What is Fasted Cardio and Does it work?
Simply put, this involves getting your heart rate up without eating anything prior. A true fasted state starts at about 8-12 hours after your last meal. However it can happen for some people if its been 3-6 hours, but most people do fasted cardio in the morning to ensure their body is in a completely fasted state.
According to science, there can be some benefits! You can burn up to 20% more body fat by exercising in the morning on an empty stomach according to one study published in British Journal of Nutrition. Another study from University of Scranton revealed it may lead to a reduced calorie consumption in the next 24 hours that follow the fasted workout.
The idea that exercising in a fasted state burns stored energy (fat and glycogen) versus energy that you have just consumed.
What’s important to keep in mind, the intensity of the exercise should be low. Think jogging instead of a hard run or a sprint. Or slow climbing on the stair master, not attempting your Orange theory workouts.
Fasted cardio not only burns stored fat and carbs but it can also burn stored protein in the form of lean muscle–which is NOT desirable. Sipping on our amazing Recover BCAA product can alleviate some of this breakdown.
BOTTOM LINE: Fasting primes your body to take in nutrients once the effort is over, which means you should look for protein and carbohydrates to help refuel your muscles. The International Society of Sports Medicine recommends consuming .14-.23g of protein per pound of body weight very soon after a workout. That’s 20 g of protein for a 140 woman.
GOOD NEWS: There is room to experiment, feel out the right approach for you, whether or not fasting is pat of the equation.
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