Sleep vs. AM cardio - which is better??

[Go Away]

Dumb title, as it doesn't sum up my question completely...

But hypothetically speaking, let's say I have to get up at 5:00am to get fasted cardio finished before work.

If I can't go to sleep until 11:30pm, is it better for my recomp to wake up at 5:00am and walk // or better to sleep that extra 30 minutes???

This isn't a debate whether or not getting enough sleep is good for you... But does getting that six hours instead of 5.5 seem more important to you?

Sweet dreams, bitches!

[bigsexy74]

Do what ever fits your schedule man. As long as your doing cardio and eating right, then who cares. I'm sure others will chime in and say do this or that but I just do it when it fits my schedule which is sometimes mid morning or evening depending on the day.

[mattrag]

SO long as the cardio gets done it really doesn't matter the time. 30 minutes of fasted cardio will get you like 150 cals burnt. If you eat then do cardio later you still get the 150 cals burnt. Some say the mix up of WHAT is burnt is really important but really... at the end of the day the body will figure something out. just keep it consistent.

[Celorza]

SO long as the cardio gets done it really doesn't matter the time. 30 minutes of fasted cardio will get you like 150 cals burnt. If you eat then do cardio later you still get the 150 cals burnt. Some say the mix up of WHAT is burnt is really important but really... at the end of the day the body will figure something out. just keep it consistent.

I burn 400-600 kCals of fasted cardio hehe...But I think if a recomp is in order , the fasted cardio is good if its kept low intensity unlike mine , you could look into IF for a recomp, or simply try to throw in your cardio later. The goal of a recomp is to build muscle too, and sleep is king in recovery bro, I would go with the extra sleep and some tough cardio in the evening if you dont like fasted cardio.

[Go Away]

Had to force myself to get up and go this morning... But walking as I type this.

Appreciate the feedback - guess I'll keep searching for more info and base my current decisions on feel.

Keep the opinions coming - preferably with scientific insight.

[mattrag]

http://forum.simplyshredded.com/topi...fasted-cardio/

[LSV2NV]

being my first post i would say AM Cardio, worked well for me, its super hard to get up at 4 am but well worth it for cutting means.

[Natestreo]

SO long as the cardio gets done it really doesn't matter the time. 30 minutes of fasted cardio will get you like 150 cals burnt. If you eat then do cardio later you still get the 150 cals burnt. Some say the mix up of WHAT is burnt is really important but really... at the end of the day the body will figure something out. just keep it consistent.

I'd never do cardio if 30 minutes only burnt 150 calories. This has gotta be extremely light intensity cardio. I'm usually at the 600-700 calorie range in 30 minutes, as celorza also said

[mattrag]

I'd never do cardio if 30 minutes only burnt 150 calories. This has gotta be extremely light intensity cardio. I'm usually at the 600-700 calorie range in 30 minutes, as celorza also said

As the article states though... timing is not as important as over all calorie intake in the day. If you wanna do it fasted go ahead, but there may be no benefits. I actually follow IF so most of my workouts are fasted. I do better fasted as my stomach is not full of stuff... but I don't stress if I workout with food or not. I just get my food intake in for the day and leave it at that. The point being here is don't stress over it. If you need the sleep, sleep. Do cardio, but you don't have to do it fasted.

[Celorza]

As the article states though... timing is not as important as over all calorie intake in the day. If you wanna do it fasted go ahead, but there may be no benefits. I actually follow IF so most of my workouts are fasted. I do better fasted as my stomach is not full of stuff... but I don't stress if I workout with food or not. I just get my food intake in for the day and leave it at that. The point being here is don't stress over it. If you need the sleep, sleep. Do cardio, but you don't have to do it fasted.

If you follow IF , how come you say it gives no benefit to workout/cardio fasted? You do know that exercising during the fasted state increases catecholamines right?...And weather or not they are useful for bodybuilding, many people report greater and leaner success in this state than the usual bro science of 6 meals a day...And I'm not only speaking out of a different bro science, research exists...dont believe me?:

http://www.leangains.com/2010/06/int...born-body.html

Though its ok to believe an article posted by someone who did not conduct as much research as Martin...I mean after all science doesn't matter right? And testing is redundant...*sarcasm off*: Fasting does have an effect after all, and it could be an added pro or con to it, the jury is out to decide weather increased cathecholamine levels is actually more useful as thousands of people have reported.

