Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below MOONCAT1971
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It seems that a lot of people say that cardio in the morning is the only way to loose body fat. Am I wasting my time cardio training in the evenings??
Cardio Am / Pm ???
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diamonddiceclay
New member
the time of day means nothing
Stryc-9
New member
No way - it's not a waste of time to do your cardio in the evening...
Morning cardio is theoretically the best time to burn OPTIMUM levels of adipose tissue....but that doesn't mean that you can't get shredded doing cardio at night....
The idea is that your glycogen levels are depleted in the morning (after fasting all night) - but if you hit the weights in the evening and then follow that up with a cardio session - your glycogen levels should be just as depleted (from pumping the iron) - therefore giving you the same benefits you would get from morning cardio....
The important thing is that your actually doing the cardio....period...
Morning cardio is theoretically the best time to burn OPTIMUM levels of adipose tissue....but that doesn't mean that you can't get shredded doing cardio at night....
The idea is that your glycogen levels are depleted in the morning (after fasting all night) - but if you hit the weights in the evening and then follow that up with a cardio session - your glycogen levels should be just as depleted (from pumping the iron) - therefore giving you the same benefits you would get from morning cardio....
The important thing is that your actually doing the cardio....period...
FitnessFrk
New member
for maximum fat loss the time of day means everything !
some studies have suggested that up to 300% more fat is burned when cardio is done in a fasted, glycogen-depleted state.
If you do cardio immediately after eating a meal, you'll still burn fat, but you'll burn less of it because you'll be burning off the carbohydrates you ate first. You always burn a combination of fat and carbohydrate for fuel, but depending on when you exercise, you can burn a greater proportion of fat relative to carbohydrate. If doing cardio first thing in the morning is not an option for you, then the second best time to do it would be immediately after weight training. Lifting weights is anaerobic (carbohydrate-burning) by nature, and therefore depletes muscle glycogen. That's why a post lifting cardio session has a similar effect as morning cardio on an empty stomach.
The second benefit you'll get from early morning cardio sessions is called the "afterburn" effect. When you do a cardio session in the morning, you not only burn fat during the session, but you also continue to burn fat at an accelerated rate after the workout. Why? Because an intense session of cardiovascular exercise can keep your metabolism elevated for hours after the session is over. If you do cardio at night, you will still burn fat during the session, so you definitely benefit from it. However, nighttime cardio fails to take advantage of the "afterburn" effect because your metabolism drops like a ton of bricks as soon as you go to sleep. While you sleep, your metabolic rate is slower than any other time of the day.
some studies have suggested that up to 300% more fat is burned when cardio is done in a fasted, glycogen-depleted state.
If you do cardio immediately after eating a meal, you'll still burn fat, but you'll burn less of it because you'll be burning off the carbohydrates you ate first. You always burn a combination of fat and carbohydrate for fuel, but depending on when you exercise, you can burn a greater proportion of fat relative to carbohydrate. If doing cardio first thing in the morning is not an option for you, then the second best time to do it would be immediately after weight training. Lifting weights is anaerobic (carbohydrate-burning) by nature, and therefore depletes muscle glycogen. That's why a post lifting cardio session has a similar effect as morning cardio on an empty stomach.
The second benefit you'll get from early morning cardio sessions is called the "afterburn" effect. When you do a cardio session in the morning, you not only burn fat during the session, but you also continue to burn fat at an accelerated rate after the workout. Why? Because an intense session of cardiovascular exercise can keep your metabolism elevated for hours after the session is over. If you do cardio at night, you will still burn fat during the session, so you definitely benefit from it. However, nighttime cardio fails to take advantage of the "afterburn" effect because your metabolism drops like a ton of bricks as soon as you go to sleep. While you sleep, your metabolic rate is slower than any other time of the day.
If you do post-weight lifting cardio, then lower the intensity. Low to moderate intensity exercise (aerobic) will use stored body fat for energy if circulating blood sugar levels and stored muscle glycogen are low. The higher the intensity then the exercise goes from aerobic to anaerobic. Anaerobic exercise uses circulating blood sugar and stored muscle glycogen for immediate energy.
