The TRUTH About Empty Stomach Cardio

I think a few things have to be clarified here

1. Cardio and Resistance Cardio are 2 different things. Cardio where you are running/cycling is less neuromuscular and less demanding on the PCr-ATP and Glycolytic Systems.

2. There are severa studies that show that training in the depleted state does increase fatty acid oxidation. See any of Keith Barrs studies

3. The studies show that not only does fat oxidation increase, but mitochodrial biogensis is upregulated. So endurance training adaptations are enhanced

4. I’ve done this type of training many times, use it with many elite athletes, so I know it works

That said, for any resistance, weights, high intensity type exercise, then have some breakfast !

Where’s the research?can we have a link to the paper?

I just can’t do cardio after i’ve eaten, I like to run but at a fairly high intensity (6 – 7min mile pace) and I find I can only run if my food has had about 3 hours to digest, this is fine during the day/evening but in order to train in the morning, I have to run before I eat anything. When I started training for a marathon I realised I would need to get used to eating before hand because I was running for 2 hours plus and I did manage half a banana or some malt loaf (dry) but I was also running at a slower pace, I get a burning in my throat as if I am going to be sick if I train hard after I have eaten. So anything up to 15 mile (and I would train this around 7 min mile pace) I have to do on an empty stomach only on slower runs can I eat.

I have been training(weights) lately on an empty stomach. i have a black coffee to stimulate the body and get it going and a serving of bcaa’s to preserve muscle mass. I don’t find it affects my performance at all.

Not doubting your word but I think it would be better if you citied all the research that substantiates this (or any other blogs that state ‘contains research not just theory). Thx

Why would glycogen (carbohydrate) stores be somewhat depleted after an overnight fast? That doesn’t make sense. I perform all my workouts fasted and perform powerfully every time. I usually only eat once a day in the evening and alternate between a Brad Pillon Eat Stop Eat style of fasting and an every other day style fast. When fully fat adapted glycogen plays very little part in exercise performance. I eat VLC/ZC adequate protein and high fat and have endless energy and am still gaining lean muscle mass.

Hmmm. Last summer, on the advice of my personal trainer, I did a 30 minute run every morning before breakfast. I left the rest of my training for later in the day. The result was that I got into the best shape I’d been in for years.
Now me reading this post comes as such a coincidence as yesterday was the first time in 8 months that I trained (went to the gym – mostly cardio with slight weights) before breakfast. Yesterday’s result; I did half of what I had planned on account of me nearly vomiting and passing out. Not a good look in a public gym! I think there’s possibly a myriad of factors to consider with this as opposed to a simple equation of “no food=poorer workout”. For instance, overall health, fitness, food from the previous day, amount of sleep, etc. More to think about.

I’ve found that morning cardio/even weight-training on an empty stomach is fine, provided I work out early, & have been sure to have a scoop of protein before bed-time the previous eve to maintain my blood-sugar levels.

Hey Joel,
I teach boot camps early in the morning and I tell my ladies to eat at least a piece of toast with some peanut butter on it, or a yogurt with some almonds or nuts or something like that.

I can always tell the ladies that have taken my advice and the ones that didn’t. The funny thing is that I can also always tell when there is a new girl or guy in class, because they are usually the ones 25 or 30 minutes into the workout that crash, from not eating and fueling their bodies.

Thanks for proving my point and theory all along. I feel much better eating a little something before my workout, and then an awesome meal right after.
Kevin H

If I do workout after having even light snacks I feel burning sensation(acidity). Kindly advice

Hi Joel,

Where is the research to support this?

Don’t get me wrong, I believe you. However, I want to see research to back-up (because the more educated I get, the more skeptical I get of philosophizing and theory).

Thanks,

Joe

@ Zack W:
Not my experience at all. One of my best most powerful workouts was towards the end of a 48 hour fast.

Could you please list which universities took part in the studies. Thank you.

Could you please list which universities took part in the studies. Thank you.

Get doing some Whole body weight training mate all that power walking cardio stuff obviously isn’t working
you need not muscle to burn more energy at test and during a high intensity cardio workout. Hope that helps.
Http/:www.eft-gb.com
Darren, UK
@ Michael Powell:

I have to confess, I have always been a big believer in the fasted cardio, first thing in the morning… UNTIL, I was up a little earlier than usual one time, and had a basic shake (with my own brand – Milky Whey) prior to my cardio. That morning, my cardio was stronger and I felt more energized and I’ve been doing it ever since, with great results!

