow and sluggish even if i just have a low carb all natural whey protein or any small protein meal all i just drink water beforehand and umm please clarify if this is better or i should seriously make an effort to adapt my body to actually eat before morning cardio workout (i wake up at 5:30 and hit the gym around that time)

What effects my workouts more than anything is the prior evening/day’s meals. If I have been eating fairly clean for a couple days, ie lots of veggies, complete protein, and good fats, I tend to just fly along in my workouts. As long as I’m well fueled with all the necessary micro-nutrients, well hydrated, and have some level of clean burning fuel, I absolutely fly through workouts. However, if I go too long like that, and my body is looking for something it doesn’t have, I crash hard. I’ve basically learned to listen to my body and tell the difference between having lots of good nutrients in me and being really “lite” and be starved, which ironically feels very very “heavy”.

that’s right joel! great post.
and the training is much better with a pre-workoutsnack!

greetz

hello again joel,

in your reply to my comment, you asked to tell you what research talks about cardio in the morning for increased fat loss. quickly looking through my collection of articles, i located one(i have more but i think i have given them to people) from muscle and fitness magazine from november 2002 page 101, called “time to burn”. it says that “the theory that cardio exercise on an empty stomach first thing in the morning has the greatest potential for fat loss is firmly supported by science”. it talks about the different studies and it gives all the references at the end of the article.

however, it also says that although it increases fat loss, it does also increase muscle catabolism and that 20 to 30 grams of whey protein before the workout would prevent that.

i have come to the conclusion that both ways work. each one of us needs to experiment with our body and determine what works best. if one feels weak without food, by all means, eat!!! if one is like me and can do high intensity cardio with only coffee with no problems, great!!! do it, and reap the benefits.
just remember to eat immediately after you’re done with cardio, and eat every 2-3 hours to keep metabolism high continue to burn fat.

thanks for all the links. i learned a lot from them!!!!!!!!!!

there’s a good article in ‘muscle and fitness’ magazine-november 2002, called “time to burn.” it gives research information on cardio on an empty stomach and it gives references at the end of the article. it says that the greatest potential for fat loss is firmly supported by science. there are many other articles, too. too many to list here.

stop conplaining so much just force yourself to eat befor workouts i used to feel likei was gonna vomit getting uop and eating at 5 am for 5 5 20 am start so i started with a shake of protein and milo then slowely moved on to food now i have oats and protein powder and find workout are much better. its just about forcing yourself and if u disagree with what joel says shut up and do what u wish but others dnt need to read your conplaints

I get up too early to have breakfast and then 30 minutes to digest it. I do not weight training in the morning, but just cardio that is, for me, running. IF I try running with something in my stomach, the result is straightforward: I throw up!! Anyway, you do not run on what you just had, but on your glycogen, both liver and muscle glycogen. Unless you run long distance, and if you train regularly, you have enough stock to go quite a distance on this! And don’t wreck havoc on your insulin level before you exercise, that’s not very clever.

I hear you Joel ! The only thing fasted-state morning cardio did for me was lose precious lean muscle mass. Not wanting to get off topic but cardio directly after weight-training made me lose muscle too. Admittedly my endomorph body with ectomorph limbs (not one mesomorph DNA strand in me, unfortunately) doesn’t help….

When it comes to weight training, I’m with you 100%. When it comes to hard cardio, like running or speed walking, I can not agree. I’ve tried it several times but have found that if I do really hard cardio, even if I haven’t eaten in the last two hours, it gives me nasty cramps. Moderate cardio, I can eat about an hour before, but if I am going all out all I get is a belly in severe pain. But that’s just me.

For years I did my weight training on an empty stomach!! Then I met Michael Geary and he suggested to eat at least 2 meals before I trained. What a huge difference that made! I worked out with higher intensity, lifted heavier, and for the first time actually saw results! As far as cardio is concerned I do take 45 minutes, steady pace walks, 3 times a week first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. My MHR is only about 50-60% the entire time & this works for me. I have tried the high intensity interval training & for some reason this doesn’t work for me. I think it’s a combination of the fresh air, stress relieving, non-stress hormone building exercise that my body likes! I have tried incorporating some running into my walking routines, but on an empty stomach it’s like dragging 100 pounds behind me!

I thought the same thing, that you should do cardio on an empty stomach! Given that I am now 46 and having a difficult enough time getting the fat burners turned on and metabolism going, I will definately try eating a small meal prior to my workouts. It does make sense to fuel your workout. I am trying to crank my weight loss up to 2lbs per week to reach a goal. Maybe this will help do the trick! Thanks for the good information!

I’d like to see links to those actual articles to read the methodology, especially what they actually measured. Was the no preworkout meal group doing interval sprints first thing when they woke up? Did they continue this for several weeks?

Frankly, I don’t believe for a second that they’ll actually show what their headlines claim they show.

