I received a question today from one of my Inner Circle members, Steve. He asked about the rational–whether he should be doing cardio on an empty stomach in the AM or not?
Here’s Steve’s Question:
Is
there a way to ask Shawn a brief question? I want to know if he would
recommend eating a snack prior to morning workouts. In
ABSolution, he recommended an empty stomach.
Is
this still his philosophy?Thanks for all your help and Happy New
Year!Steve…
My answer in audio follows:
The short version for text answer is…
Yes! I still believe it to be an advantage for fat-burning. It’s admittedly over-hyped, like most similar advantages but it does help burn a greater percentage of calories from fat.
I think Tom Venuto has done a masterful job of supporting my argument here.
The one thing, as you’ll hear in the audio FAQ, I suggest (and practice) eating something before a morning strength workout and going into cardio on “E”mpty.
Without the 150-200 calorie snack before a Strength workout you’ll lose strength and intensity and your workout will suffer too much.
Hope this helps!
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Shawn,
Thanks so much for your quick and informative response. This was the only area that I was wondering about as I plan to complete the Transformation program in Strength for Life. I appreciate all the motivation you have provided to help me achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle over the past ten years.
Happy New Year and continued success in 2010!
Best regards, Steve
Shawn,
Thanks for your quick and helpful response. I appreciate the insightful information you have provided to help me live a healthy lifestyle during the last ten years.
Continued success in 2010.
Best regards, Steve
Shawn –
Thanks for clearing up the confusion.
I’m not sure if it will help anyone, but I’ve seen a few studies that reported simply ingesting 5-10 grams of BCAAs (Branch-chain Amino Acids) prior to fasted training can prevent some of the negative parts of training fasted (i.e. catabolism, energy crash, etc).
Of course, the folks who choose to have a small meal that includes a bit of protein before training are getting BCAAs, anyway. But, I’ve found that I just can’t muster the hunger to eat upon rising, so I’ve been using BCAAs before my morning weight training for a few months with nice results.
Thanks,
Blake
Shawn,
Thanks for the tip! Today, being a resistance training day, I took your advice. About 1 hour before my workout I consumed a home made whole wheat pancake with 1 tablespoon all natural peanut butter and 1/2 teaspoon of strawberry jam. It was the difference maker in my workout. I found that I had enough fuel left in the tank to sustain me during my intense workout. Thanks again!
Best Regards,
Matt