Fasted cardio

stephymg123
stephymg123 Posts: 1 Member
edited December 4 in Health and Weight Loss
Help!! So I heard about fasted cardio today. Does anyone here know about it?? So I have to do it in the morning or can I do it 6 hours after eating??

Replies

  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
    Honestly, it sounds like a bad idea to me unless you are trying to lose muscle instead of fat.
  • 603PIPER
    603PIPER Posts: 115 Member
    I use it intermittently. Right now I am starting the keto diet which is high fat and training my body to use fat as the primary fuel source. So for the first couple weeks I plan on incorporating fasted high intensity cardio first thing in the morning before eating to help.

    From what I have noticed, I don't have the same energy while working out compared to working out later in the day with a meal under the belt. Some people have a hard time exercising on an empty stomach but it has never caused me any problems. I still incorporate a weight lifting regimen on alternate days to avoid any muscle loss.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    Chadxx wrote: »
    Honestly, it sounds like a bad idea to me unless you are trying to lose muscle instead of fat.

    I havent lost muscle working out fasted and have been fine. I work out fasted because I also practice intermittent fasting and I like to work out before 2pm when my eating window starts. Plus I used to get naseous if I ate before working out so now I don't.
  • squarewheels66
    squarewheels66 Posts: 25 Member
    edited October 2016
    Most of my morning runs are done after a gulp of water as I am in a hurry and haven't got time to let food go down. I feel more mentally ready to go if I don't delay

    I've maintained lean body mass and dropped 12kg and 8% BF in 6 months.

    I don't think it has done any harm but attribute my losses (or gains depending on how you look at it) to
    • Sensible mixture of running and strength training
    • Eating well post exercise to aid recovery
    • High quality diet - plenty of veg and fruit and lean protein
    • Sleep
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited October 2016
    Chadxx wrote: »
    Honestly, it sounds like a bad idea to me unless you are trying to lose muscle instead of fat.

    ^^^^ No.

    All of my morning runs are fasted. In the very beginning, I started out running fasted and have been doing it ever since, so pretty much I am "trained" to run fasted.

    There is no special fat burning or after burn, etc. There is no additional weight loss benefits to fasted cardio other than its your preference in how you fuel to workout. If you need to be fueled before the workout, then by all means do so.

    You WILL NOT lose muscle if you do cardio fasted. The only way you lose muscle is if you have a very aggressive calorie deficit to lose weight and for a long period of time, as well as not doing some sort of strength training program and you are lacking in enough protein in your diet to produce muscle sparing during your weight loss.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    It will make no/negligable difference to your rate of fat loss. It is a matter of preference.
  • dykask
    dykask Posts: 800 Member
    edited October 2016
    I find for running fasted cardio makes a huge difference for me. While it took a few weeks before it was completely comfortable I soon found it easier to run in the fasted state. My slow morning runs are as fast as my fast mid-day runs and I am able to put in more distance in the morning. A big part of the difference is it takes time mid-day to get into a good stride but before eating in the day that happens right from the start.

    One key difference is I didn't want to sprint in the morning at all, but that slowly changed and now I don't notice any difference. It took a good number of runs though.

    The current differences:
    * Sometimes I have to take a bathroom stop. That is more likely for me in the morning before eating.
    * My Heartrate stays lower for the first 3 to 4 km and doesn't get as high as the mid-day runs. This is as much as 15 to 20 bpm slower, however I don't have any problems moving.
    * After the fasted cardio and I eat, my heart rate is elevated for a much longer period of time and after a mid-day run, probably 3 to 4 hours longer. By elevated I mean about 30 bpm above my resting rate, so 80 bpm vs 50 bpm for me. (NOTE: After a non-fasted HIIT workout I see this same elevated heart rate, it is just shorter with a mid-day run.)

    Personally, I now prefer to run fasted because it feels better to me. That is completely subjective. For HIIT training I still prefer doing it a couple hours after eating. While fasted I just don't want to push as hard even though I'm actually pushing more than my normal day runs. (If that makes sense to you.)
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
    I think it comes down to personal preference.

    If I workout in the morning, it had better be fasted or I'll have a rather unpleasant encounter with my breakfast.
    If I workout in the late afternoon/evening, it had better be after having eaten something or I'll have the rather unpleasant problem of trying to empty an empty stomach...
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    NYT article about this today. I do both -- fasted cardio in the summer when I've got to do it 6am to avoid heat and midday in the winter. I can't tell a difference.
  • Unknown
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  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/content/the-myth-of-cardio-before-breakfast-debunked.html
  • Red_Pill
    Red_Pill Posts: 300 Member
    I do this. I train with weights and perform cardio in a fasted state. Meaning not eating a single thing that day.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    Chadxx wrote: »
    Honestly, it sounds like a bad idea to me unless you are trying to lose muscle instead of fat.

    I run fasted every day. I've been doing fasted cardio the whole time I've lost weight and have not lost muscle. Most people have plenty of glycogen stored.

    To the OP, there's a lot of brosciencey stuff out there that I've never paid much attention to. I prefer to do cardio fasted because I feel like if I eat before hand, anything I eat will come back up. I don't care about the brononsense, and neither should you. Some people perform better eating before cardio, some people perform better fasted. Do what works best for you.
  • dykask
    dykask Posts: 800 Member
    There could be a lot of difference based on how fasted your body is. Some people might eat late and maybe it is less than 8 hours when they start their cardio. I think there is a big difference between 8 hours of fasting and over 12 hours of fasting, at least for myself. That probably varies greatly from person to person though.
  • Red_Pill
    Red_Pill Posts: 300 Member
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    Chadxx wrote: »
    Honestly, it sounds like a bad idea to me unless you are trying to lose muscle instead of fat.

    I run fasted every day. I've been doing fasted cardio the whole time I've lost weight and have not lost muscle. Most people have plenty of glycogen stored.

    To the OP, there's a lot of brosciencey stuff out there that I've never paid much attention to. I prefer to do cardio fasted because I feel like if I eat before hand, anything I eat will come back up. I don't care about the brononsense, and neither should you. Some people perform better eating before cardio, some people perform better fasted. Do what works best for you.

    You always say some good *kitten*. Seen you on a few threads I've been on.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Mr_Ryder wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    Chadxx wrote: »
    Honestly, it sounds like a bad idea to me unless you are trying to lose muscle instead of fat.

    I run fasted every day. I've been doing fasted cardio the whole time I've lost weight and have not lost muscle. Most people have plenty of glycogen stored.

    To the OP, there's a lot of brosciencey stuff out there that I've never paid much attention to. I prefer to do cardio fasted because I feel like if I eat before hand, anything I eat will come back up. I don't care about the brononsense, and neither should you. Some people perform better eating before cardio, some people perform better fasted. Do what works best for you.

    You always say some good *kitten*. Seen you on a few threads I've been on.
    IKR, she's the bomb!
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