The TRUTH About Empty Stomach Cardio

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???

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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.