fasted cardio questions

ItsHectic

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When should someone go from dieting alone to fasted cardio?
I am not a big fan of vanilla cardio so want to skip that, although later on if I feel I need more cardiovascular health I might trade in some fasted sessions for more intense carb fueled sessions.
Should it be asap, or when I start losing less then 2lbs a week or less than 1lb a week. I wanna reach my goals quickly.

And for when I start:
How hard should I push myself, should I be taking into consideration the possibility of passing out, is it a brisk walk or a light jog?
Is it ok to do fasted cardio every day of the week or 6 days of the week or should I do it every 2nd day?
 
bitterplacebo

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Fasted cardio would definitely be beneficial to start for when the progress of dieting along begins to slow.

For the pace, a brisk walk to light jog does well because most energy is utilized from fat stores at that pace, plus it won't eat your muscle tissue like more intense cardio will.

You can do it everyday for ~30 minutes. Then if progress slows again increment the time by 5 minutes, but don't go much about 45 minutes. If you need you can probably do 2 sessions some days. If you're feeling especially tired some days, as long as it's not everyday, it's ok to skip it and let yourself rest.
 
KSMA

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:goodpost: perfect answer.. You always have good info.
 
waimoku

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There are a lot of threads on this subject. I just asked some questions on it myself in this recent thread: http://anabolicminds.com/forum/usp-labs/71181-powerfull-before-fasted.html

Although this thread is talking more about some supplements to use with fasted cardio, maybe it will give you some more things to think about.

As for the intensity, there are many people who feel an even keel approach is right for fasted cardio and other who think HIITS is the way to go. I tend to be in the middle, mostly low-mid intensity cardio with a portion of the time spent on HIITS (15 minutes of the 45).
 

joecski

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Fasted cardio would definitely be beneficial to start for when the progress of dieting along begins to slow.

For the pace, a brisk walk to light jog does well because most energy is utilized from fat stores at that pace, plus it won't eat your muscle tissue like more intense cardio will.

You can do it everyday for ~30 minutes. Then if progress slows again increment the time by 5 minutes, but don't go much about 45 minutes. If you need you can probably do 2 sessions some days. If you're feeling especially tired some days, as long as it's not everyday, it's ok to skip it and let yourself rest.
Great answer, the only thing I would add is that from my personal experience - for me - I like incline treadmill work. It burns more calories than flat. So, I usually shoot for 20 minutes in the 8-12% incline and 10 minutes warm up/cool down if doing 30 minutes. I keep my heart rate under 70%. Seems to be most effective form of fasted cardio for me.
 

joecski

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There are a lot of threads on this subject. I just asked some questions on it myself in this recent thread: http://anabolicminds.com/forum/usp-labs/71181-powerfull-before-fasted.html

Although this thread is talking more about some supplements to use with fasted cardio, maybe it will give you some more things to think about.

As for the intensity, there are many people who feel an even keel approach is right for fasted cardio and other who think HIITS is the way to go. I tend to be in the middle, mostly low-mid intensity cardio with a portion of the time spent on HIITS (15 minutes of the 45).


I won't do HIIT in a fasted state, just scared I guess! However, I missed my morning cardio today and did a HIIT session about an hour after lunch, it was quite a change and very pleasant actually. Felt a big elevation in my mood. I alomst always do morning fasted cardio, I may have to change that up a bit...
 
bitterplacebo

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Great answer, the only thing I would add is that from my personal experience - for me - I like incline treadmill work. It burns more calories than flat. So, I usually shoot for 20 minutes in the 8-12% incline and 10 minutes warm up/cool down if doing 30 minutes. I keep my heart rate under 70%. Seems to be most effective form of fasted cardio for me.
Yeah, I like the incline tread for a brisk walking pace, too. But usually I don't like taking time to go to the gym, since I know I'm going to get hungry real quick after not eating. If you have your own treadmill that does that, then I guess you're fortunate, but a weighted back pack is a good substitute, so you can just wake up, put it on, and go outside for your fasted cardio. For the weight you can use things like gatorade bottles or milk jugs filled with water. Or sand if you have it.
 
bitterplacebo

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I'm cautious of the HIIT in a fasted state, too. The way I think is that it increases your metabolism for probably most of the day, so you don't really need to do it in a fasted state.
 
SureShot

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the best cardio is no rest between set fullbody workouts or sprints...bar none.
 
rpen22

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Yeah, I like the incline tread for a brisk walking pace, too. But usually I don't like taking time to go to the gym, since I know I'm going to get hungry real quick after not eating.
Agreed. I just bought a treadmill about a week ago for my fasted cardio during contest prep. It makes it waaay easier than having to get up and get to the gym right away.
 

joecski

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Yeah, I like the incline tread for a brisk walking pace, too. But usually I don't like taking time to go to the gym, since I know I'm going to get hungry real quick after not eating. If you have your own treadmill that does that, then I guess you're fortunate, but a weighted back pack is a good substitute, so you can just wake up, put it on, and go outside for your fasted cardio. For the weight you can use things like gatorade bottles or milk jugs filled with water. Or sand if you have it.
I was doing a lot of hiking/backpacking for a while a few years back. I did fasted morning cardio on a 10% incline at 2.5MPH with a 40 pound pack on my back. At the end of 30 mins I'd be completely destroyed and soaking wet. However, I did climb to the top of Grinnell Glacier in Glacier Nat'l park that summer, and that was my goal. It only took like 3 hours up and 1.5 down, would have been quicker but we got detoured around grizzly bear activity, main route was closed.
 
