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working out fasted in the morning

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Wick3d

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Get Shredded!
Does anyone do this? I've read a few webpages and some say it's a good thing and others say you will not get a good work out cause you have no fuel to run on. I'm thinking about doing this but wondering if anyone seen and benefits from it?
 
Personally I eat first... If you can't eat, drink some BCAA and a protein shake first.
 
Wick3d said:
Does anyone do this? I've read a few webpages and some say it's a good thing and others say you will not get a good work out cause you have no fuel to run on. I'm thinking about doing this but wondering if anyone seen and benefits from it?
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If you're working out this is counter-intuitive as you are working out with muscles that are catabolic meaning they are eating at themselves so this would NEVER be a good idea. Especially if your not doing a keto diet and not eating ANY carbs in the morning, you decrease your metabolism and your strength will falter. Now on the other hand! Fasted running can be a decent choice if you really want to lean down but it isn't suggested every time as your still catabolic but your legs generally have enough muscle to take the beating a few times a week. Fasted running will shed fat quick, but again don't do it regularly as it could harm your body.


HFO3 said:
Personally I eat first... If you can't eat, drink some BCAA and a protein shake first.
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This is solid advice, although personally I don't see the need for BCAA if you have a balanced diet; I don't buy into the whole "It increases the absorption of protein" mumbo jumbo based off the fact most people don't need 1/2 the protein they get. You only need .6-.7 of your bodyweight in grams of protein daily.
 
I lift at 5A pretty much about 10 minutes after waking up. I drink a 700 cal mass gainer shake just PWO which begins helping about 10 minutes into warm up on an elliptical. If I didn't drink that shake I would probably pass out about 20 minutes into the workout. It is the only time I dring the mass gainer shake. Its regular protein shakes any other time of day.
 
SoCalJC said:
I'll do cardio fasted. But I can't lift fasted. Need that fuel man. Gotta eat.
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This.

Plus the body pump, over all focus with a little food in you makes all the difference..
 
Thanks for the input guys! Like I said I've seen conflicting articles on this and I'm glad I asked the question before I started. I don't want to lose any muscle mass.
 
In the morning it wouldn't be a big deal. If you ate decent calories the day before your glycogen stores should be pretty full. Only way to know is to give it a shot and see how you perform. I used to do it when I trained early before work and never had a problem.
 
^^^^^
This...
Experiment and do what works for you.
 
IML Gear Cream!
rdaniel said:
In the morning it wouldn't be a big deal. If you ate decent calories the day before your glycogen stores should be pretty full. Only way to know is to give it a shot and see how you perform. I used to do it when I trained early before work and never had a problem.
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This pretty much ^^
Some people simply can't eat and then workout. That's not a bad thing as the body is efficient at keeping glycogen stores sufficiently.
Eating is a good thing for building muscle and should be done as often as is necessary. If possible it more recommended than fasting, but not absolutely necessary. Your body won't waste away and you won't die....immediately. You'll die eventually like the rest of us though. Try it all ways and find out what works for you like OS said.
 
Never heard of "fasted running" for burning fat...then again, if i knew everything i wouldn't be here. Great topic
 
I carb load the night before, then slam bcaas pre and during WO. More cardio than weights at 4am got no choice at work. Oh and gears. I use gears to stay anabolic :)
 
I don't bother. I'm strongest at 5 P.M. Always have been.
 
I get hypo if I try to lift with no food in my stomach. I can handle cardio if it's early in the morning though. It's also impossible for me to get a pump when I feel hungry.
 
I tried Intermittent Fasting but it didn't really seem to do anything for me. I've heard lots of others swear by it, but for me...nada. Try it and if you don't see any benefit, then discontinue.
 
SoCalJC said:
I'll do cardio fasted. But I can't lift fasted. Need that fuel man. Gotta eat.
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This^^
Fasted cardio targets fat storages IF you know your cardio ranges. On prep I hit fasted cardio 5x a week and then lift in the PM after meals...
Need the fuel to power your lifts AND make any gains from it.
 
mnbikini said:
This^^
Fasted cardio targets fat storages IF you know your cardio ranges. On prep I hit fasted cardio 5x a week and then lift in the PM after meals...
Need the fuel to power your lifts AND make any gains from it.
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What cardio ranges? I just go as hard as I can steadily for 40-50min.
 
Get Shredded!
I heard that u gotta have available proteins PRIOR to your lifting for building mass.
 
Guillotine said:
What cardio ranges? I just go as hard as I can steadily for 40-50min.
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finding out your heart rate zones through metabolic assessments. I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone who is serious about training or seriously hates cardio. most things you read will say at 60-70% of your max Heart Rate is where you burn the most fat. My metabolic assessment showed that at that point I was burning muscle and my idea fat burn zone was right around 160. Got to take down my cardio sessions a little and get more out of them.

You our can roughly calculate using formulas as well... Sure there's a max heart rate and heart rate zone calculator somewhere online. I'm a personal trainer so thats the only reason I know this shit haha!
 
I remember reading an extensive studying about a year ago stating the differences between fasted and regular cardio was like a 3% overall benefit. Something about wasting your glycogen too early resulting in a less intense work-out later on off seated the benefit of early morning cortisol levels.
 
Personally I think it's blown out of proportion and perpetuated by a lot of bro science. There's studies out there that can prove anything you want. With that being said, I spent about 2 yrs training first thing in the morning. Cup of coffee and slam some bcaa's. Never noticed any muscle loss or decrease in performance. Hell, some of my best pr's came at that time. My schedule now dictates that I go later in the day and I usually get a shake in by that time. Can't say I've ever noticed a difference between the two. If anything, eating before has me feeling bogged down on some days.

Performance is mostly mental. Guys think they are weaker because they haven't ate and then they are. Once you get used to it and get your mind right performance picks back up again.

Personally, I loved crushing weights first thing in the morning. Sets the tone for the rest of the day and feels good knowing that you did more the first 2 hours of your day than most people will do all week.
 
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