Major Myth

Major Myth:

Time to debunk a major myth!

It’s common to see athletes or those focused on weight loss to perform fasted cardio, which is a technique used to optimize fat loss by exercising on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. 

However, the research doesn’t support this as being a healthy means of losing weight given that training with depleted glycogen levels has been shown to increase proteolysis (muscle breaking) to be used as a substrate for energy and repair. Thus, fasted cardio has a negative impact on muscle building and maintenance (Schoenfeld, 2011). 

So what does this mean? 

Don’t work out on empty!

Make sure to eat something before you workout. Especially focus on foods high in protein and carbohydrates, and low in fat since high fat foods can lead to gastrointestinal distress during workouts.

Also, don't forget about HFA's "Not Your Grandma's Bingo" challenge going on now. If you are interested stop by the Health and Fitness Academy to pick up a bingo card. 

Citations: 

Schoenfeld, B. (2011). Does cardio after an overnight fast maximize fat loss?. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 33(1), 23-25

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