For a long time there have been many questions about how to train on an empty stomach and whether or not it is really beneficial for our body. How to train on an empty stomach falls within any type of sports discipline: from the person who works his body in a gym for health to the one who does it to compete.
However, how to train fasted is a subject in which there is no unified or clear position, which creates great confusion among many athletes. We can read from that it is harmful to our health to that we can obtain the results we are looking for, depending on what they are, faster.
To be clear about how fasting training can help us, we have to understand that our body and metabolism work with certain hormones, such as cortisol. This is a hormone that can help us with fat loss if we do fasted cardio exercises, since it is a hormone that is at its highest activation point during the day.
We also have to be clear that, when we talk about how to train on an empty stomach, we are referring to exercising before starting with the 5 meals of the day, not to being all day without feeding our body. Because if we don’t give our metabolism something to “burn”, it will choose to burn muscle mass, and we will never be able to move forward no matter how much exercise we do.
We must also keep in mind when we consider how to train fasted, that the use our body makes of the fats we eat does not depend on whether we train fasted or not. In our muscle tissue there is a hormone responsible for the use of fat as an energy source and this hormone is activated by training, fasting or not.
The problem with doing a fasted workout is that it can increase the use of fat during our training, but not during the day. That is why when we consider how to train fasted; we must be clear about what we are going to do after this type of training.
However, we can also think how fasting training can bring us enough benefits to make it an activity that we can include in our daily lives. The main one is that if we do not want to burn our metabolism, the good thing is to intersperse different types of training that you can find below.
On the other hand, we must know that if we consider how to train fasted, we will improve the sensitivity of our muscle tissue to insulin, so our muscles will burn fat more quickly. But we must be clear about our post-training diet, so that the fat burning process does not come to a standstill.
We will also gain the so-called “metabolic flexibility “, since we will increase the use of fat in our body as a source of energy, saving glycogen and using it only in specific situations. This will get our body used to not creating unnecessary fat reserves, since all of it will be used throughout the training sessions and throughout the day.
If we ask ourselves how to train on an empty stomach and its benefits, we will also realize that one of them is that we will gain free time, since we will exercise in the morning, staying the rest of the day for whatever we want and need. It is important to know what a regular breakfast for an athlete is like as well.
On the other hand, we will generate a habit and a routine that will improve our mood and, in turn, will make our body more stable. And, finally, we will feel more active thanks to the activation that training produces in certain hormones in our body.
What do you need to train on an empty stomach – Tables, Tips and Tricks?
- Do it once we wake up, without eating food.
- Sportswear, with which we feel comfortable to carry out our training.
- Some sneakers.
- A training table to follow.
- Water to keep us hydrated.
- Some kind of energy bar or some food that can help us if it gives us a drop in energy.
Fasted Training Instructions – Tables, Tips and Tricks
- If we are determined to know how to train on an empty stomach, it is important to know what exercises would be good for us and, also, to be clear that combining the different types of training are the key to achieving the best results.
- Perform a 5 or 10 minute warm-up during which we perform different movements in all parts of our body to avoid all possible injuries, especially in all joints.
- If we are beginners, we can take some type of fruit or energy bar before starting the training.
- Carry out LISS or Low Intensity Cardio training, that is, walk with a fast and constant pace for at least 1 hour to burn fat in a beneficial way for us.
- LISS causes few inconveniences at the joint level, so we can do it every day of the week.
- MISS or Medium Intensity Cardio, which could be jogging or jogging for 45 minutes to achieve the effectiveness we want, although we could use a bicycle instead of running, for example.
- This type of training, MISS, can be done 2 or 3 days a week, alternating it with the LISS training.
- HIIT or High Intensity Interval Cardio, or what is the same, perform cardio races with intervals of intense running with walking calmly where we will “recover”. We will only need 30 minutes to achieve the results we are looking for.
- HIIT is an ideal type of training to do once we have finished, for example, a weight session.
- If we focus on how to train on an empty stomach, it is best to balance our training with the food we eat afterwards, so that the burning of fat in our muscle tissue does not stop.
Fasted Training Tips – Tables, Tips & Tricks
We have to achieve stability in our training sessions and intersperse them to achieve our goals.
Be very well hydrated before starting any type of training; for this it is a good idea to start drinking water once we open our eyes.
Do not forget a warm-up for all parts of our body: it should last between 5 and 10 minutes in order to avoid any type of injury.
Keep in mind that this type of training is something that goes little by little and the body takes time to get used to the new type of training, which is why we should not overload ourselves from the beginning so that our body can withstand the necessary rhythm and that we want.
Drinking green tea the night before going out to train on an empty stomach increases the use of fat for energy and will help us accelerate the benefits of our training.
Having protein for dinner, especially if the next day we are going to do HIIT training, is the best choice: milk, cheese, etc., is the best option to get all the juice out of training.
Running slowly or doing many sets of intervals at different speeds will burn fatter.
Consuming protein after training is a perfect choice for post-workout recovery.
It is a good idea to carry some type of energy bar with us, in case we run out of energy during training, and do not forget to hydrate.
We must be aware and responsible enough with our body so that, at the slightest sign of dizziness and/or feeling that we are running out of energy, we stop our training and eat what we need.
