As a fitness professional I am often asked if fasted cardio is the way to go to blast more fat. For those of you who do not know what fasted cardio is, basically you wake up and hit your cardio on an empty stomach. The theory is that you are going to burn fat instead of your breakfast. For optimal results, it is advised to wait at least 8 hours from your last meal to hit your cardio.
As an athlete and a firm believer in fueling before my workouts, my answer is no. Although, I have trained several clients who preferred fasted cardio over eating breakfast before. My take on it is that my performance is much better when I have calories in my system to burn. If I eat a clean breakfast, I am going to burn right through it during a 45 minute interval cardio session. Not to mention that my metabolism will get a jump start on the day and will start cranking as my breakfast digests. I will have a much more efficient workout because my body is properly fueled.
My take on this great debate is to each his/her own. Fasted cardio is a personal preference. Just because it’s not for me and not my belief doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work for other folks. Having competed in almost 30 figure and bikini competitions over my career, I never had a problem burning through fat and eating as soon as I woke up. Less is not more and I am a firm believer in eating every 1.5-3 hours. If your body is hungry, it’s telling you it needs the fuel. If you keep it clean, I guarantee that you won’t have any problems dropping unwanted body fat. If you would like a custom nutrition plan to help you get in the best shape of your life, contact me today for details.
Karen Mullarkey
“No Mullarkey” Personal Training
IFBB PRO/WBFF PRO/ISSA CFT