Morning Fasted Cardio

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by sean, Apr 15, 2006.

  1. sean

    sean THOR!

    Looking to get my body fat below 5% (currently under 10%) so going to help my nurtitional needs along a bit with some morning fasted cardio. Before leaving I'm aware of what to consume, but the rate of cardio is yet to be decided!

    Im currently in the mindset of -

    20 minute session consisting of aerobic respiration, most likely light jogging.

    Will this be adequate, or will the time need to be extended?


    Note:
    • Im aware of the potential for it to be catabolic, but I hope for it to only be mildly catabolic with the correct technique. ;)
    • I'll only be doing this weekends as I do not want to sacrifice sleep.
     
  2. Banpen Fugyo

    Banpen Fugyo 10000 Changes No Surprise

    I'm no expert.. but isnt 5% a little... not good?
     
  3. kmguy8

    kmguy8 Not Sin Binned

    5% is quite low... generally anything less than 8% impedes athletic performance
    however, you might be able to handle it if you are under 10% and have not been doing any cardio to get to that point

    i would highly recommend diet and interval training

    the elimination of sugar and simple starches from bread in your diet, watching your caloric intake depending on your workout schedule will allow your body to not store fat as easiy... (my body likes to store fat when i get that low)

    i would start by doing 18 minutes of interval training 4 times a week. i would use a treadmill and run 2 minutes at a slow jog (4-5 mph) and then have an interval cycle of 30sec to 1 minute in duration at 9-10 mph... repeat until allotted time is over.. i would do it later in the day tues and thurs (to save that sleeping time)and both saturday and sunday whenever

    morning fasted workouts might be more catabolic than midday once you have some energy..... also durations longer than 20 minutes for someone of your bf% will be catabolic....

    my guess is these two simple additions will have you at 5% in a month or two....

    if not.. then i would consider more extreme measures.. chances are you will not need them...
     
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2006
  4. Ad McG

    Ad McG Troll-killer Supporter

    5% is also highly unlikely for the very large majority, even those who aim for it, nevermind that it is often poor measurements that lead to a result this low. Post up your diet as it is that which will have a bigger influence on your body composition rather than fasted cardio.

    Incidentally, why do you want to do this?
     
  5. sean

    sean THOR!

    Time. My studies are taking all of my free time at the moment, absorbing training time, so I'm basically looking at a way I can keep my sleep pattern and low body fat.

    I currently train HIIT twice or three times a week, but this has been becoming increasingly difficult.

    It is quite naive to aim for 5%, but with all my goals I always over shoot them as a bit of encouragement to work harder.

    Post my diet!? Damnnn that would take ages. I recently recorded my macro nutrient profile a feel weeks ago for a couple days, I could post that but still would be an epic type!

    I will attempt to type one days worth:

    (broken into the six meals a day)

    1- Large bowl of oatmeal (45g)
    Mixed Nuts/Seeds
    2 apples
    1 banana
    dried fruit
    1 egg (mixed in with oats)

    2- Protein Shake (myprotein.com everyday mix)
    with banana

    3- Mixed salad with olive oil
    125g cottage cheese

    4- Pasta
    Can of tuna fish

    4.5-Protein Shake
    3 or 4 peices of fruit

    5- 2 x turkey steaks
    Mixed vegedables
    Sweet Potatoes

    6- (Before Bed)
    Oatmeal
    Multi Vit
    125g cottage cheese

    This is a fairly average day. I am not a fan of monotany or food timetables so I always mix my foods.

    If I have trained resistance that day, I will consume my postworkout shake and eat a meal 1-2 hours after.

    Whatever I read seems to be such a vast contradiction to morning fasted cardio (even more so than usual fitness texts).
     
  6. sean

    sean THOR!

    EDIT: Just found this-

    "Here are the circumstances in which I think fasted cardio is awesome and in which I think fasted cardio isn't so awesome:

    • AM fasted cardio should be done when you're only interested in body comp and you have either a mesomorphic or endomorphic body type.

    • AM fasted cardio should never be done when you're an anaerobic athlete requiring strength and power or you simply have an ectomorphic (naturally skinny) body type."

    On T-Nation. This would suggest that morning fasted cardio is an extremely bad idea for me to partake. Looks like i'll skip it ;)
     
  7. Ad McG

    Ad McG Troll-killer Supporter

    For once, someone posts a good diet. Miles better than mine anyway :D

    When I said why, I meant why do you want such a low bodyfat? What is the point of having bodyfat that low when it is so hard to maintain?
     
  8. sean

    sean THOR!

    That's very true. It would be an absolute challenge to be so strict on diet/fitness/lifestyle and still enjoy myself as a student lame-o.

    I'll just stick to my diet and current training and wait it out.

    Cheers matey.
     
  9. blessed_samurai

    blessed_samurai Valued Member

    I'm also curious as to why you want your bodyfat % this low? You do know the emotional and psychological impact of being that low, don't you? I've had the semi-pleasure of becoming acquaintences with a few competitive bodybuilders (Todd Scarborough/Mr. Arkansas being one of them and Darrel Terrel another) and all they say about being that low (although they get lower) is how absolutely miserable they are once they get lower than 6%.

