Fasted Cardio

Pros and Cons

Does fasted cardio help reduce body fat and thus lose weight faster?

This is a very popular and controversial strategy, and we'll tell you a bit more about it here.

What are the advantages of doing fasted cardio?

• You do your cardio session in the morning and then you're done for the rest of the day.
• Helps activate you for the rest of the day.
• Increases your vitality.

There is a lot of evidence about its benefits, but the detail is that the studied population is mostly athletes (cyclists, triathletes, etc.) and not people who exercise regularly. And scientific evidence speaks of positive results in terms of:

1. Improved fat oxidation rate.
2. An increase in enzymes involved in lipolysis (fat mobilization).
3. Decrease in intramuscular triglycerides (fat).
4. Increase in hormones that stimulate fat mobilization (lipolysis).

However, almost none of the studies (except 1 or 2) show a direct benefit in terms of body fat loss.

And one of the reasons is that no matter how much fat is mobilized during fasted training, the body can NOT use all these fatty acids as energy. In the end, if a caloric deficit is not produced, all these fatty acids that were mobilized in your blood are again stored as fat because the recommended intensity for this strategy does not require much energy, such as a HIIT.

What if I don't like to eat breakfast before training?

If you're one of those who doesn't like to eat breakfast so early or before morning training, what can you do then? 

It's advisable to do a "false fast," meaning don't just get on the bike or go running with only a glass of water: take supplements; remember that you've gone a minimum of 7 hours without eating, your body is in a catabolic state (literally, you're eating muscle), so to stop that state, take BCAAs and glutamine before your cardio session, or even a whey protein shake plus amino acids. This will not only protect your muscles but also make you feel full and energetic; with these nutrients in your bloodstream, we are able to burn more fat than if we go on an empty stomach.

On the other hand, consuming protein just before bed (ideas for bedtime snacks) can also help prevent muscle breakdown during cardiovascular exercise in the morning.

I do not recommend doing a session that is too long, between 20 and 40 minutes maximum at a moderate pace.

What other cardio method burns more fat and is more effective?

Doing interval cardio (HIIT). For example, a 30-minute cardio session after training: we do 15 minutes at a medium pace, and from there, we increase the intensity for 1 or 2 minutes at full speed, then a medium pace for 5 minutes, again 1 or 2 minutes at maximum intensity, and finally a medium pace until the end.

However, if our goal is not to improve body composition but to improve specific endurance in ultra-endurance sports, in this case, fasted cardio is scientifically proven to be very effective*:

• In these sports, fat consumption should be trained primarily to reserve glycogen use when needed. Fasted training teaches the athlete to be more efficient at using fat as fuel.
• Promotes blood glucose stability, avoiding hypoglycemia in long-duration training *

Conclusion:

This strategy has been misunderstood, because while it is true that positive results can be obtained in performance for athletes (race time, submaximal capacity, etc.), it is undoubtedly very useful in the preparation and training of ultra-endurance athletes to train fat consumption and reserve muscle glycogen. However, it is not for active people who exercise a few days a week and want to lose more fat and body weight.

*source: www.josemief.com