Cardio on Empty

[bigslick7878]

So is it agreed upon that cardio on an empty stomach is the best way to target fat? I will be cutting in the near future, and have about 25lbs of muscle I did not have before and do not want to lose it obviously.

Also how long should I go for, I know that after a while you start to burn muscle and again I do not want to do that.

Also in general should I adjust my workouts in any sort of way with reps/weight etc during this phase??

[gbrice75]

I'd like to know a definitive answer on this as well (although i'm sure it's debated so there IS no definitive). I workout first thing in the am immediately followed by cardio, so I opt to eat before my workout. However, on my cardio only days, I am doing cardio on an empty stomach. Do the fat burning benefits of this outweigh the (perceived) negative of catabolism due to no food after sleeping all night and then doing cardio?

[FireGuy]

Cardio induced catabolism is one of the most over rated topics on the board in my opinion. Improper diet, overtraining and lack of rest are much more likely to chew away muscle yet those issues are not scrutinized nearly as much as cardio. 45-60 minutes of moderate intensity AM cardio should result in very nice fat loss results without any catabolic consequences assuming the other issues mentioned are being addressed.

[bigslick7878]

Cardio induced catabolism is one of the most over rated topics on the board in my opinion. Improper diet, overtraining and lack of rest are much more likely to chew away muscle yet those issues are not scrutinized nearly as much as cardio. 45-60 minutes of moderate intensity AM cardio should result in very nice fat loss results without any catabolic consequences assuming the other issues mentioned are being addressed.

The thing about it is that I read when you try to cut weight/lean up you typicallly burn at a 60/40 fat/muscle ratio. I was just trying to do everything possible to shift that percentage more to the fat area. If I lose 12 pounds that is great but if 5 of it is muscle then not too great.

I know it is impossible to lose just fat but anything I can do to keep that hard earned muscle I will try.

I just want to know before I starve myself in the morning (temporarily) if it is worth it. I wake up needing food immediately, and cardio is not on the top of my checklist at that time either.

[GOONBAH]

have some bcaas prior to cardio

works for me

[FireGuy]

The thing about it is that I read when you try to cut weight/lean up you typicallly burn at a 60/40 fat/muscle ratio. I was just trying to do everything possible to shift that percentage more to the fat area. If I lose 12 pounds that is great but if 5 of it is muscle then not too great.

I know it is impossible to lose just fat but anything I can do to keep that hard earned muscle I will try.

I just want to know before I starve myself in the morning (temporarily) if it is worth it. I wake up needing food immediately, and cardio is not on the top of my checklist at that time either.

Link me where you read that. I would be interested in how they came about their conclusions.

[NVR2BIG1]

I hate a.m. cardio!! when I get out of bed I'm ready to eat, I've been 7-8 hrs w/ no food, I'd rather have breakfast kick my metabolism in the ass than wait another hr to eat. I personally dont think its as big of a deal as its made out to be. I think people would benefit more from an extra hr of sleep actually. At the end of the day as long as x amount of nutrients/cals are taken in, x amount of calories burned off, the time of the day cardio is performed is more negligable than made out to be. I only do cardio 3x/wk max anyhow though, keep the body hungry, the metabolism kicked in the ass, etc etc. The diet brings me in just fine, too much cardio ruins me. This just me though

[bigslick7878]

Link me where you read that. I would be interested in how they came about their conclusions.

I will try to find it, I probably came across it in a random google search on the topic.

Edit- When you just cut calories with no strength training it is about 60/40.

With strength training it is about 80/20.

http://men.webmd.com/features/streng...-chest-muscles

The importance of lifting weights while losing weight

Lifting weights can be especially important when you’re trying to lose weight, Joyner says. That’s because when you restrict your caloric intake, your body burns muscle as well as fat for fuel, contributing to the muscle loss that comes naturally with age.

“That loss of muscle mass is less of a problem if you strength-train while you lose weight,” Joyner says. “Instead of losing about 60 percent fat and 40 percent muscle mass, it will be more like 80/20.”

And because chest muscles are relatively large, they contain a lot of muscle fibers that can be developed.

[Scrappy11]

I'm currently doing a bulk and am doing cardio before food in the AM for 40mins 3x a week, how's that sound? (stats: 212lbs, 19%bf, 23 years old)

any advice would be grand

[Scrappy11]

I'm currently doing a bulk and am doing cardio before food in the AM for 40mins 3x a week, how's that sound? (stats: 212lbs, 19%bf, 23 years old)

any advice would be grand

I have BCAAs before hand tho, don't worry