Cardio - Morning or Night?

[MrPump]

So i am trying to get my ass in to some decent shape. I have got my diet in line (not easy people.... its getting easier each day, but to start off it sucked ass... apparently I love fatty foods )

So, i have got some clen on order (i hope it gets here) and i have been doing my research on the board and it appears that everyone says that you should do your cardio in the morning on a empty stomach (or with a apple or something)

I dont get why? If you are buring calories, why does it matter when you do it? The reason I ask is because I generally hit the gym for my lift over my lunch at work, then hit the gym again at night for my cardio.

Would i get better results if i got my ass up in the morning and did the cardio?

Suggestions? Advice?

_________________________________
5"8 - 225
32 yrs


~ Thanks

 

[MAINEVENT]

Best time is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. 2nd best time IMO is after your last meal at night or right after your workout.

 

[HOY]

hope this helps

As soon as you wake up in the morning workout for at least 30min to an hour.
Studies show that working out in the morning has been shown to burn up to 3x as
more fat as opposed to working out at any other time during the day. Here’s Why:

During the day your body’s main source of energy is the carbohydrates that you
get from eating your meals. As you sleep at night for 6+ hours your body uses
up all those carbohydrates as energy for various bodily functions that go on
even while you sleep. When you wake up in the morning your body doesn’t have
any carbohydrates as energy to use and it will look to burn body fat instead
for energy.

For you to take advantage of this morning fat burning opportunity you have to
exercise first thing in the morning. Don’t eat breakfast because if you do
you’ll just give your body some carbohydrates as a source of energy instead of
the body fat that you want to burn for energy.

Another great thing about working out first thing in the morning is that your
metabolism gets revved up after your morning workout. Morning workouts keep
your metabolism elevated throughout the day. An elevated metabolism throughout
the day only means that you’ll burn more calories and lose more weight. If you
workout at night you may still burn fat while you workout but as soon as you go
to sleep your metabolism will slow down and you’ll miss out on all the extra
fat that you can burn during the day if you had exercised in the morning. When
you sleep your metabolic rate is always at its slowest.

Other reasons why its good to exercise first thing in the morning is that you
get the workout out of the way, and working out in the morning will also reduce
your level of stress throughout the day.

 

[bigman6665]

mornin bud,,

 

[musclehead33]

Best time is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. 2nd best time IMO is after your last meal at night or right after your workout.

solid advices.lol peace

 

[George23]

Best time for cardio

As soon as you wake up in the morning workout for at least 30min to an hour.
Studies show that working out in the morning has been shown to burn up to 3x as
more fat as opposed to working out at any other time during the day.

I have heard this as well. It has helped me when I needed to cut weight for a fight.

 

[ops786]

As soon as you wake up in the morning workout for at least 30min to an hour.
Studies show that working out in the morning has been shown to burn up to 3x as
more fat as opposed to working out at any other time during the day. Here’s Why:

During the day your body’s main source of energy is the carbohydrates that you
get from eating your meals. As you sleep at night for 6+ hours your body uses
up all those carbohydrates as energy for various bodily functions that go on
even while you sleep. When you wake up in the morning your body doesn’t have
any carbohydrates as energy to use and it will look to burn body fat instead
for energy.

For you to take advantage of this morning fat burning opportunity you have to
exercise first thing in the morning. Don’t eat breakfast because if you do
you’ll just give your body some carbohydrates as a source of energy instead of
the body fat that you want to burn for energy.

Another great thing about working out first thing in the morning is that your
metabolism gets revved up after your morning workout. Morning workouts keep
your metabolism elevated throughout the day. An elevated metabolism throughout
the day only means that you’ll burn more calories and lose more weight. If you
workout at night you may still burn fat while you workout but as soon as you go
to sleep your metabolism will slow down and you’ll miss out on all the extra
fat that you can burn during the day if you had exercised in the morning. When
you sleep your metabolic rate is always at its slowest.

Other reasons why its good to exercise first thing in the morning is that you
get the workout out of the way, and working out in the morning will also reduce
your level of stress throughout the day.

ok, i have read all this before but im still a little confused about it. because i have also read that if you workout like that on an empty stomach then your body doesn't necessarily turn to body fat for its energy needs. i have read that it may actually turn to protien for energy through a process called gluconeogenesis (sorry if the spellings wrong). this actually kinda makes sence to me since there are fewer calories in a gram of protien then in a gram of fat, it seems like the protien would be a little easier to break down for energy then fat would since it is less dence. just wondering if anyone else has heard of this or can help me to understand why i might be wrong or if i even am wrong on this issue thanks.

oh and i dont mean to walk all over someone elses question but i think this might help clear things up for a few people. thanks