Time to fatigue, or energy expended during the workout is irrelevant. What matters is what burns the most fat long term.

Originally Posted By Joel MarionLook them up; I provided the references!

I tried, all I could find were abstracts. Do you have links to the full articles?

I always work out very early in the mornings, and initially I simply couldn’t eat - I would feel like throwing up even before my workout began. As I intensified my cardio workouts, I found I was running out of gas too quickly and found it harder and harder to get through each workout. A friend suggested eating half a toasted bagel, with some pure liquid honey…it digests really easily and gives a significant boost to carry you through even the toughest cardio workout.

So I tried it…I didn’t have that overwhelming feeling of wanting to throw up and it did provide the energy I needed. After the workout, I’m famished and replenish with good protein/carb balanced meal.

@Cindy -

Cindy. I also do Crossfit and am in the third week of the Priming phase. Week 1 is really hard on the Crossfit side, but boy do you get lean!. Week two has given me the best combination of weight loss/leaness/and performance. MY high GL week has been intresting in that my perfomance has been good, but my soreness has been very intense. Probably the drop in my fat consumption. I exercise in the morning on a empty stomach.

Originally Posted By Joel Marion

Originally Posted By GeorgeThere is proven fact clinical research that proves empty stpmach cardio burns more fat. I have always dont cardio this way and it works.
“A study carried out at Kansas State University (Wilcox, Harford & Wedel Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, 17:2, 1985), indicates that a kilogram of fat will be oxidized sooner when exercising in the fasted condition in the morning than when doing the same exercise in the afternoon. By measuring respiratory gas exchange, caloric expenditure, and carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism, these researchers showed that the mass of fat burned during aerobic exercise amounts to 67% of the total energy expenditure achieved when the same exercise is done later in the day or in the fed state.”

1985….that’s 25 years ago.

Most of the laws of physics and biology that we consider foundational today are more than 25 years old.

Your statement implies that a 25 year old study must be inaccurate or irrelevant. That’s bad methodology and reduces your credibility. If you can reveal a flaw in the study then you have something. Otherwise, its just as credible as a study that concluded yesterday.

By the way, I’m not saying Joel is wrong. I’m just saying I’m seeing studies that have mutually exclusive conclusions so it seems that, based on what we have in this discussion, the jury is still out on this issue .

I do empty stomache, but for a good reason. I’m diabetic. to eat beforehand, means I need to get up at 4AM, test, take a shot, eat, and then go to the gym for my 5 am session. What happens naturally is that when I get up and do ESC, my blood sugar will rise, giving me glucose for a workout. To take insulin beforehand often means that I’m crashing on the treadmill from low blood sugar.

This is just works for me…

I get up at 4:30 and workout immediately. I don’t want to eat that early in the morning. I do not feel weak and do well. Is it going to hurt me in any way to not eat before my workout?

I only workout 1 morning a week and never do it without having a banana and a large glass of water. I feel it raises my energy levels.

I used to play a couple of hours of basketball on Sat mornings and tried it on empty and with a banana or protein drink. I never felt ”heavy” with the contents in my system, but rather more alert and ready.

Truthfully, I get up at 4:30 am to exercise and then go to work. There is no way I can eat first and wait until I’ve digested whatever it is that I ate or drank, exercise and get to work on time. For me, there is no choice but to do it on an empty stomach. It has nothing to do with whether I can burn more calories one way or the other. I’m a morning person and that’s when I want to exercise or it won’t get done at all. I’ve never felt it has affected my work out in any way, shape or form. Once I’m done, I have my breakfast at around 6:30 am and get ready for work. I feel great all day! By the way, I’ve been doing this for many years, and I’m 60 years old.

Thanks.
From tomorrow I shall have a banana or a bowl of yogurt, depending on what is available before I head out for the workout.
I am not able to perform optimally..no doubt. let us hope the food makes it better!

I’m never doing empty stomach cardio again. I’ve always suffered through the dizziness and lack of endurance because I thought I was burning a few more calories. But I’d always pig out after the workout. Now that I know better i think I’ll actually start losing some weight.

I work my way around this issue altogether by working out in the afternoon. I admire the 4 am workout folks, but I have found that my brain works better in the am (so that’s when I focus my work hours) and my braun - such as it is - works better in the afternoon when my body is warmed up. Afternoon workouts also keep me from hitting that dreaded afternoon eat-everything-in-sight stage.

I have a hard time eating breakfast before I jog in the mornings. I have been drinking smoothies lately and haven’t noticed any difference in my jogging performance.

Joel-about time someone that talks the truth!! I’ve been telling clients (and friends!) that empty stomach training is bad news however you look at it! I could never train without eating something-i’m ready for food after my workout as it is so if i didn’t eat before hand there’s no way i’d make it through!
Keep up with the great reading material!

