S
simonjpa
Member
- Sep 10, 2010
- 61
- 11
A lot of people are confused about this topic, and rightly so. While the idea behind fasted cardio is quite reasonable, like everything in bodybuilding it's been bastardized and taken to extremes.
What cardio on an empty stomach really means is "Cardio done while insulin and blood-suger levels are low". The science behind this is spot on, as insulin blunts fat burning, and the body will burn glucose in the bloodstream if it's present.
Somehow, this got turned into "Don't eat anything 8 hours prior to cardio". All you really need to do is not eat anything(especially with carbs) an hour or two before cardio. That gives time for insulin levels to return to normal, and blood glucose levels return to normal.
As for cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.....well, lets do a little math. Most bodybuilders take some form of casein protein before bed(if you don't, I suggest you start) Whether it's in the form of powder, milk, of cottage cheese doesn't really matter, as long as you get a decent amount.
"In contrast the casein condition displayed a slow increase in aa concentrations which remained elevated above baseline after 300 minutes."
For those of you that still count on your fingers, 300 minutes is 5 hours. That means that your body is still in an anabolic state 5 hours after you go to sleep. Now, if you're like the average person who gets 8 hours of sleep a night, that means by the time you wake up to do cardio, you've been without food for, at the most, 3 hours Dear god, your muscles must be wasting away to nothing. Lets look at a best case scenario. We've all heard that casein can take up to 7 hours to digest, so what if you only get 6 hours of sleep? That would mean you'd wake up with food still in your stomach........read that last part again......I'll wait..........
If that isn't enough for you to sleep at night, then do yourself a favor and buy some BCAA's, or take half a scoop of protein with water 1/2 an hour before cardio in the morning. If you do your cardio in the afternoon, don't eat anything with carbs 2 hours before hand.
What cardio on an empty stomach really means is "Cardio done while insulin and blood-suger levels are low". The science behind this is spot on, as insulin blunts fat burning, and the body will burn glucose in the bloodstream if it's present.
Somehow, this got turned into "Don't eat anything 8 hours prior to cardio". All you really need to do is not eat anything(especially with carbs) an hour or two before cardio. That gives time for insulin levels to return to normal, and blood glucose levels return to normal.
As for cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.....well, lets do a little math. Most bodybuilders take some form of casein protein before bed(if you don't, I suggest you start) Whether it's in the form of powder, milk, of cottage cheese doesn't really matter, as long as you get a decent amount.
"In contrast the casein condition displayed a slow increase in aa concentrations which remained elevated above baseline after 300 minutes."
For those of you that still count on your fingers, 300 minutes is 5 hours. That means that your body is still in an anabolic state 5 hours after you go to sleep. Now, if you're like the average person who gets 8 hours of sleep a night, that means by the time you wake up to do cardio, you've been without food for, at the most, 3 hours Dear god, your muscles must be wasting away to nothing. Lets look at a best case scenario. We've all heard that casein can take up to 7 hours to digest, so what if you only get 6 hours of sleep? That would mean you'd wake up with food still in your stomach........read that last part again......I'll wait..........
If that isn't enough for you to sleep at night, then do yourself a favor and buy some BCAA's, or take half a scoop of protein with water 1/2 an hour before cardio in the morning. If you do your cardio in the afternoon, don't eat anything with carbs 2 hours before hand.
