Fasted cardio ?!?!

mr_coach_e
mr_coach_e Posts: 7 Member
edited November 30 in Fitness and Exercise
Does it work? Does it not? Hate it or love it? What are your opinions and results of doing it?

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Overhyped and buzzword-ish IMO. Everything has to have a cutesy name anymore. Nobody can just exercise before breakfast. Oh no, we must do fasted cardio .
  • CricketClover
    CricketClover Posts: 388 Member
    Geez, I didn't even know there was a cutesy name for it. I have just always worked out on an empty stomach in the morning because that is my personal preference and don't want to run the risk of a belly ache with food in there. As for the question, does it work? What is supposed to be working? Is there supposed to be some benefit to doing this opposed to exercising with food?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Yes fasted cardio works - in the sense you gain or improve your ability to do fasted cardio.

    Does it work better than fed cardio? No not really.

    Does it result in different body composition or faster weight/fat loss? No not really.

    Does it mean you are using fat as fuel instead of carbs? No not really - exercise intensity is the greatest influence on that. (And the fuel you use during exercise is pretty much irrelevent for weight/fat loss too.)

    Personal choice and how it fits in your day, how your exercise performance is affected fasted or fed should be what determines whether to do it or not.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Yes fasted cardio works - in the sense you gain or improve your ability to do fasted cardio.

    Does it work better than fed cardio? No not really.

    Does it result in different body composition or faster weight/fat loss? No not really.

    Does it mean you are using fat as fuel instead of carbs? No not really - exercise intensity is the greatest influence on that. (And the fuel you use during exercise is pretty much irrelevent for weight/fat loss too.)

    Personal choice and how it fits in your day, how your exercise performance is affected fasted or fed should be what determines whether to do it or not.

    This
  • SUSIQ25679
    SUSIQ25679 Posts: 4 Member
    So now there is a cutsy name for it. I call it just to early to eat before working out at 5:30 a.m.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    I do it and I like doing it. I actually perform better. I hate eating prior to exercising at 5:30 a.m and totally not into eating that early and going for my morning run.

    Been doing it years and did it do anything for additional fat burning, no. Does it help you learn how to exercise fasted, yep.

    This is totally a personal preference.. I don't use the cutesy name, I call it my "a.m. run" or on Saturday's "my long run".. not fasted cardio.
  • mr_coach_e
    mr_coach_e Posts: 7 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    Overhyped and buzzword-ish IMO. Everything has to have a cutesy name anymore. Nobody can just exercise before breakfast. Oh no, we must do fasted cardio .

    I would much rather just say fasted cardio than "exercise before breakfast." Any actual thoughts on the question?
  • mr_coach_e
    mr_coach_e Posts: 7 Member
    Jesus, "fasted cardio" is not a cutesy name. It's exactly what it says it is. But if you guys want to call it "I'm going to do cardio after I slept for 8 hours and haven't eaten in 12 hours, and I'm not going to give my cardio a cutesy name", go for it. I'll continue to call it "fasted cardio."
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    edited March 2016
    Pre-break-fast(ed) cardio


    Edit: I call running a workout. Not "cardio". p-O-tat-O po-TA-to.
  • mr_coach_e
    mr_coach_e Posts: 7 Member
    Thank you Sijomial for a smart response. The rest of you, if you haven't heard of fasted cardio, then you haven't been doing any kind of cardio or working out for very long at all.
  • _Waffle_
    _Waffle_ Posts: 13,049 Member
    A rose by any other name, would smell as sweet.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited March 2016
    mr_coach_e wrote: »
    Thank you Sijomial for a smart response. The rest of you, if you haven't heard of fasted cardio, then you haven't been doing any kind of cardio or working out for very long at all.

    You're welcome!
    My experience - which I forgot to add - was I did it as part of an intermittent fasting style of eating and went from any cardio on a fasting day at all making me feel like I was glycogen depleted to feeling and performing the same fasted or fed. Took a few months to adapt.
    Also helped my cycling endurance unfed, 2+ hours fast cycle on water only wasn't a problem.
    Easier to fit execise into my day would be a benefit I suppose as exercise doesn't have to be tied to meal times?

