Like many misunderstood and wrong concepts, in bodybuilding or fitness or fat burning, we use a common concept which we call Fasted Cardio. If we understand it commonly, then generally people after overnight fasting, in the morning, without eating anything, first of all do cardio workouts, like running or cycling or cross trainers. And they say that by doing this, their fat burning is enhanced.
As compared to doing cardio when you eat something. Now this philosophy or concept, there is a lot of research on it, but we are still blindly following it. This concept was first introduced by a fitness entrepreneur and author Bill Phillips.
At that time, there were many Hollywood actors and actresses, like Sylvester Stallone or Demi Moore, he was their consultant and trainer. In 1999, Bill Phillips wrote a book called Body for Life. It was a best-selling book.
And in this book, he introduced this concept. But please understand, the concepts that were coming in this era were more based on marketing. Extensive research started quite late, in which almost 90% of the concepts that came at that time were proved wrong.
Phillips said in his book, that if you perform a high-intensity cardio workout for 20 minutes in a fasted state, then it would be much better than a 1-hour cardio workout that is done after a meal. And the reason for that, of course, is that, there is a common-sense approach that if you are in a fasted state, then the glycogen level of your body is quite low. So when you do cardio in that state, your body uses fat as a primary fuel source.
Now this sounds very convincing, but the body does not work like that. When this theory was researched, it was not supported. In a 2016 research study, it was shown that the fasted exercise, which we also call training low, is generally done in a state when the fuel in our body, especially the carbohydrate, is quite depleted.
The simplest way to do this is to fast for 8-12 hours if we are having an early dinner at night, then if we don't eat anything in the morning, for 10-12 hours, then before breakfast, the first thing we do is go and do a cardio workout. So this is a common strategy used. This is called fasted cardio.
There are other ways of fasted cardio. For example, there is training twice a day. The first workout is done by consuming some carbohydrates.
But the second workout is generally done in a fasted state. The third way is extremely long duration training without carbohydrate intake. For example, if you are continuously burning fat, then your body is almost depleted with carbohydrates.
Your body starts using fat stores. This is another way to give a fasted cardio or fasted workout or exercise form. In 2011, in the Strength and Conditioning Journal, researcher Brad Schoenfeld did a study in which he said how much fat you are burning in a particular exercise session is very stupid to think.
Your body is very versatile and adapts and reacts How your body is using fat and when and how much depends on various factors. And these factors like enzyme secretions, hormonal factors or physical factors all vary. So if you want to understand fat burning and how much it is impacting your body, you cannot decide it in one or two workouts on an hour-to-hour basis.
To assess fat burning, you will have to assess it for a long time. This is the concept from The Myth of Fat Burning Zone which you often see on treadmills or cardio equipment that if you work out in this particular zone then your body will burn more fat. And I told you how this line is true but the overall meaning is wrong.
To understand this simply, we understand that our body uses two types of fuel for energy in workouts. One is carbohydrate and the other is fat. Now which fuel is being used depends on the intensity of the workout.
If your intensity is low, then your body will use fat as a primary fuel source. If your intensity is high like if you are doing high intensity workouts like resistance training or sprints then in this case your body will use carbohydrate as a primary fuel source. But please understand that research studies have clearly stated that more than fat burning or carbohydrate utilization, what is important is the intensity of your workout and the total calorie burn.
When you do high intensity workouts where the primary fuel source is carbohydrate, then your body burns more calories overall. And after that comes the concept of EPOC. Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption.
When you have finished your workout and are in the recovery stage, then which fuel source is your body using? All these things matter. And the higher the intensity of your exercise, the more calories your body will burn post workout which is known as EPOC. For example, if you have done fasted cardio for 45 minutes, in which you feel that your body is burning fat and if you have done a 45 minute leisure walk at a normal pace or at a higher fast pace, then you have burned approximately 200 calories.
Now, for example, out of 200 calories, 150 calories came from fat. Now you must be thinking that the maximum fuel that I have is fat burning.On the other hand, if you have done a high intensity session of less than this time, in which you have burned approximately 500-600 calories.
Out of which, our fat burning calories were only 250, i.e. 50%. The rest were from carbohydrates. Even then, you have burned a large number of calories.
Even then, your fat burning calories were more than your low intensity workout. That's why it matters how much is your workout intensity. How much is your total calorie burn? Rather than just understanding how much calories are coming from fat.
Now, many people think that because of high intensity training, your fat burn reduces because the primary fuel source is carbohydrates. But have you ever seen a fat sprinter or a bodybuilder? Most of their workouts are high intensity. They are the world's most fit, strong, and lean muscular people.
When I studied on this concept, I came across a very surprising concept in some studies. People may not know about it. When you are doing moderate to high intensity cardiovascular exercises in a fasted state, as compared to a fed state, your body, of course, breaks down the fat.
But please understand, I am using the word breakdown, not burn. When you are doing cardio in a fasted state, as compared to a fed state, your body breaks down the fat. But your body is not in a condition to use this broken fat as a fuel source.
So after a while, the broken fat that goes into your blood goes back to the fat source and gets deposited. So you are not getting any benefit from the breakdown. This is a very surprising thing that has been seen in studies.
Now let's talk about EPOC. This is a very important concept. Especially, how many calories are you burning post-workout.
In 1999, a study was done in Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness. In which, some Korean researchers divided a group into four different parts. In which, one group did low intensity long duration cardio, but before that, they consumed glucose in milk.
The other group did low intensity long duration cardio, but before that, they consumed glucose in milk. The third group did high intensity short duration cardio, but before that, they consumed glucose in milk. And the fourth group did high intensity short duration cardio, but before that, they consumed glucose in milk.
Researchers have surprisingly seen that in both the high intensity and low intensity groups, those two groups who consumed glucose in milk before working out, their EPOC was very high compared to other fasted state groups. This means that after consuming a meal, after eating something, if you are working out, your thermogenic effect is actually high. This means that your calorie burn and fat burn is actually high.
The best advice for this is to maximize your muscle mass. In their case, fasted cardio is actually harming you. But the problem is that when you see those stupid bodybuilders who wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning and do cardio in a fasted state, their huge amount of muscle mass is because of massive amount of anabolic steroids and huge diet.
Their entire focus is on that. If you are not taking anabolic steroids and not consuming a lot of diet, then that fasted cardio of 30-45 minutes is not giving you anything. In fact, it is just giving you a negative effect.
It is harming you. If you want to achieve weight loss or fat loss, then it is a slowly long term process in which you will have to create a small calorie deficit for long term. Doing cardio in a fasted state in one or two workouts is not giving you any fat loss or weight loss which we have seen in studies.
On the other hand, there is a common sense approach that if you are working out in a fed state then of course, your duration and intensity of workout will always be better. So, the overall calorie burn and fat burn will always be better. On the other hand, in a 2018 study, your cortisol level also shoots up a lot if you are working out in a fasted state.
Of course, doing one or two workouts will not give you any major effect. But please understand that this myth that doing cardio in a fasted state will enhance your fat burn is a myth. It is a lie.
It has already been cleared. But I know that still some people will not break their stringent beliefs and will not change them. They will still do cardio in a fasted state.
So, you do it. I have no problem with it. But those who are listening to this video and understanding it, please understand that I have written an article which is very extensive.
I have given all the possible studies to prove this particular concept. It is a proof for you guys and for those who are spreading this stupid concept. They are still spreading it.
It has already been cleared. So, please understand that if you want to do a cardiovascular exercise or any other workout, it is always better to work out in a fed state. Eat something and do the workout.
Intensity will be better. Fat burning will be better. Post-workout fat burning i.e. EPOC will also be better.
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