Fasted cardio has always worked well for me. While there definitely are differing opinions, from what I’ve read there’s more research to support it than not.

Tom Venuto seems to like fasted cardio too:

http://www.tomvenuto.com/articles/morning_fat_burn.shtml

One thing he touches on is the insulin factor, which I think is too great to ignore. Eating releases insulin which blocks fat mobilization. So fasted cardio is in effect like the exercise equivalent of a low carb diet.

Hey Joel,

You make some good points in this article but steady state cardio does have a role to play and as with anything, it depends on what context you are applying it to.

Straight out though, absolutely no one should be doing resistance training, metabolic or traditional on an empty stomach. Would you run your car on no fuel? Of course not. I have seen so many clients come into the gym with a personal trainer and almost faint due to this misconception that it may have some benefit.

Fasted cardio is an old school but still heavily used method by bodybuilders wanting to shed body fat prior to a show and their results are hard to refute, natural bodybuilder or not so natural included.

For the general population however, you are spot on in saying that fasted cardio probably isn’t the best choice. Getting more done in less time should be everyone’s top priority and interval training or metabolic resistance training are 2 ways to achieve just that.

Have a great weekend mate.

Regards, Clayton
Personal Trainer | Adelaide, Australia

Steady state cardio on an empty stomach is something I use when I want to get really lean. I wouldn’t do any sort of resistance training on an empty stomach, that’s just stupid.
I don’t know about the research you’re referring to but body-builders came up with this trick long before any research was done on it.
Frankly, I trust my own experience over research data.
Also, what about cardio directly after weights? That has amazing results and the reason is much the same, glycogen stores are depleted, more fat is burned, simple.

hey joel!
i was reading your article and i guess i see some sense in it. I wake up really early before school so i can workout (i have to do it at home seeing as im just too young to join a gym). Because its so early, i dont have 100% motivation. however i eat breakfast after my workout, because i dont have time to wait half an hour, then workout, then go to school. so, in the end, im not sure whether it is my sleepyness or eating post-workout that slows me down.
Thanks for all your advice :)

I like to mix it up so ,once a while I do not eat before my 45 min. morning run and i don’t see no difference with the performance or feeling.If i ever want to put a max. intensity in a run or weight training,I always eat something.I’m just careful with what I eat.

I wake up early as 5.00am and do my workouts with a glass of pure raw egg to give me energy. Please let me know if this is good for my energy level!!!!!!!!

What would be the pre workout ingrediants!

Yours in Training

Paul

Hi Joel,
thanx for clearing that up. I used to do cardio on an empty stomach but couldn’t get the most out of the training. Now I know why.
Gr,
Daniel.

thanks !! very helpful post!

Joel,

I find that I have energy working out on an empty stomach as long as I drink a cup of black coffee. I agree with your overall point…if working out on an empty stomach causes people to have a less intense workout, then they should probably eat something.

For those who can still get an intense workout on an empty stomach, then there is a nice side benefit…your body will use a little fat for fuel during the workout along with the obvious benefits of an intense workout…EPOC and increase in HGH levels, etc.

The small benefit of working out on an empty stomach only matters if the workout is intense. If intensity suffers, then it is much better to eat something ahead of time. I’ve recommended that people eat a fuji apple about 30 minutes ahead of time if they need a bit of a boost. It is only 60-90 calories and seems to give a great boost without adding a bunch of calories.

Great points about the goal of a good fat burning workout!

Rusty

Well one of the most helpful thing to eat before a good old morning workout would be to have a glass of raw egg or 2 mixed with milk. Its natural, healthy and adds fats to the minimum. Its better then having fruits or having coffee since you also get a gain in raw proteins. Well I personally do not drink this stuff my self since I have my own choice of breakfast maybe not as healthy. I usually wake up at 5 in the morning and make a small bowl of my own recepie… a mixture of brown bread chunks, chicken, yogurt and some fresh garden leaves and dip a little olive oil on it. Its a really small bowl of it yet it is a three in one meal. Ultra Nutricious filled with energy and yet gives fat to the minimum. I have been having this for like last 2 months with a glass of orange juice and trust me it helped me loose weight at twice the rate I used to lose my weight before, when I used to have some cereal for breakfast. And to make your workout more effective I recommend you do some leg streches and deep breathing before you start to warm up and do the streches again after your workout. Helps to increase your blood flow even better. And never take a bath right after a workout, wait for like 45 minutes and then do so. Ok thats it for now I guess.

ahhhh… there is so much to read. im really confused now. can anyone really give me any advice i can adhere to? i dont really want to be on the fench anymore. i am 15 years old, and a very active basketball player. In my personal experience, i simply can not get a good work out in on an empty stomach? can anyone give it to me straight?

@joe - use mine ^^

@Henrik Flensborg - I totally agree with this.