The morning cardio. How.
The fact is that a long absence of food causes a slowdown in the circulation of glucose in the blood, which helps to reduce the reserves of glycogen (the main reserve carbohydrate in the human body). To provide the necessary level of energy, the body is forced to spend fat deposits, not glucose.
In addition, a decrease in insulin levels caused by prolonged fasting leads to the breakdown of fat cells. As a result, fatty acids are used as a source of energy during exercise.
The technique has become widely popular among sports fans who want to lose weight and get rid of excess fat. After all, who would give up training that produces the same results with less effort?
It is sad, but training "at the crack of dawn" on an empty stomach – this is one continuous mistake.
I want to make a reservation right away. Do not confuse training and morning exercise. Yes, Yes, you heard right, it's not the same thing. And there are people who do morning exercises! Charging is not aimed at losing weight! Charging is not aimed at muscle growth!
Charging — a set of physical exercises performed, usually in the morning, in order to warm up the muscles and joints.
Charging is a mandatory procedure in the army and sports camps. I will tell you about the benefits of charging in another article.
The metabolism during the morning workouts
The body's regulation of the process of using fat and carbohydrates as an energy source is carried out on a constant basis and depends on a number of factors.
The General rule is that the more carbohydrates are consumed during training, the more fat is burned in the post-training period, and Vice versa.
To have a complete picture of the impact of aerobic loads on body weight, this process should be considered on a daily, rather than hourly, basis.
Indeed, the results of scientific research show that aerobic loads on an empty stomach contribute to a more effective breakdown of fat cells compared to aerobic loads on a full stomach.
When the intensity level increases, the ratio persists – more fat cells are broken down on an empty stomach than on a full stomach.
It would seem that what is the problem? Unfortunately, the rate of breakdown exceeds the body's ability to utilize the released fatty acids as energy. In other words, a large concentration of fatty acids is formed in the bloodstream, which are not used by the muscles working under load.
As a result, these fatty acids are converted into triglycerides and then back into fat cells after training. You've come a long way to get back to your starting point. In other words, increased fat breakdown is not the final point of your metabolism. These fats need to be burned.
Well, what if you decide to do low-intensity cardio?
Shot in vain. You see, there is also a relationship between body fitness and aerobic exercise on an empty stomach.
In particular, if you train on a regular basis – in terms of fat utilization, the benefits of aerobic loads on an empty stomach will be negligible for you, even with low-intensity training.
It was found that if an athlete trains at an intensity of 50% of the maximum heart rate (this level of load corresponds to a slow walk), there is no difference in the rate of splitting of fat cells – regardless of whether the athlete is hungry or full.
This statement remains true for the first 90 minutes of exercise; only after this time, training on an empty stomach begins to give a noticeable difference in the expenditure of fat reserves.
That is, if you do not have the desire or the ability to "work" on the treadmill for several hours in a row, then training on an empty stomach will not bring you exactly any result, no matter how hard you do it.
If we consider aerobic loads on an empty stomach in terms of post-training oxygen consumption, it turns out that their effectiveness is even lower. Post-workout oxygen consumption (PTPC), or "post – burn", is the number of calories consumed after completing a workout. Can you imagine? Eating before training significantly increases the PTPC index.
Do you know where most of the calories are consumed in the post-workout period? That's right-from fat!
We should also not forget about such a factor as intensity. Scientists say that in terms of weight loss, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is more effective than conventional cardio training.
Have you ever tried performing a VIT workout on an empty stomach? I am sure that you will not last long in this case. To maintain a high level of intensity, the body needs an easily accessible source of glycogen; if the glycogen stores are depleted, you can forget about high-intensity training.
The final result is that fewer calories are consumed both during and after a workout. This slows down the weight loss process.
In addition to all the above, it is worth noting that training on an empty stomach has a catabolic effect on the muscles. The results of scientific research show that training against the background of depletion of glycogen reserves significantly increases the speed of protein breakdown in order to replenish energy reserves during physical activity.
For an hour of cardio training, the loss of protein can exceed 10% of the total caloric expenditure – when training on a full stomach, this figure is more than twice lower.
After all, sacrificing hard-earned muscle in a futile attempt to burn a couple of extra calories is at least stupid – especially for bodybuilders!
How right!
To sum up, we can conclude that the hypothesis about aerobic exercise before Breakfast is erroneous, especially for fans of iron sports.
At best, you will not see any difference between this method and training on a full stomach; at worst, you can lose muscle mass and slow down the process of burning fat. If eating before cardio training is mandatory, what foods can be used for this purpose?
The answer depends on many factors, including the length and intensity of your workout, the number of meals you eat during the day, and your body's genetic characteristics.
Practice shows that it is desirable to consume 0.6 g of carbohydrates and 0.3 g of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight (which may differ from the actual one).
The ideal weight can be calculated using various formulas, such as the Brock formula:
Ideal body weight for males = (height measured in centimeters – one hundred) * 1.15.
Ideal body weight for female representatives = (height, measured in centimeters – one hundred and ten) * 1.15.
For example, the ideal body weight of a girl who is 175 cm tall = 1,15 *(175 – 110) = 74,75 kg.
For bodybuilders this formula will not work )) But for the most part, we are talking about "natural" athletes.
For example, if you have an ideal body weight of 80 kg, then your pre-workout meal should consist of 50 g of carbohydrates and 25 g of protein. A good option is a cocktail of natural fruit juice and whey protein (especially if cardio training is carried out in the early morning before Breakfast).
Of course, each person has an individual reaction to macronutrients. Therefore, these recommendations should only be used as a guideline, making appropriate changes.
Enjoy weight loss!
