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.
Over the weekend I hit the gym with my buddy Mikey for a morning cardio workout.
Now, I say “cardio”, but really it was a metabolic resistance training session.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, the simple definition for metabolic resistance training is “cardio with weights”. We’ll cover this more in detail in another update so as not to get too off topic.
So we’re about 10 minutes into the workout and Mikey looks like he’s in pretty bad shape (despite being in really GOOD shape). So I asked him what the deal was.
“I didn’t eat anything for breakfast.”
Me: Why the heck not?
“I thought that’s what you’re supposed to do if you want to burn the most fat from your morning workouts.”
Uh oh.
Perhaps you’re still believing this old myth just like good ol’ Mikey, so allow me to take a moment to dispel it.
The theory behind empty stomach is cardio is simple: supposedly, by doing cardio on a empty stomach, you tap directly into fat stores since glycogen (carbohydrate) stores are somewhat depleted after an overnight fast.
Seems to make sense, but research has proven this to be wrong.
Several studies have shown no difference in substrate utilization (glycogen vs. fat) for those working out on an empty stomach vs. those who eat a small meal prior to their morning workouts.
In fact, one study showed the exact opposite—those who had a small meal first burned more calories and more fat than the empty stomach group.
How can this be?
The reason is rather simple if you think about it. I was kicking butt and taking names with my workout, and Mikey was barely able to get through his. Even if not eating beforehand allowed you to burn more fat (which it doesn’t), the major trade off is performance.
And why does performance matter? Well, if you can’t perform at an optimal level and put forth maximal effort, then you are not going to be burning an optimal amount of calories–period.
The truth is, empty stomach cardio is an outdated philosophy whose theory was proven incorrect by research. Still, there are plenty of people who hold on to the theory despite the available research. Perhaps they’re not aware of it, perhaps they just go by what the fitness and bodybuilding magazines tell them (bad idea); I’m not sure.
Whatever the reason, popular philosophy doesn’t always mean correct philosophy, and this is one such instance.
So I’ll leave you with some practical recommendations:
At the very minimum, have a couple scoops of whey before any morning “cardio” workout.
That said, if it’s still negatively affecting your performance, you need to go a bit further. The meal doesn’t have to be large, but it should contain some complex carbs (oatmeal, etc) along with a small serving of protein.
Give it about a half hour to begin digesting and then hit your workout.
Better performance = more calories burned = more fat loss = improved cardiovascular functioning = even better performance = even more calories burned = even more fat loss.
Don’t be like my friend Mikey and have a crappy workout because you didn’t eat. As I shared with you, the research shows that’s not going to make a difference anyway. Instead, eat your Wheaties (figuratively speaking) and then dominate your workout!
Alright, now it’s comment time:
I want to know: Do you still do empty stomach cardio? Will you give it up based on this post? Do you notice your performance suffers?
Or maybe you do REALLY well with empty stomach cardio.
Either way, let me know your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below!
Chat with you below!
Your friend,
Joel
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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!
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Hey, it’s Joel! So you want to know a little more about me, huh? Well, I’d be happy to oblige :-)
I guess it all started back in 2001 (my freshman year of college) when I was just a “skinny fat” 19-year old kid. At the time, I was spending close to 2 hours a day in the gym (now my workouts last about 30 minutes), and despite my efforts, you’d probably never guess I worked out a day in my life by looking at me...