Force of Green

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I'm cautious of the HIIT in a fasted state, too. The way I think is that it increases your metabolism for probably most of the day, so you don't really need to do it in a fasted state.
I hear ya bro, although sometimes I do it anyways. If I wake up in the morning and feel extra refreshed, I'll sometimes head down to the fitness center and do some fasted cardio followed by a medium and then a low intensity cooldown. My body holds onto muscle pretty easily, so I'm good for the most part with catabolic activity. I also am on Relora, which reduces morning cortisol levels to a great degree.
 

ItsHectic

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Wasnt expecting this many responses, Reps for every1 :drunk:

So now I know what to do, 30mins not an hour and a brisk walk or brisk walk on an incline. Besides BCAAs and lots of water is there anything else I should take, I am assuming vitamin C.
 
waimoku

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If you are willing to invest in some supplements for your fasted cardio, I would recommend:

1) POWERFULL - take when you wake up. It will increase natural growth hormone levels and is most effective on an empty stomach.

2) Poseidon - gives me a boost. Can initially lead to a niacin flush (not bad just may make you red faced and warm for a little bit) but you body gets used to the increased niacin level. Helps open up the smaller capillaries... i.e. increased blood flow. Potentially increased blood flow to areas of stored fat.

3) DCP - Damage Control Protocal. Helps make the stored fat available for energy. Can you give you an endurance boost.

4) Stimulant - caffeine for example.

I'm sure others will chime in, but this combo works well for me.
 
bitterplacebo

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If you are willing to invest in some supplements for your fasted cardio, I would recommend:

1) POWERFULL - take when you wake up. It will increase natural growth hormone levels and is most effective on an empty stomach.

2) Poseidon - gives me a boost. Can initially lead to a niacin flush (not bad just may make you red faced and warm for a little bit) but you body gets used to the increased niacin level. Helps open up the smaller capillaries... i.e. increased blood flow. Potentially increased blood flow to areas of stored fat.

3) DCP - Damage Control Protocal. Helps make the stored fat available for energy. Can you give you an endurance boost.

4) Stimulant - caffeine for example.

I'm sure others will chime in, but this combo works well for me.
I found this interesting entry in Wikipedia a while ago

Niacin, when taken in large doses, blocks the breakdown of fats in adipose tissue, thus altering blood lipid levels. Niacin is used in the treatment of hyperlipidemia because it reduces very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), a precursor of low density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol. Because Niacin blocks breakdown of fats, it causes a decrease in free fatty acids in the blood and consequently, decreased secretion of VLDL and cholesterol by the liver.[4]
not sure how significant it is, but makes me wary of taking large doses when trying to lose fat.
 
waimoku

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I understand your concern about taking mega doses of anything. Here is a link (there are many other sources, but this is from a quick google search) that talks about niacin - i.e. niacin flush, cardiovascular benefits, etc.

http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/niacin.htm

I think the amount in poseidon, 75 mg, is still only 250% the daily recommended amount. The levels you may be referring to I believe are in the 1000-1500 mg range.
 
bitterplacebo

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You're absolutely right, I should have waited until I had time to explain. It is doses that are 1g - 3g of niacin that start to have the effect of blocking breakdown of fats from adipose tissues. But it's good to get that info out there, since some people see that a little is good and think more will be better. Not the case here.

Also, the BCAA products might be worth looking into for fasted cardio to help prevent the breakdown of muscle tissue.
 
waimoku

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You are absolutely right that BCAAs are part of the equation. I forgot to mention that in my list. I use the NOW BCAAs sold at nutraplanet, but I'm sure others are equally as good.
 

ItsHectic

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Would a can of sugarfree redbull be an overkill?
I dont have much caffeine but I am thinking of adding it to my fasted cardio session(skulling it beforehand), it has about 10 calories from carbs(glucuronolactone), its either that or caffeine tablets.
Im not really into powerfull, dcp etc.
 
bitterplacebo

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Would a can of sugarfree redbull be an overkill?
I dont have much caffeine but I am thinking of adding it to my fasted cardio session(skulling it beforehand), it has about 10 calories from carbs(glucuronolactone), its either that or coke zero.
Im not really into powerfull, dcp etc.
I'd say go for it. It should help get you the motivation to carry on with that tedious activity and possibly help mobilize more fat stores by revving up your metabolism.

The only concern is that caffeine will raise your cortisol some and possibly cause some consumption of muscle tissues. I'd recommend counteracting that issue with something to help control cortisol. BCAAs are a good fit, so I think you're ok.
 
johnyq

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bobo said a while back (found while searching) that BCAAs before fasted cardio are a waste, and will simply be used as energy through protein synthesis.
 
waimoku

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BCAA's are comprised of L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine,
L-Valine. I believe Isoleucine and Valine are potentially glucogenic (I'm sure I'm misspelling it) which means they can be broken down into energy. Leucine does not. So I guess rather than saying BCAA's, I should have said Leucine.
 

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