Longtime lurker introduces himself!

damp sponge

Hi everybody, I'm a long time lurker here and would just like to say thanks to you all - I'm after losing two stone over the past four months, I havn't been this fit since secondary school.

I look and feel great and this forum was a great resource and motivator,thanks alot! I've been unemployed for the last while and this had given me loads of time to workout but I'm starting a new job next week and whilst this means no more lie ins everyday I'm gonna use it as an excuse to get out of bed early in the morning and hit the gym. I'm 5'11 and 79kg and my BF% is 15%, I'd love to get it down around 10% so I'm planning on doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and then some weights. Like all first time posters here, I've got some questions for you wise sages of fitness:

Is doing cardio on an empty stomach as good as efficent as people say it is at burning fat?I'm planning on doing 30-40 mins each morning.

To save time and make sure I don't have to goto the gym twice a day, after my cardio session I'll be moving onto some weights. The thing is if I don't have much food I tend to literally puke my ring from working out to hard. What breakfast can I bring to the gym with me to have after my cardio session and before my weight session?

ali.c

damp sponge wrote: »

Hi everybody, I'm a long time lurker here and would just like to say thanks to you all - I'm after losing two stone over the past four months, I havn't been this fit since secondary school.

I look and feel great and this forum was a great resource and motivator,thanks alot! I've been unemployed for the last while and this had given me loads of time to workout but I'm starting a new job next week and whilst this means no more lie ins everyday I'm gonna use it as an excuse to get out of bed early in the morning and hit the gym. I'm 5'11 and 79kg and my BF% is 15%, I'd love to get it down around 10% so I'm planning on doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and then some weights. Like all first time posters here, I've got some questions for you wise sages of fitness:

Is doing cardio on an empty stomach as good as efficent as people say it is at burning fat?I'm planning on doing 30-40 mins each morning.

To save time and make sure I don't have to goto the gym twice a day, after my cardio session I'll be moving onto some weights. The thing is if I don't have much food I tend to literally puke my ring from working out to hard. What breakfast can I bring to the gym with me to have after my cardio session and before my weight session?

Well done on your weight loss so far.

When people talk about cardio on an empty stomach they are generally referring to low intensity work.

Tbh low intensity cardio on an empty stomach seems a bit counter productive considering your schedule. If it is something you want to try you could go for an easy jog/fast walk in the mornings rather than the gym.

IMHO opinion you would be better to eat and then hit the weights and add your cardio at the end. How many days a week are you training at the moment? Dedicating specifc days to cardio (interval training is good for fatloss) and weights is another option you could consider.

I am doing the metabolic advantage training programme at the moment and am seeing a decent amount of success with it. The schedule is 3 weight training days and 3 interval training sessions with one day off a week.

fowler100

Ali,

I am on a similar programme at the moment-what's your eating plan like if you don't mind me asking?

ali.c

fowler100 wrote: »

Ali,

I am on a similar programme at the moment-what's your eating plan like if you don't mind me asking?

It varies a bit as my job can be mental but normally porridge for breakfast, protein smoothie and oats as a snack or if I am unprepared yogurt and fruit, some form of a salad and meat for lunch- train and then rice and chicken and veg or something for dinner. I normally dont get to eat betweeen lunch and the gym so I take some protein before hand.

I doubt its ideal but it keeps my energy up. Tbh I find if I am too restrictive with my diet then I cant sustain training 6 days a week.

damp sponge

ali.c wrote: »

Well done on your weight loss so far.

When people talk about cardio on an empty stomach they are generally referring to low intensity work.

Tbh low intensity cardio on an empty stomach seems a bit counter productive considering your schedule. If it is something you want to try you could go for an easy jog/fast walk in the mornings rather than the gym.

IMHO opinion you would be better to eat and then hit the weights and add your cardio at the end. How many days a week are you training at the moment? Dedicating specifc days to cardio (interval training is good for fatloss) and weights is another option you could consider.

I am doing the metabolic advantage training programme at the moment and am seeing a decent amount of success with it. The schedule is 3 weight training days and 3 interval training sessions with one day off a week.

Thanks for the reply Ali. I'm currently doing four days a week. Each session consists of 30-40mins of cardio and alternates between arms/chest on day 1 and back/shoulders on day 2. I've looked into interval training for fatloss, it seems to be very highly recommended but was wondering how long would a good interval session last?

I think I might just scrap the no breakfast thing as my body is very angry at me not feeding it first thing in the morning and incorporate some interval training as my cardio before weight training. Is there any advantage of alternating between weight training one day and interval the next?

ali.c

damp sponge wrote: »

Thanks for the reply Ali. I'm currently doing four days a week. Each session consists of 30-40mins of cardio and alternates between arms/chest on day 1 and back/shoulders on day 2. I've looked into interval training for fatloss, it seems to be very highly recommended but was wondering how long would a good interval session last?

Do you do weights for your legs at all??

Re interval session, depends on how hard you are working. So if you are doing a sprint session you may sprint for say 30s and jog to recover for 60 seconds. How much you do depends on your fitness but its does take its toll and normally 15-30 mins would be standard

I think I might just scrap the no breakfast thing as my body is very angry at me not feeding it first thing in the morning and incorporate some interval training as my cardio before weight training. Is there any advantage of alternating between weight training one day and interval the next?

Yeah its probably a good idea. You need some food to fuel your workout. It is better to eat something before hand and therefore be able to work harder when training.

You should do your weight training before cardio, as you are fresher and therefore will be able to do more with your weights. If you do it afterwards you will be more fatigued.

Re combining or separating cardio and weights, for me it means when I can work harder and focus on one or the other. Though to be honest I personally would not be up for combing a tough interval session with any other type of training.


Edit: Didnt really explain that very well, so here is take two. Basically the reasoning behind doing Low intensity cardio on an empty stomach is that your glycogen stores are depleted and your body is forced to use fat reserves to fuel the activity. But if you are doing stuff like interval training or weight training you want you gylcogen stores to be high to fuel your muscles during the workout. This why you would normally do your cardio after weight training.

damp sponge

Thanks for that Ali, you've cleared alot of stuff up. I'm quite happy with the way my legs toned up through the cardio and squats etc..

I think I'll go with your suggestions for weights then cardio and then maybe one or two sole days of interval training.

Thanks again

corkcomp

on the subject of cardio before breakfast debate, I do this a few times a week, mainly because it fits into my schedule, I dont think the reasoning behind it sound though i.e. for the majority of people their glycogen stores will NOT be empty first thing in the morning, unless severely restricting calories