Gym on empty stomach

Well I will throw in a study for y'all. Says basically that for fat loss it doesn't matter if you do cardio fasted or fed, but fasted cardio is more likely to burn muscle and cause you to have a less intense workout with lower overall calorie burn.

After reviewing years of research on the subject, a report published this year in Strength and Conditioning Journal concluded that the body burns roughly the same amount of fat regardless of whether you eat before a workout. But you’re likely to lose muscle by exercising in a depleted state, the report found, and without fuel to aid the workout, exercise intensity and overall calorie burn will be reduced.

The article you can read for free:

well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/does-exercising-on-an-empty-stomach-burn-more-fat/

The study you have to pay to see:

journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/Abstract/2011/02000/Does_Cardio_After_an_Overnight_Fast_Maximize_Fat.3.aspx

I always workout on an empty stomach -- mostly because I'm at the gym around 5 every day and don't want to get up earlier to eat. It doesn't bother me, and I have breakfast shortly after I get to work.

It really depends on what works best for you. You know you're body. Fasted cardio has always been my thing, I enjoyed working out on an empty stomach. However I had medical conditions such as low blood pressure and low blood sugar. This year I almost fainted. I've been doing fasted cardio for years but my body finally said okay that's enough. Now I eat an apple and maybe something else if I feel I need to.

Training fasted is fine, if you feel okay doing it. I have read that supplementing with BCAA's, especially leucine, beforehand can be beneficial by mitigating muscle break down.

I work at a restaurant where I can only get a lunch meal if my shift starts at 8 am, or if I ask one of the servers to charge me for it, and that's only if I have enough free time to even have the meal. Then I'll go to the gym after work, but I discovered that I get really uncomfortable trying to run with nothing but a 700 calorie breakfast and several cups of water to consume. I've since resorted to using an escalator machine, which doesn't use as much energy, but still gets results. So I wouldn't recommend doing an intense workout when you haven't eaten for ~12 hours.

superchea wrote: »

Wake up and go to the gym on empty stomach in the morning is that a good or bad thing? I usually don't have an appetite in the am but I still manage to get in 2,000 calories a day.

It all goes by your personal preference. Eat within 45-minutes after though to get in that protein and feed your muscles. Several people on here love doing fasted cardio and live by it, so essentially, that's what you're doing.

Springfield1970 wrote: »

AnvilHead wrote: »

Springfield1970 wrote: »

ninerbuff wrote: »

I eat late into the night (11:30pm), so skipping breakfast isn't an issue for me. I've well fueled as I do sessions with clients from 9:00 to 11:00am, then workout afterward.
Don't know why people don't think you CAN'T keep glycogen storage high enough for 12 hours before use. I'm sleeping for 8 hours (fat for fuel not glycogen) and the other 3 hours is driving to the gym and instruction. Hardly a glycogen depleter.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Really interesting question. I am eating at a ever so slight deficit. My meal at night is over by 6pm, and is never more than 30% of my overall intake, I tend to eat big in the morning, medium at lunch. I am on empty by 6am the next day, in fact, I am sure I am fat burning and glycogen depleted from 3-6am as I often wake up alert and hungry.
This is my plan.
I then fuel up for the mornings workout, high carbs, get really great results 2/3 hours later.

I strongly doubt you're glycogen depleted from 3-6 am unless you're doing a depletion workout prior to going to bed or doing massive exercise while you sleep. Glycogen is not the main energy source when at rest (fat actually is), so you're not depleting glycogen while relaxing in the evening and/or sleeping at night.

Interesting. I thought having gone through my calorie allowance I'd be dipping into glycogen stores. So you're saying I have potential stored energy for my workout the next day where I wouldn't be dipping into fat and or lean tissue? Or would I be using glycogen, fat and body tissue?

Why do I bonk so quickly when I run fasted then? It's very difficult to get any speed up.

I somehow don't see where glycogen use could happen if I was in defecit for many hours before workout..

I might try a fasted workout and see if I feel the g stores kicking in. Not looking forward to that...

Another factor is I quite often eat a lowish carbed dinner, compared with my high carb breakfast. This is often after a fast 30 minute cycle home, it's quite possible my g stores are low evening and night.

Also gotta recognize the difference between low blood sugar because liver is getting tapped out, or already was getting low before starting fasted cardio.

And your muscles having plenty of glycogen in them which can't be put back into the bloodstream.

That low blood sugar low energy feeling you get isn't true bonking. During an endurance event that is the first difficult period - but do the pace/speed too fast, you'll experience a much more serious difficult period later in comparison.

And considering you'd require a rather intense workout to shift the energy source from 50/50 fat/carbs to mainly carbs - you likely are no where near true bonking.

Or you are doing low carb diet with endurance cardio - not exactly a great combo - and indeed have low muscle glycogen stores, allowing bonking way earlier than normal.

Your at rest energy source is mainly fat, like 97%, even your liver stores aren't going down that fast - unless you are very active after dinner to late sleep. That could make at 6am workout be on low blood sugar - and feel bad, even if muscles got plenty of energy to use.

Shineylou wrote: »

If you are looking to build muscle, you should have carbs or light protein before a workout. It will give you an energy boost and build/repair muscle quicker.

I use a pre-workout for energy

ObsidianMist wrote: »

I would never have the strength to lift heavy without eating something first. even just a smoothie with a decent amount of protein. as it is I'm famished and sometimes feel a bit weak after my workout, it would be so much worse without eating first. I have no idea how people can do it.

Sadly we are probably eating late and staying up late - so the time between last meal topping off liver for blood sugar levels and morning workout isn't that great.

Those muscle energy stores are full enough to accomplish the workout even fasted - it's the mental ability with low blood sugar that is lacking for many.