    I'm not one to oust fruit but I think you might cut down on the amount of fruit you're eating. Not that I have a citation on hand but I remember Lyle comenting that there is a possibility that at an excessive amount of fructose (over 60 grams) a day leptin drops and this causes slow or lowered metabolism. This was taking into consideration that the individual was sub 10% body fat and trying to get down to 3-4% for contest. A large apple has just about 12 grams of fructose...a banana has about 7...just to give you an idea of how much you are getting. Like I said, I'm not one to say get rid of stuff that's good (like fruit) but if you want extreme results, you'll have to have an extreme diet. I'd comment more but I have to take off.

    You don't have to skip the morning cardio...something as small as 10 grams of protein will stave off catabolism if that's what you're worried about. Of course, swimming would be the best cardio you could do.
     
  10. flaming

    flaming Valued Member

    I dont know much but oats before bed cant be right. I thought you should cut carbs after 6pm or something. Not that i do LOL, but someone with realy low bodyfat in mind.
     
  11. ItalianStallion

    ItalianStallion Valued Member

    Yeh Ive read something along those lines, something about not having enough time to use up the carbs before you sleep, and then since you use up less energy while you sleep, the carbs just get stored as fat. Seems about right to me, but not sure if its true.
     
  12. sean

    sean THOR!

    Oats/cottage cheese/sometimes ZMA is my sleep stack, thus to prevent catabolic state occuring. Im not going to cut carbs out of anywhere in my diet, I am not in that much of a hurry to slow gains just for a depressing fat loss ;) .

    Yeh I did not fully evaluate having a body fat % that low. Phsycological impairment is definately something I'm not in a rush to get so I'm just going to allow my body fat to stay roughly where it is and skip morning cardio.

    I've had an obsession with fruit and vegedables all my life so I doubt that any cutting is going to occurr :D
     
  13. redsandpalm

    redsandpalm shut your beautiful face

    Just to chip in from some-one who has been at those kind of bodyfat levels

    1] Diet and HIIT won't get you all the way down. After about the 7% mark you've pretty much got to start with LIT (combined with diet of course).
    2] Muscle/strength loss can be kept at bay a fair bit under 10%BF but when going under around 7/8% it increases alot.
    3] Expect to be in a constant state of low energy,patience & libido
    4] Just because you're lean, you won't neccessarily look the way you wanted to.
     
  14. Vigilance

    Vigilance Valued Member

    Then you are not going to get to 5%. There is no reason to eat oatmeal right before you go to bed. All you need before you go to sleep to help prevent catobolism is a slow digesting protein, like casien. You can also throw a tablespoon of flax or olive oil to help slow down absorption.

    You may not need to eliminate any carbs from your diet, just eat them at different times. I would try to keep my last 2 meals of the day, just protein and fats, no carbs at all.
     
  15. sean

    sean THOR!

    Yo Ho Ahoy! Read the posts above dude. I'm not going for 5% anymore. The benefits are far outweighed by the cons.

    And yes there is reason to eat oatmeal before bed. It is part of my sleep stack. This stack reduces cortisol release and catabolism, increases anabolism, increases the effects of GH, and gives you more energy to do what needs to be done.
     
  16. redsandpalm

    redsandpalm shut your beautiful face

    Well if you're under 10%BF doing that then fire away, but you could be taking in those carbs and calories at more beneficial times.

    And vigilance knows his stuff - he deserves more than a "Yo Ho Ahoy!".
     
  17. Cuchulain82

    Cuchulain82 Custodia Legis

    Was this question ever answered? I just started running in the morning before work and I'm curious about the effects. Is it grenerally a good idea? Thus far I like it- it peps me up, allows me a little more variety in training, etc. However, I don't eat before I run. I literally roll out of bed, put on my stuff and go. I run a loop of about 1.75 miles, so it takes me about 15 mins to do the whole thing.
     
  18. Colucci

    Colucci My buddies call me Chris.

    Was the original question asking about nutrition? I'm not sure if it is or not. In any case, if training on an empty stomach is working for you, stick with it. It seems as though just as many people thrive on it, as don't. If you're feeling like it isn't producing the results you want, I'd try to knock back a small shake (like 1 scoop of protein in water) before you run.


    Ahh, morning people. Making night owls feel lazy and inadequate since 1982. Hmmph. :p
     
  19. blessed_samurai

    blessed_samurai Valued Member

    Care to enlighten me how oatmeal reduces cortisol and catabolism and increases GH? I know you said "the effects of GH" but you have to increase GH to increase teh effects.

    Besides, for what it's worth...high insuiln (and high blood FFA) will impair GH release at night. I guess since oatmeal is a medium GI food, then you'll only have a medium amount of GH release. Oh wait...the GI scale is stupid and I'm bored of cortisol.
     
  20. sean

    sean THOR!

    To try and clear up a subject I didn't realise I had begun I will post my entire sleep stack rather than just oats. ;)

    1) Take a ZMA supplement on an empty stomach (so intake this 1-2 hours after your last meal).

    2) After the ZMA has been totally digested (30-60 minutes later) eat something with complex and fibrous starchy carbohydrates such as oatmeal or a mix of fibrous green vegetables.

    3) Consume 20-60 grams of casein protein.

    4) Intake 1 tablespoon of flax oil, 500-1000 mg of vitamin C, and 5-10 grams of glutamine.

    5) Go to sleep for 8-10 hours.

    How does 'Yo Ho Ahoy' actually mean anything? I suppose it could be taken as almost an insult but I had no intention of it being so. :D

    The answer was answered. The best cardio for morning fasted is swimming.

    Secondary question of the effects on MY body - Negative and too much energy used in the process, and also the result isn't really something I would want.
     

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