Fasted cardio is doing cardio on an empty stomach preferably in the morning. The idea behind this concept is that if you work out on an empty stomach, the calories you burn during your workout will be from your fat stores, as opposed to burning off the calories you ate for breakfast. Listed below are some of the benefits of doing fasted cardio.
Benefits:
Early morning is one of the best times to do fasted cardio before breaking your fast with breakfast. During this time our insulin levels are low, and our glycogen levels are already depleted, hence body uses fat cells as fuel which is called Lipolysis, thus helping us burn more fat. Bear in mind that you are also likely to burn more muscle as well as the body will be in a catabolic state, but, adding sufficient amounts of protein in your diet should help.
Studies have shown that the base metabolic rate increase during fasted, low-intensity, steady-state cardio training. This rise in metabolic function raises your energy levels and keeps you energized throughout the day.
After you exercise your muscles are “hungrier” for glucose and your insulin sensitivity is maximized, so nutrients are better absorbed.
Fasted cardio has been proven to increase blood flow to stubborn body parts like abdominal and upper leg area, thereby increasing oxidation of the remaining fat stores in these areas and thus helping you to get super lean.
Conclusion:
Fasted cardio is a great way to accelerate fat loss and help burn fat in stubborn areas. However, it should still be supplemented with balanced nutrition and a good lifting program as well to ensure you aren’t losing muscle.
Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAA’s) help with preventing muscle breakdown. This means you can recover faster from workouts and minimize the catabolic effect of fasted training. And remember, your body will take some time to adapt to training while fasted.
The workouts won’t be as explosive, but once you start consistently tackling these workouts in a fasted state, you’ll start to see fat burning off.