Should you exercise on an empty stomach?
Journal Of Applied Physiologytitled Use Of Intramuscular Triacylglycerol As A Substrate Source During Exercise In Humans.The paper suggests that most of the fat burnt while working out in a fasted state is intramuscular fat and not the subcutaneous fat around the belly. Then there is the risk of muscle breakdown if you attempt strength training in a fasted state.
“It is generally not recommended to do strength training or weight lifting while fasted, as studies have shown that this practice significantly increases the rate of muscle breakdown in the body, which is the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve with strength training," says Moody. But what about cardio? For a study published in 2014 in the Journal Of The International Society Of Sports Nutrition, researchers observed 20 adults over four weeks as they trained in fasted and fed states, while on a caloric deficit.
Both groups lost weight and the research concluded that “body composition changes associated with aerobic exercise in conjunction with a hypocaloric diet are similar regardless of whether or not an individual is fasted prior to training." The paper is titled Body Composition Changes Associated With Fasted Versus Non-Fasted Aerobic Exercise. Tim Dileo, who works with elite athletes and is one of Top Nutrition Coaching’s experts, says that fasted workouts might mean nothing unless one is an endurance athlete at the top level.
“No, there are not enough standout advantages of working out in a fasted state to try it," he says, while explaining how it could lead the body to improve fat oxidation. However, this is not an exclusive advantage.
There are other strategies that achieve the same results. I have tried to exercise in a fasted state and simply
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