    I don't believe it made the slightest difference to rate of loss or body composition though.

    Alan Aragon is a good read....
    http://alanaragon.com/myths-under-the-microscope-part-2-false-hopes-for-fasted-cardio.html
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Yes fasted cardio works - in the sense you gain or improve your ability to do fasted cardio.

    Does it work better than fed cardio? No not really.

    Does it result in different body composition or faster weight/fat loss? No not really.

    Does it mean you are using fat as fuel instead of carbs? No not really - exercise intensity is the greatest influence on that. (And the fuel you use during exercise is pretty much irrelevent for weight/fat loss too.)

    Personal choice and how it fits in your day, how your exercise performance is affected fasted or fed should be what determines whether to do it or not.

    Agreed.
  • litsy3
    litsy3 Posts: 783 Member
    I don't even call running a workout, I just call it running. I definitely don't call it 'cardio'. I don't even call it 'training' if it's just an easy-paced run before breakfast. But yeah, low-intensity running on an empty stomach is good for people who want to be better at endurance running, and especially those who don't buy into the idea that you HAVE to take on carbs if you're going to be out for more than an hour.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    I do this, run in the mornings before breakfast. Up by 5:30, out before 6, for less than an hour. Not because I want to do it that way, but that's the only reliable time available to me and no way can i get up any earlier to eat and wait, need to sleep. And because, well, after 4 kids, it's dangerous to run after drinking a lot. So I actually just drink a lot of water the night before, try to remain generally hydrated, and drink a lot at the end of the run. It works fine.
  • StacyChrz
    StacyChrz Posts: 865 Member
    I agree that it's all about preference. Today I was hungry, so I had a banana. Other days I'm not hungry so I wait and eat afterward. I prefer not to have anything too heavy if I am going to eat before.
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,401 Member
    All preference, with length and intensity of workouts possibly defining the line on where it works or doesn't work as well as fed workouts/exercise for any particular individual.

    Other than my morning coffee and possibly a bagel some days, I often do my exercise after being fasted 15+ hours from the previous evening. I eat and munch later at night, so the coffee and bagel is about in the middle of that period.


    I have found that at certain intensities, even a small amount of food or calories prior makes me feel better and makes the workout easier. For lower intensities, no difference at all, and I can do a 6-12 mile equivalent load on the elliptical with pace at 10 minute miles fasted without issue. If I bump pace to 8 minute miles, not having some carbs before the fact becomes apparent in the first couple of miles.

    I've also found that length of time fasted impacts my heart rate. Some food, even as little as a banana, might bring my heart rate down 10 or so beats per minute under workout loads.


    So it works, I do it, and don't mind it. But I have found where it makes a difference for me and my eating style and workout loads combination.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    mr_coach_e wrote: »
    What are your opinions and results of doing it?

    My reasons for doing it: time. Usually it's because I'm on vacation. I drove 4 hours and paid for a hotel because I want to do this 50 mile bike ride over a mountain pass. No, I don't want to sleep in and have a big breakfast. I want to get up, shower, get on the bike, and enjoy myself.

    My thoughts: A fit person doesn't need food on a bike ride shorter than a few hours. Obviously I'm excluding TTs. When you're relatively fresh you have something like 2,000 kCal of glycogen available, and as you get fitter your body gets better at metabolizing fat, which we all have a basically unlimited supply of. Intensity is going to determine how much of each you're using, but it's not like you can stay above threshold for hours...

    That said, it's really nothing to do with losing or gaining weight, it's really a matter of convenience, time, and availability of food.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    mr_coach_e wrote: »
    Does it work? Does it not? Hate it or love it? What are your opinions and results of doing it?

    I'm not sure what you mean by "does it work?" In the context of weight loss a 10km run will burn the same number of calories fasted or not. There has been some suggestion that you burn slight more fat but again in the context of weight loss the fuel source is immaterial.

