Training in a fasted state - Opinions

rickyll
rickyll Posts: 188 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys and gals,
I've recently started training first thing in the mornings. I get up at 7:00, down my pre-workout and hit the gym. A big breakfast with fast digesting protein and carbs comes after. I've been doing this for a week now and so far I like it. It's only been a week though so I'm wondering if there's people out there who have done this for longer and if they can share their experiences.

Cheers!

Replies

  • maa59115
    maa59115 Posts: 29 Member
    I think it would help you burn a little more fat, and your pre-workout will kick in faster. I personally don't train fasted, I have no energy.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    What do you call an animal that has no energy, whose athletic ability declines when they are hungry?

    Dead.
  • rickyll
    rickyll Posts: 188 Member
    Well I'm not dead...yet at least! I actually have increased my strength in the short time i've been training fasted. I thought I'd have no energy but I'm always ready to go!

    Still want to know of other people's experiences though.
  • ValerieMomof2
    ValerieMomof2 Posts: 530 Member
    For about a year, 4 days a week, I was getting up and exercising from 5:45-6:30 without eating a thing before. I was doing circuit training mostly, but did some running as well and every Saturday I run anywhere from 4-8 miles without eating. I prefer it because when I do attempt to eat close to working out, I get really nauseous. I will say that I was always STARVING by 7:00 and would always eat a large breakfast because of that but I lived through it!
    Also, now that I think about it, for about 2 years, I used to go to the gym 4-5 days a week and do a pretty challenging weight training workout without eating before. It's not for everyone and you have to make sure you fuel your body, but for me, I definitely prefer it
  • links_slayer
    links_slayer Posts: 1,151 Member
    I routinely go to the gym and lift on an empty stomach

    #lol5amworkouts

    Running is another story....
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    I train fasted a couple of times a week. At first I found cardio a bit of a struggle but I've quickly adjusted and don't really notice any difference in strength or endurance now.

    An hour of cardio or weights should be fine - you are carrying all the energy you need in your muscles and liver.
    I wouldn't do a longer workout fasted.
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
    All my workouts are fasted with the exception of my elliptical workout at my kids' gym while I watch their gymnastics calsses after dinner. I work out at 4:30 am, and I only eat before hand if I wake up ravenous. I don't like working on a full stomach if it can be avoided, an I run and/or do a cardio video and lift, all fasted, and I feel pretty good. I don't do it because I think it helps me burn for fat or anything, I do it because I'd rather save the calories because I know I'd have to eat again later.
  • Danny_Boy13
    Danny_Boy13 Posts: 2,094 Member
    Personally I need to have gas in the tank to work out. So usually I will eat something that sits well with me.... banana, cliff bar, ect. Sports bars are designed to hold well when one is working out (running, riding, swimming, lifting, ect). Every trainer and coach that I have EVER had has told me to always have something in the tank.
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    Works well for me, but it has to be early. If I haven't eaten by about noon, I'm ready to shoot someone.
  • notenoughspeed
    notenoughspeed Posts: 290 Member
    If it works for you, go with it. I need a small amount of calories before if I work out in the morning, but to each his/her own.
  • sammielealea
    sammielealea Posts: 245 Member
    I have done 3 half marathons, and I am currently training for my first full . . . I have done 95% of my training fasted, and am currently trying to re-train my body to do my long runs whilst having a little something to eat before hand. I have always done my workouts first thing in the morning because of young children and schedules. I love training at a fasted state, it's what worked for me, however I'm finding that with distances over the 21-ish km mark my energy levels from carb loading just aren't cutting it. My 2 cents is to really listen to your body, keep track of what you're doing diligently during training time, and do what works for you :) Best of luck!
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    I run a 10k or slightly more at least 3 times a week on an empty stomach. Doesn't bother me a bit. I just wake up, put on the shoes and go run. I don't get better workouts if I run in the evening. It's not like I didn't eat the day before. Your body knows how to start pulling out energy when you need it. You won't collapse. Just have a good meal when you're done.
  • Tyggress73
    Tyggress73 Posts: 104 Member
    I work out every weekday morning from 5 - 6:30 am. I simply cannot eat that early (I get up at 4:15 to get to the gym by 5:00)....I do both strength training and cardio most days, and I do it all in a fasted state. It just works for me. Plus, if I eat before a workout, I am sluggish and my body is trying too hard to digest food, rather than spending its energy on the workout.

