is it best to exercise on a full of empty stomach?

Piste

Hey all, I'm just wondering when's the best time to exercise, before or after meals? By which I mean, which will yield the best results? I would have thought that with little food in the stomach the body would be forced to burn fat, but then again all I know of the human body is 6 weeks of LC biology

Supercell

Light cardio in the mornings on an empty stomach is beneficial to those that dont want to try too hard.

Piste

Hmm ok what about moderate to intense cardio and weights on a somewhat empty stomach (last meal 5 hours or so ago) in the evening?

beastman

I dont eat for 2 hours before a session, but mainly so that my system is clean and ready to feel the full effects of the pre-workout supplements. However I rarely train without at least 3 solid meals in, you have to fuel the engine or invariably you wont be able to put 100% into your session. Then again, I dont do cardio, and I generally aim to do more than moderate weights

unreggd

It shouldnt matter really

If you want to lose fat [which im guessin you do] you need a daily calorific deficit

Info on calculating your target daily calories here

so once you stick to that, you can eat or exercise whenever

Yes, on an empty stomach you'll be burning fat, but you'll feel like crap, and have little/no energy compared to training after eating

Hanley

You are making it WAY too complicated. I actually couldn't tell you what I do, I have to think about it. I bench heavy on Sunday mornings from 12pm onwards. I don't get up til 11am, so I obvioulsy eat within an hour of training

I squatted this week at 12.30pm, having only got up around 10.30am.

I guess having a meal of some sort within 1-2 hours of training would be a good starting point. If you feel ill then push it back a bit, if you're feeling ok then you know oyu're onto something.

g'em

Piste wrote: »

Hey all, I'm just wondering when's the best time to exercise, before or after meals? By which I mean, which will yield the best results? I would have thought that with little food in the stomach the body would be forced to burn fat, but then again all I know of the human body is 6 weeks of LC biology

If you're doing light cardio, exercising on an empty tummy shouldn't cause too many problems. But having said that to really see any fat-loss it will need to be for a prolonged (an hour or more) period.

If you're doing heavy/ intense cardio you may feel nauseous or ill half-way through as a result of very low blood sugar, at which point you may need to cut the session short thereby negating the point of doing intense exercise at all. So if you're planning a heavy session a light meal 1-2 hours before training would probably be best for your body.

But these minutiae aside, if you eat a good diet, that alone will take care of the bulk of the fat-loss connundrum.

Feelgood

I would be inclined to say that a full stomach will probably end up slowing you down a bit. I find that you will have great endurance for your exercise regime if you don't eat for about 2 hours prior to a work out. Just stick to the liquids I reckon or maybe a banana about an hour before a work out.

Try it working out on a full and empty stomach and try to gauge your performance. I find that breads and pasta's completely slow me down and leave me wrecked after about 40 minutes.

Piste

Ok thanks for the advice everyone

figroll

Sorry to hi-jack guys but i was wondering something similar myself but i'm doing more running than weight training at the mo...

I run (jog more like!) into work in the mornings on an empty stomach, its around 5 miles and i find it very hard unless, i've noticed, i have eaten pasta or carbs of some sort the evening before for dinner. I might have to take short breaks of 5-10 seconds towards the end of the run in if i havne't had something substancial the day before...

SO is it better to suffer on running on the empty stomach or is it better have the stores of glycogen from the day before to improve performance if i'm trying to become more lean?? Like i say i still continue the session one way or the other (have to get to work on time!) but its just easier if there's something in the bank from the day before..

Hmmm??:rolleyes:

Your advise is as always appreciated..

g'em

Have you ever tried having something very small to eat before running, like maybe some fruit & yoghurt or a protein shake?

figroll

No, i guess i was working off the (myth probably) that i will 'tap into' my fat stores earlier if i don't eat anything.. plus the old stitch thing might kick in if i eat.

I was wondering if 'intensity' is appearently the key to burning cals then the fact that i find it more difficult or 'higher intensity' when i'm running on empty does that not mean i am becoming more lean by not eating anything. Even if it is harder?

Oh and another (silly) question i guess, is it better to instantly eat after you exercise or wait for awhile if you want to up the ante even more on the fat burn?

Thanks!

g'em

The Fat Loss conundrum is by far and away one of the most profitable complexes the intarweb has seen. Let's face it, everyone wants a quick-fix, and they want it now. That's not a dig at you - it's true for 99% of people whoa re trying to lose weight!!

Weight loss is a simple equation: eat fewer calories than your body needs and you will make up the excess by using stored energy.

The problem though is that the 'energy' won't always come from fat. So it's true that if you exercise on an empty tummy you more than likely will use your body's stored energy to keep you going, the problem is that it may not necessarily be fat, it may be muscle glycogen.

And the stitch theory isn't entirely unfounded either. The theory goes that after a big meal your body diverts blood flow to the stomach to aid in digestion, but this will only really affect training if it's a very substantial meal that's been eaten. A smaller meal won't cause you too much bother but will keep your blood sugar levels up.

As for eating instantly after exercising, it's generally considered optimal to eat within an hour after eating.

If you're training for performance and maintaining strength levels is a priority, getting a good supply of protein and with carbs for delivery in easily digestible form of a recovery shake is your best bet.

If you're training for fat loss a light protein-rich meal with a small amount of complex carbs will help you recovery but shouldn't undo the hard work you've done during exercise.

figroll

No thats perfect G'em - i wanted the honest truth! I've been running for awhile now as well as doing the weights and i have become leaner as well as (i think?) keeping my muscle mass which is great.

And i think from reading your post i'm beginning to realise that its a complicated question as i guess it depends on what intensity your running at, what your energy source is at that time, fat versus glycogen but one way or the other there is a slight undertone of 'i want the quick fix'.... ie. i don't want to HAVE to watch my diet like a hawk so i want the 'best' from my exercise routine.. very perceptive!

So i will definately do what you say and take something small in the morning before i go out and have something good when i get into work.. see how that works as i can definately run faster with food onboard.

Thanks again!