CARDIO* first thing in the morning

Tom 185

Well-known member
I wanted to do cardio 3 times a week (30 minute sessions of a light jog) in the morning on an empty stomach. I am doing weights 5 times a week at night. I've read that cardio first thing in the morning in the best way to burn fat. However, am I burning muscle? or will I be ok by eating my breakfast immediately after?
 
well my main concern is finding the most effective way to do cardio on the same day as weight training, by burning the least amount of muscle mass.
 
You shouldn't be losing muscle anyways as long as your intensity is within your target heart rate zone and your nutrition is flawless
 
Here is what I posted on another site answering this question...


There are advantages to doing cardio on an empty stomach. The reason goes like this....

In the morning or whenever you sleep, you wake in a fasted, less glycogenic state with lower blood sugar. This is a prime environment for fat burning. Studies have shown that the body will burn 300% more fat in this fasted state than with eating a meal, then doing cardio.
Glycogen is your body's first fuel of choice, second is fat. So, if you eat a meal with carbs before cardio, you will be burning the carbs for energy before you get to the fat making the cardio session ineffective or at the very least, less effective.

Now, I do recommend before doing the cardio to supplement with BCAA's before the cardio. This will help prevent breaking into the muscles for energy. Remember, its the BCAA's that get tapped into first during high intensity exercise.

So, bottom line, do not eat a meal before doing your cardio. You should only be consuming BCAA's prior.
 
man cardio in the morning is the s*** . I you did it after you workedout you would really lose muscle. You need to keep blood in the muscle as long as possible . If you did cardio after it would pull the blood out of your muscle and send it all over the body.
 
Also take this into consideration. If you are doing empty stomach cardio but are just going along at a weak pace you are hardly burning any calories anyway. If however, you have some sort of pre-cardio nutrition you may not start in fat burning mode but will be able to go harder and longer.

Basically, i am just suggestion use whatever method allows to go at a higher intensity and stick to it.
 
dirtysouthmuscl said:
man cardio in the morning is the s*** . I you did it after you workedout you would really lose muscle. You need to keep blood in the muscle as long as possible . If you did cardio after it would pull the blood out of your muscle and send it all over the body.
Click to expand...

This may be true, but after a workout your natural GH levels are much higher, making it very beneficial to do low intensity cardio in order to burn fat. I do this maybe once a week, usually after training a smaller bodypart. Not saying that this is best, but it works.
 
I am going to be doing cardio 2 times a week first thing in the morning after I drink a whey protein shake.

My third cardio session per week is my hockey games which are at night once a week. I'll make sure to lift about 6 hours before....
 
dirtysouthmuscl said:
man cardio in the morning is the s*** . I you did it after you workedout you would really lose muscle. You need to keep blood in the muscle as long as possible . If you did cardio after it would pull the blood out of your muscle and send it all over the body.
Click to expand...

this is wrong doing 20-30 minutes of cardio at 60-65% of your max HR will burn the fat that you've oxidized during your weight training session ... bobo has several posts about this
 
Tom - drop the shake.
It will be used for calories by your body. If you want your body to burn stored bodyfat - bad idea for the shake.
 
Nope.

If you perfer a stimulant, then that.

Or, as Glen says, just some water.
Right Glen?
 
Nope, BCAA or low-carb whey drink.

After eight plus hours of fasting your body's already in a highly catabolic state, you'll be sacrificing muscle while trying to oxidize the fat.
 
In my opinion if you can handle ephedra add that. Then eat about 1 hr after cardio. You have to burn stored fat. Not what your body gets from food . If you take anytype off food, or protein your body is going to use that first . Whey protein your body digest within 30mins That will be the first thing your going to burn . BCAAs hell thats just a form of protein. Tap into stored fat, Its not easy at first but give it 2wks and you will feel alot better about it. I need ephedra , s*** that early in the morning all I want to do is Spoon some fine Chick!!!LOL!!!! Hell the better shape I got in to The better Lookin Chicks I got to SPOON!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep that in mind ..Just another plus.
 
Some interesting tips from Scivation and Beast:Invalid Link Removed
In addition i follow these guidelines, adn I def notice an increase in sweating, as well as more calories burned when taking BCAA's before I do cardio in the morning, I also employ them while I am lifting, and right after my nightly cardio session.
 
Well, the BCAA's will go to waste.

They'll be converted solely for energy - glucogenesis (or however it's spelled).

Bobo has posted on it around here.
 
Tom 185 said:
I wanted to do cardio 3 times a week (30 minute sessions of a light jog) in the morning on an empty stomach. I am doing weights 5 times a week at night. I've read that cardio first thing in the morning in the best way to burn fat. However, am I burning muscle? or will I be ok by eating my breakfast immediately after?
Click to expand...


What I did to lose a lot of fat was a moderate intensity cardio session in the morning every day that I worked out- at the time was 5 times a week- walking on a treadmill at no incline and at 2.5 speed and over 20 minutes would slowly increase the incline to max and the speed to 3.5- no more- the cardio session was no more than 45 minutes...I would do my cardio first thing in the morning and work out later that night...I would not eat for atleast 30 minutes after my cardio- but i dont know if that was a factor- Doing this along with hard workouts and a almost flawless diet has allowed me to lose 40 pounds-230 to 190- and I fell off the fitness wagon for 8 months and i still am mantaining 193.3
 
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