Fasted Cardio Weight Loss Myths and Truths | It’s Better to Eat Before you Work
“I never eat breakfast before my morning workouts and runs.”
A number of my MOST athletic trainees inevitably try fasted cardio weight loss methods.
Lots of them hate to eat before a morning workout.
And, a few of my less athletic trainees give it a try. They hear the rumor and so they try it out.
Fasted cardio weight loss and body fat loss is loosely based in science.
We all burn fat at rest. One hundred percent of your energy, right now, is coming from a low level beta-oxidation – fat burning.
After you get your heart rate up a bit, the ratio of fat burning and carb burning shifts.
And, once you hit your first wall, your body burns about 40% fats in anaerobic phases.
But, that occurs only when your heart rate climbs and as does your VO2.
Fasted cardio weight loss benefits.
Greater fat burn.
As such, the idea is getting out of bed and jumping into your shoes and shorts before your oxygen consumption and heart rate get elevated, leaving your body with little blood sugar, means your body will burn mostly fat.
And, this means that those carbs never have a chance to be metabolized and inhibit those fat burning processes.
Makes sense.
Fasted Cardio myth.
For me, fasted cardio weight loss and workouts are never a great idea. You can hear my experiences in the video.
Unless you perform under these conditions, fasted cardio – the burning of fats to lose weight versus overall calories – is largely anathema:
- Bodybuilding
- Weight cutting
- Crash dieting
Of the three, the first two involve competition. And, maybe, fasted cardio weight loss is for you.
But for most, fasted cardio is a useless idea.
Focus on CALORIES as a total, not from fats. Drive your heart rate up rather than suppress it through listless workouts.
Check out the above video to find out how to set your trainees up with better nutrition advice.