    Having said this, it's not for everyone. I think it's a personal preference more than anything. I know some people who can't workout on an empty stomach, but I can't workout with a full stomach. I do, however, down a protein shake the MINUTE I am done working out (before I even hit the showers) to start fueling my muscles, and then eat breakfast about 45 minutes after that.
  • My0WNinspiration
    My0WNinspiration Posts: 1,146 Member
    I have more energy when I train fasted.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    that is what i do,,,,,, tho, no brekkie when i come back either.
  • debzv
    debzv Posts: 23
    I used to train fasted, and it worked fine. But then I decided to try eating (2 bolied eggs and a big raw tomato) 1 hour before exercising to see if i would have more/less energy during workout. I definitely have more energy during my training when I have eaten before hand, and so i am able to push myself harder and burn more calories. I also find that i am not completely ravenous after my workout and so tend to eat better for the rest of the day.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    I think it would help you burn a little more fat, and your pre-workout will kick in faster. I personally don't train fasted, I have no energy.
    The benefit of training "fasted" and in a fed state is minuscule.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    I think it would help you burn a little more fat, and your pre-workout will kick in faster. I personally don't train fasted, I have no energy.
    The benefit of training "fasted" and in a fed state is minuscule.

    ^^yep. And energy levels are a purely individual thing.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    ^^yep. And energy levels are a purely individual thing.

    This. My last meal of the day is at about 8PM, and I usually don't eat again until 2PM, AFTER I lift. It doesn't bother me much. My wife on the other hand gets stabby if she misses breakfast.

    Figure out what works best for you and allows you to get the most out of your workout, and do that.
  • horseplaypen
    horseplaypen Posts: 442 Member
    A few days after Christmas, I ate breakfast, then waited about 3-4 hours and went for a run. I actually vomited on the side of the road. So I always run on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning. :)

    Other exercises (weights, etc) it doesn't seem to make a difference to me. I just had a bowl of yogurt and a coffee and I'm heading to the gym in 30 minutes. All good. Do what works for you.
  • eatcleanNtraindirty
    eatcleanNtraindirty Posts: 444 Member
    I train fasted everyday of the week. I love it. Take a preworkout, some BCAAs, creatine and I'm good to go! I work out in the morning so I can be hungry going into the workout but usually the preworkout takes care of my hunger pain.

    I've trained in the mornings after eating and I just don't like it as much. I have to wake up earlier to get the food in me (usually a couple eggs or protein shake with a half cup of oatmeal) and then wait at least an hour for it all to settle and then take my preworkout cocktail. I still feel bloated and full though and I'm not trying to wake up super early like that in order to eat 60-90 min before a workout. So I've switched back to working out fasted. And I love it!
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    You'll be fine. This is how I trained for half the 15 years I've been working out. No difference to me, really
  • green022
    green022 Posts: 115
    What do you call an animal that has no energy, whose athletic ability declines when they are hungry?

    Dead.

    haha yessss
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    From a respected name in research based training.

    Really depends on what you are doing. You are in about the best fat-burning mode you'll be in, so if you do cardio in fat-burning zone you get good combo, but possible bad after-effects.
    If you do cardio really intense you are burning through carbs that may not even be there in enough quantity, risking some good muscle burn depending on how long you make it.

    http://workout911.com/?p=2617

    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/the-myth-of-cardio-before-breakfast-debunked.html

    But in general, doesn't matter enough, just do it.
  • cordianet
    cordianet Posts: 534 Member
    If it works for you, feel free. I honestly think it's a personal choice. That said, while it's true that glycogen is depleted in the morning and thus it is not a ready source of fuel at that time, this does not necessarily mean you're going to burn more fat. Why? Well, first of all, the body can convert stored protein to glycogen just like it does with stored fat, thus you may be catabolizing muscle instead of fat if you do workout in a fasted state. If that's true, you may be hurting as much as helping. Second, my experience is that if you exercise with any intensity when fasting, you will be unable to exercise as hard or as long as you would if you fed yourself prior to working out, meaning that you can't burn as many calories.

    In this case, it's the long-term balance between energy intake and energy expenditure that determines whether or not you store fat or burn it. Thus in my opinion, the most important factor is the total amount of calories burned, not when you do it.

    Like I said in the beginning, if it works for you fine. If, however, it takes eating something first so that you have the energy to workout longer, that would likely be a better overall plan.
  • 388gigi
    388gigi Posts: 485 Member
    I find it much easier to workout (strength and cardio) on an empty stomach!
  • MeMyCatsandI
    MeMyCatsandI Posts: 704 Member
    I have more energy when I train fasted.
    This. In fact, I get light headed and feel very weak (like I have to sit down or bend over) if I've eaten anything within about 4-5 hours before my workout.
  • barefoot76
    barefoot76 Posts: 314 Member
    When I run a race, I don't eat before. I have a cup of coffee with non-dairy milk and then I run. If it is more than 10 miles, I will take some chia fresca with me, but I don't do snacks during the race either. I find that I operate better on a mostly empty stomach. After, I eat a banana and then, about an hour later, I have a big meal. This is what works for me. You should do whatever works for you :-)
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    If you can train at a high quality in a "fasted" state (and I'm not sure how you would know the qualty was "high" if you had not tried other alternatives), it just means you still have enough fuel already available. There is nothing magic about the "fasted" state (and it's likely that most people really aren't "fasting" anyhow).

    You either have fuel available to match the needs of your workout or you don't.

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