The Truth About Empty Stomach Cardio

One form of cardiovascular exercise (cardio) that receives quite a bit of attention, especially among the fat loss crowd, is “empty stomach cardio”. This is cardio that is performed before eating any food first thing in the morning, and claims to help speed up the fat loss process. If you still believe this old myth, allow me to take a moment to explain why this is simply not true.

 The theory behind empty stomach is cardio is simple: supposedly, by doing cardio on an empty stomach, you tap directly into fat stores since glycogen stores are somewhat depleted after an overnight fast. This idea seems to make sense, but research has proven that this is not the case, and is in fact, completely wrong.

Several studies have shown absolutely no difference in substrate utilization (glycogen vs. fat) for those working out on an empty stomach vs. those who eat a small meal prior to their morning workouts, in fact, there are studies that have shown the exact opposite—those who had a small meal before their workout burned more calories and more fat than those that exercised on an empty stomach.

The truth is, empty stomach cardio is an outdated philosophy. However, there are still plenty of so called “professionals” in the health and fitness industry who hold on to this theory, despite the available research. You may be wondering, how is that possible? Perhaps they’re not aware of it, perhaps they just go by what the fitness and bodybuilding magazines tell them (bad idea), I’m not sure, but regardless of what that reason might be, popular philosophy doesn’t always mean correct philosophy, and this is one such instance. Anyone that is telling you; when you perform cardio on an empty stomach, you will start burning body fat faster on an empty stomach than you would if you had have eaten before-hand, is incorrect!

A major concern with this type of exercise, besides a decrease in performance levels that needs to be considered, is the fact that you will actually lose the lean muscle you’ve worked so hard to develop while performing this type of cardiovascular exercise. Our bodies have a minimal amount of glucagon (sugar stores) available for use in our blood stream, and liver. Once those stores are depleted, the body uses the most readily available and fastest metabolized energy source that’s left, muscle tissue. At this point, our blood sugar is low and un-stabilized, which causes the body to go into a “panicked” state. At this point, it not only will not burn, but actually holds on to its fat stores, and begins to burn muscle for energy, something that is completely counter-productive in helping you achieve your health and fitness goals.

If you want to optimize your performance, and get the most out of your workouts, it is vital that you have a balanced meal of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats before, and after your workouts. Doing so will not only help you achieve better/faster results; there’s a chance you might even begin to enjoy those hardcore cardiovascular training sessions.