Read this: Training without breakfast boosts glycogen stores:
http://sweatscience.com/?p=764
Even though they broke their fast with “standard cereal breakfast” (read crap) they still found improvement, not as much as if eating and burning fat.

Think of it this way, even if you are able to improve your performance with the added nutrition before the workout, those extra calories you will burn from your improved energy levels would mainly COUNTERACT the calories you’ve just eaten.

I must say, having a small meal may slighly push up those leptin levels and perhaps soothe cortisol ones too since now your body isn’t in such an extreme state. And i suppose a SMALL meal may not slow down the fat burning process that much.

But you forget the main reason why people do morning cardio on an empy stomach – that is because in that time the body doesn’t have to go through burning glycogen from the muscles then liver then BBAAs and then the fat. So it’s just much more convinient for some to go straight into fat burning.

Personally I feel it’s a matter of how much energy is in your muscles not how much food is in your stomach. In a workout you are not getting energy from the food you just ate (say an hour ago) but from the food you ate a couple of hours or even a day ago (as a runner, I find it is actually the meal I have two days before a run which has the most effect on my run). This is supported by programs such as Brad Pilon’s Eat-Stop-Eat where his fasting has no negative impact on his workouts (which he has proved).

So it becomes a matter of when you last ate and how fast your metabolism is. For those early-morning exercisers who feel fine exercising without eating beforehand, it’s probably because they last ate (snacked) at 9 or 10pm the night before. A person who has an early dinner (at 6 or 7pm say) would probably not do so well working out early the next morning (especially if they have a fast metabolism and wake up feeling peckish already). This may explain why some of the readers battle with their early-morning workouts when they don’t eat while others do not battle.

As with so many things in life, it’s not simple! It’s not usually one straight-forward rule for all of us. We just have to find out what’s best for us: from when we exerscise to how long beforehand we eat .

Just my take… good chance I’ve got it wrong but just thought I’d share anyhow. Thanks for all the food for thought:-)

My morning workout usually consists of weight/resistance training followed by 30 min run or just a short run followed by sprint intervals. Ive tried working out on an empty stomach – horrible! No strength and I generally feel like passing out mid run.. Eggs or any protein (even whey) makes me feel heavy and sluggish even if taken a whole hour earlier… I simply can’t digest it fast enough…

What works for me is a glass of chocolate milk and a muesli bar (half or whole, depends) or half a muffin taken 30 to 40 mins prior to workout time .. Occasionally I have a few sips of coffee just to kickstart my brain

I believe consistency to be the primary factor for results but I happen to disagree with this. I have done extensive research and applied working out in a fasted state for over 10 years. Although you might not hav more energy initially. The total amount of fat and calories burned after a workout( EPOC) is MUCH greater if performed in a fasted state. In fact, I’ve personally stayed my leanest ever 15 to 16 percent body fat as a female by fasting before and aftr workout however..,the intensity levels must be high enough for a metabolic response. Our bodies will release GH, adrenaline, endorphins, free fatty acids and lower insulin dramatically aftr working out on an empty stomach. And if u eat before a workout you actually prevent ALL these fat burning chemicals from working because of eating food and spiking insulin. It takes a little practice but I would be happy to take u on with a metabolic resistance workout…you can eat and I won’t and I guarantee I will keep up and then some. The minute I started fasting before and aftr workout I started getting lean and hav stayed lean.

I luv your info and program but were going to hav to agree to disagree on this one and I can provide studies and results from 100s of people to back it up.

on my cheat day i eat anything and evrything then the day after i dont eat anything at all in this day i train twice wieght lifting

Henrik Flensborg wrote:

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.

Agree with you totally …

A few days I worked out just after finishing my breakfast, and my workout sucked and I had a stomachache. I also noticed that working out without eating beforehand is a no-no, because my energy levels and recovery are much lower.

Hi Joel.
I have been an instructor for many years and take 4 early morning cardio classes per week. Like a previous person, if I ate prior to a class i would have to get up at 4.30am instead of 5.00am. I believe that I function really well without food at this time of day, however must admit I really look forward to breaky.
I have had participants in my classes that needed something prior to exercise, thus I have always advised them to drink some juice. Your post is food for thought, but not sureI will change current habits without further evidence. cheers