[mattrag]

If you follow IF , how come you say it gives no benefit to workout/cardio fasted? You do know that exercising during the fasted state increases catecholamines right?...And weather or not they are useful for bodybuilding, many people report greater and leaner success in this state than the usual bro science of 6 meals a day...And I'm not only speaking out of a different bro science, research exists...dont believe me?:

http://www.leangains.com/2010/06/int...born-body.html

Though its ok to believe an article posted by someone who did not conduct as much research as Martin...I mean after all science doesn't matter right? And testing is redundant...*sarcasm off*: Fasting does have an effect after all, and it could be an added pro or con to it, the jury is out to decide weather increased cathecholamine levels is actually more useful as thousands of people have reported.

I follow IF purely so I can eat 3k cal meals. And I don't have to worry about cooking breakfast before work. I just cook 3-4lbs of chicken thighs , 6 sweet potatoes and eat them for dinner.

[Celorza]

I follow IF purely so I can eat 3k cal meals. And I don't have to worry about cooking breakfast before work. I just cook 3-4lbs of chicken thighs , 6 sweet potatoes and eat them for dinner.

In that I do agree with you , its a much more satisfying and care-less way of dieting for the gym , I love having big meals too and not having to be stressed carrying around 6-8 Tupperwares and eating every 2-3 hours haha...Frank Reynolds said this very same thing , this is by far the best quality of IF , do you do ADF? or LG? or a personal IF style?

[Natestreo]

As the article states though... timing is not as important as over all calorie intake in the day. If you wanna do it fasted go ahead, but there may be no benefits. I actually follow IF so most of my workouts are fasted. I do better fasted as my stomach is not full of stuff... but I don't stress if I workout with food or not. I just get my food intake in for the day and leave it at that. The point being here is don't stress over it. If you need the sleep, sleep. Do cardio, but you don't have to do it fasted.

I was making reference only to the fact that 150 calories is a pretty inaccurate calorie expenditure for 30 mins cardio, unless it's very low intensity.

As far as his question: I'd rather have the fasted cardio and lose 30 minutes of sleep. I don't thinkn30 minutes of sleep will provide more benefits than the cardio.

[mattrag]

In that I do agree with you , its a much more satisfying and care-less way of dieting for the gym , I love having big meals too and not having to be stressed carrying around 6-8 Tupperwares and eating every 2-3 hours haha...Frank Reynolds said this very same thing , this is by far the best quality of IF , do you do ADF? or LG? or a personal IF style?

All depends on how much I ate the day before and how long I can last w/o food haha. I tend to lift a whole lot better than fasted... just cause my digestion is slow. But I have done it both ways. I have also done ADF, that one's a bit harder.... Mainly because I don't enjoy not having food at all. I agree, I had to look at the studies about 3 years ago to actually DO this diet w/o fearing my muscles were going to run away. But now I'm pretty sure that food timing is just a matter of getting it in consistently (as far as daily/weekly).
Since then I have tried many things and modifications, but I like eating a lot when I can, and starving when I have to. Works well for me hahah.

[mattrag]

I was making reference only to the fact that 150 calories is a pretty inaccurate calorie expenditure for 30 mins cardio, unless it's very low intensity.

As far as his question: I'd rather have the fasted cardio and lose 30 minutes of sleep. I don't thinkn30 minutes of sleep will provide more benefits than the cardio.

Ah, I don't really count calories burnt anymore. I just count food and the amount of time I run. And if I am looking leaner or fatter. Sorry, didn't mean to say your cardio was too low intense lol.

[bigdavid]

Hmm, I didn't read the posts above, but I love sleep

[Rodja]

I'd never do cardio if 30 minutes only burnt 150 calories. This has gotta be extremely light intensity cardio. I'm usually at the 600-700 calorie range in 30 minutes, as celorza also said

I think you're overestimating how many calories you're burning with your cardio unless you're doing sprints. 20kcals/min is not exactly something that is easy to maintain.

[Go Away]

The fasted concept in the AM I referred to was for immediately upon waking, as to use fat stores for energy since glycogen is depleted.

What are the acronyms IF and LG short for?

[Celorza]

The fasted concept in the AM I referred to was for immediately upon waking, as to use fat stores for energy since glycogen is depleted.

What are the acronyms IF and LG short for?

Intermittent Fasting , and Lean Gains , the second being a form of the first , merely a guideline and protocol as to a way to achieve a leaner bulk or recomp , with great success in fast cuts too.

[Go Away]

I follow IF purely so I can eat 3k cal meals. And I don't have to worry about cooking breakfast before work. I just cook 3-4lbs of chicken thighs , 6 sweet potatoes and eat them for dinner.

You eat all that food for dinner?
This concept is escaping me....

You're eating 3K cal meals?
How many calories a day do you consume?