    I work out in the morning (running, riding or rowing) on an empty stomach as a matter of personal preference (I hate running with food in my stomach) but I'm also getting enough carbs throughout the day that I have plenty of stored glycogen to fuel the workouts.

    All I can suggest for you is to try for yourself. If you do feel sluggish have a banana or a glass of juice before working out.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    mr_coach_e wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    Overhyped and buzzword-ish IMO. Everything has to have a cutesy name anymore. Nobody can just exercise before breakfast. Oh no, we must do fasted cardio .

    I would much rather just say fasted cardio than "exercise before breakfast." Any actual thoughts on the question?

    My opinion is in bold. I believe its supposed advantages over non-fasted cardio are overstated. I do fasted cardio because I like to roll out of bed and get it done most mornings. I've personally never observed better results with it compared to non-fasted cardio. YMMV.
  • kcjchang
    kcjchang Posts: 709 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    My experience - which I forgot to add - was I did it as part of an intermittent fasting style of eating and went from any cardio on a fasting day at all making me feel like I was glycogen depleted to feeling and performing the same fasted or fed. Took a few months to adapt.
    ^ This

    One theory floated around for cycling is that it leads to increased muscle mitochondrial enzymes, capillarization, and interconversion of fast twitch muscle fibers (type IIb to type IIa). But it a bit more complicated than just working out fasted. The core ideal is to exhaust your glycogen supply. But since there are two main types of muscles, one have to target them in succession. Day one and two are high intensity to burn off glycogen stores in type II muscles. On the third day, it is type I's turn. During all three days, carbohydrate intake is keep low. Day one and two is maximal workout to exhaustion. Day three is low intensity but long duration (4-5+ hours). It's not something for the novice or recreational crowd; we are talking about the last few % gain to podium.
  • mr_coach_e
    mr_coach_e Posts: 7 Member

    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    mr_coach_e wrote: »
    Does it work? Does it not? Hate it or love it? What are your opinions and results of doing it?

    I'm not sure what you mean by "does it work?" In the context of weight loss a 10km run will burn the same number of calories fasted or not. There has been some suggestion that you burn slight more fat but again in the context of weight loss the fuel source is immaterial.

    I work out in the morning (running, riding or rowing) on an empty stomach as a matter of personal preference (I hate running with food in my stomach) but I'm also getting enough carbs throughout the day that I have plenty of stored glycogen to fuel the workouts.

    All I can suggest for you is to try for yourself. If you do feel sluggish have a banana or a glass of juice before working out.

    By "does it work", I mean "does it work". I don't really know how else to say it. Like if I said "does weightlifting work"? "Does Tylenol work"? "Does a pencil work"? See where I'm coming from?

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    mr_coach_e wrote: »
    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    mr_coach_e wrote: »
    Does it work? Does it not? Hate it or love it? What are your opinions and results of doing it?

    I'm not sure what you mean by "does it work?" In the context of weight loss a 10km run will burn the same number of calories fasted or not. There has been some suggestion that you burn slight more fat but again in the context of weight loss the fuel source is immaterial.

    I work out in the morning (running, riding or rowing) on an empty stomach as a matter of personal preference (I hate running with food in my stomach) but I'm also getting enough carbs throughout the day that I have plenty of stored glycogen to fuel the workouts.

    All I can suggest for you is to try for yourself. If you do feel sluggish have a banana or a glass of juice before working out.

    By "does it work", I mean "does it work". I don't really know how else to say it. Like if I said "does weightlifting work"? "Does Tylenol work"? "Does a pencil work"? See where I'm coming from?

    That's still vague because it doesn't clarify your goal. Is your goal with weightlifting to get stronger or build muscle or prevent osteoporosis or something else? Is your goal with fasted cardio to burn more calories than with non-fasted cardio or to get your run in while it's still dark because you don't like people seeing you run or something else? Fasted cardio works in the most basic sense, in that yes it is possible to run/bike/etc on an empty stomach but do you have a goal beyond the ability to simply perform a movement?
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