By doing your anaerobic exercise first you deplete a lot of stored muscle and blood glycogen, then if you do moderate intensity CV your body will switch to fat burning mode, but if you keep the intensity high for your CV you'll start to break down muscle tissue (protein) for quicker availibility of fuel.
That's why you can go on a good walk in the morning before breaky, and feel ok when you get back but if you try to do your sprint training in the morning on an empty stomach it really knocks you around.
This system depends a lot on how aerobically fit you are to begin with. If you have never done any sort of cardio, then even a brisk walk will be anaerobic for you. Very fit trainers can stay longer in the aerobic zone at a higher intensity.
By doing your anaerobic exercise first you deplete a lot of stored muscle and blood glycogen, then if you do moderate intensity CV your body will switch to fat burning mode, but if you keep the intensity high for your CV you'll start to break down muscle tissue (protein) for quicker availibility of fuel.
That's why you can go on a good walk in the morning before breaky, and feel ok when you get back but if you try to do your sprint training in the morning on an empty stomach it really knocks you around.
This system depends a lot on how aerobically fit you are to begin with. If you have never done any sort of cardio, then even a brisk walk will be anaerobic for you. Very fit trainers can stay longer in the aerobic zone at a higher intensity.
Hoffmeister
New member
Time of day means essentially nothing, because the actual "fuel" used during exercise means essentially nothing in regard to overall fat loss, except that doing cardio in a carb-depleted state probably eats away even more muscle.
What does count is overall calorie balance. If you burn fat during exercise, you burn less fat the rest of the day. If you burn glycogen during exercise, you burn more fat the rest of the day. The end result is basically the same.
What does count is overall calorie balance. If you burn fat during exercise, you burn less fat the rest of the day. If you burn glycogen during exercise, you burn more fat the rest of the day. The end result is basically the same.
FitnessFrk
New member
typical newbie response...
Hoffmeister
New member
FitnessFrk said:
Aww, don't be so hard on yourself.
Super Dave
New member
It's like driving a car, if you can afford a Mercedes then you drive a Mercedes. If you can only afford a Honda, then you drive a Honda. It doesn't mean you walk cause you can't afford a Mercedes. In other words do what you can. it's better than nothing. I hope this makes sence.
C
Cuts
Guest
I think SuperDave's saying that AM cardio is better if you can do it (although, I don't see any reason one couldn't do it if they wanted to)... if not, evening cardio is better than doing nothing. I agree.
Hoffmeister
New member
Not really looking to argue here. Y'all can can make up your own minds. But here's some information you might like to consider.
First, from Lyle Mcdonald:
Here's the deal.
There is NO doubt taht you use a greater percentage of fat as fuel in
the fasted state (i.e. after going many hours without food so that blood
glucose nad insulin are down, counter regulatory hormones which mobilize
fat and blood FFA are up, etc). None. In that sense, the 'gurus' are right.
Here's where they fuck it up, several places actually.
1. What you burn during exercise doesn't matter for overall fat loss.
Because the body is smarter than we are. Studies show that if you burn
fat during exercise, you burn less fat the rest of the day (because you
have more glycogen and use it because you didn't deplete it). If you
burn glycogen during exercise, you burn more fat during the day. End
result: 24 hour fat balance (fat intake - fat oxidation) is THE SAME.
1a. In support, several studies did the following: take two groups,
exercise one at low intensities, one at high intensity ; match time so
that both groups burn identiccal numbers of calories. Can you guess
the result? Yup, fat loss was identicaly. Because fat loss is a
function of total calorie balance.
2. STudies clearly show that high intensity (which burns more glycogen)
is at least as effective if not MORE effective for fat loss anyhow.
Because not only do you get the calorie burn from exercise, you get a
larger post workout calorie burn (which does NOT occur to any
significant degree, unless you count 5-10 total calories extra, with low
intensity activity).
2a. One study by Tremblay showed that interval training caused 3X more
fat loss than low intensity cardio, despite total caloric burn during
the exercise bout to be lower with the interval group (the results
contradict what I wrote above but is explained by the greater post
workout calorie burn as well as a muscle gain in the interval group).
3. The total calorie burn during most cardio bouts is insignificant
compared to total daily calorie expenditure (i.e. average 150 lb male
may burn 2700 cal/day basally, and you're going to argue that the 200
calories burned during moring low-intensity cardio is relevant). This
ties into 1 and 1a: total 24 hour fuel utilization is far more important
to fat loss than the small number of calories burned during the
activity. Becaue the body simply compensates: burn more fat during
exercise, burn less the rest of the time and vice versa.
A *possible* exception: stubborn fat (defined as fat stores which are
more resistant to normal fat moblizing signals) may be easier to get rid
of with a combo of morning cardio + caffeine and/or yohimbe.
So the bottom line is that the magazine 'gurus' took a part of
fundamental biology and misinterpreted the hell out of it without
looking at the other issues.
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&rnum=15&[email protected]
Here's at least one of the studies that backs this up:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8883001&dopt=Abstract
And finally, an article on the WSU site:
http://www.wsu.edu/~strength/HIIT.htm
Again, all pointing to the same thing: the actual fuel used during exercise has essentially no effect on overall fat loss.
First, from Lyle Mcdonald:
Here's the deal.
There is NO doubt taht you use a greater percentage of fat as fuel in
the fasted state (i.e. after going many hours without food so that blood
glucose nad insulin are down, counter regulatory hormones which mobilize
fat and blood FFA are up, etc). None. In that sense, the 'gurus' are right.
Here's where they fuck it up, several places actually.
1. What you burn during exercise doesn't matter for overall fat loss.
Because the body is smarter than we are. Studies show that if you burn
fat during exercise, you burn less fat the rest of the day (because you
have more glycogen and use it because you didn't deplete it). If you
burn glycogen during exercise, you burn more fat during the day. End
result: 24 hour fat balance (fat intake - fat oxidation) is THE SAME.
1a. In support, several studies did the following: take two groups,
exercise one at low intensities, one at high intensity ; match time so
that both groups burn identiccal numbers of calories. Can you guess
the result? Yup, fat loss was identicaly. Because fat loss is a
function of total calorie balance.
2. STudies clearly show that high intensity (which burns more glycogen)
is at least as effective if not MORE effective for fat loss anyhow.
Because not only do you get the calorie burn from exercise, you get a
larger post workout calorie burn (which does NOT occur to any
significant degree, unless you count 5-10 total calories extra, with low
intensity activity).
2a. One study by Tremblay showed that interval training caused 3X more
fat loss than low intensity cardio, despite total caloric burn during
the exercise bout to be lower with the interval group (the results
contradict what I wrote above but is explained by the greater post
workout calorie burn as well as a muscle gain in the interval group).
3. The total calorie burn during most cardio bouts is insignificant
compared to total daily calorie expenditure (i.e. average 150 lb male
may burn 2700 cal/day basally, and you're going to argue that the 200
calories burned during moring low-intensity cardio is relevant). This
ties into 1 and 1a: total 24 hour fuel utilization is far more important
to fat loss than the small number of calories burned during the
activity. Becaue the body simply compensates: burn more fat during
exercise, burn less the rest of the time and vice versa.
A *possible* exception: stubborn fat (defined as fat stores which are
more resistant to normal fat moblizing signals) may be easier to get rid
of with a combo of morning cardio + caffeine and/or yohimbe.
So the bottom line is that the magazine 'gurus' took a part of
fundamental biology and misinterpreted the hell out of it without
looking at the other issues.
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&rnum=15&[email protected]
Here's at least one of the studies that backs this up:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8883001&dopt=Abstract
And finally, an article on the WSU site:
http://www.wsu.edu/~strength/HIIT.htm
Again, all pointing to the same thing: the actual fuel used during exercise has essentially no effect on overall fat loss.
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