 

[doug1]

ok, i have read all this before but im still a little confused about it. because i have also read that if you workout like that on an empty stomach then your body doesn't necessarily turn to body fat for its energy needs. i have read that it may actually turn to protien for energy through a process called gluconeogenesis (sorry if the spellings wrong). this actually kinda makes sence to me since there are fewer calories in a gram of protien then in a gram of fat, it seems like the protien would be a little easier to break down for energy then fat would since it is less dence. just wondering if anyone else has heard of this or can help me to understand why i might be wrong or if i even am wrong on this issue thanks.

oh and i dont mean to walk all over someone elses question but i think this might help clear things up for a few people. thanks

the cardio is low intensity on the empty stomach, like a brisk walk or bike ride. before the weight training workout maybe have some protein so that when you do your cardio after the weights you'll be less likely to encounter the breakdown of muscle tissue as an energy source. if you ingest too many carbs before weight training the body will use mostly carbs for energy for the post workout cardio. i believe that high protein diets that are also low fat and low carb are asking for trouble with muscle loss, fats and carbs are protein sparing, meaning the muscle tissue won't be scavenged for energy....

 

[ops786]

thanks doug but i was under the impression that cardio is best when it is done at a high intensity. it was stated earlier that a great advantage to the early morning cardio is that it gets your metabolism burning more calories throughout the day after the cardio session has finished. but low intensity cardio does almost nothing to cause this. in fact, (according to what i have read) weight training is probably the best way to get your metabolism working better throughout the day since it is done at such a high intesity. therfore wouldnt your early morning, fasted cardio session have to be a much higher intensity then light bike riding? and if that is so, then your body would need energy alot more quickly then fat can provide and thus leaving it no choice but to pull atp from protien rather then fat. so im still a little confused as to how morning cardio on an empty stomach is really so benificial. it seems as though heavy weight training is the best workout for fat loss since it builds muscle, burns calories and cause greater calorie expenditure after training. it still seems to me that cardio (especially at lower intensities) is great for alot of health reasons but as far as fat loss goes, its not so great.

i dont mean to ask too many questions or to be disrespectful is any way, i just still dont quite get why everyone says its so great to do cardio in the morning before eating. i can see the arguement behind it i just dont agree with it being very effective at all.

 

[thebrick]

Best time is first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. 2nd best time IMO is after your last meal at night or right after your workout.

I agree. And hit that fat burning zone, not too intense, so your body won't break down muscle glycogen for fuel as much. If you can talk during your cardio, but with some difficulty, you are there. If you are totally breathless, its too intense.

 

[doug1]

thanks doug but i was under the impression that cardio is best when it is done at a high intensity. it was stated earlier that a great advantage to the early morning cardio is that it gets your metabolism burning more calories throughout the day after the cardio session has finished. but low intensity cardio does almost nothing to cause this. in fact, (according to what i have read) weight training is probably the best way to get your metabolism working better throughout the day since it is done at such a high intesity. therfore wouldnt your early morning, fasted cardio session have to be a much higher intensity then light bike riding? and if that is so, then your body would need energy alot more quickly then fat can provide and thus leaving it no choice but to pull atp from protien rather then fat. so im still a little confused as to how morning cardio on an empty stomach is really so benificial. it seems as though heavy weight training is the best workout for fat loss since it builds muscle, burns calories and cause greater calorie expenditure after training. it still seems to me that cardio (especially at lower intensities) is great for alot of health reasons but as far as fat loss goes, its not so great.

i dont mean to ask too many questions or to be disrespectful is any way, i just still dont quite get why everyone says its so great to do cardio in the morning before eating. i can see the arguement behind it i just dont agree with it being very effective at all.

i tried high intesity cardio and absolutely hated it, especially first thing in the morning. so that left either low intensity or nothing at all. nothing at all is not easy to do when you want to drop bodyfat as quickly as possible. i do believe that one can lose bf without cardio and there are guys on this board who in fact do without cardio, and just weight train. for me, i like food, so creating enough of a deficit from diet alone is very difficult for me. it's "easier" for me to get up in the morning and do something for 35-45min, then again do something after my evening weight training and be able from doing all this activity to eat a little more food. do what you want to, but not matter how you slice it, you must create a calorie defecit to lose bf....

 

[ops786]

thanks alot. so basically, its really just a matter of calories vs. calories out. everything else is just little ways to try and manupulate your body into burning the fat a little better. but what it really comes down to is not so much how you do it, just that you do it. thanks for the help.

 

[doug1]

thanks alot. so basically, its really just a matter of calories vs. calories out. everything else is just little ways to try and manupulate your body into burning the fat a little better. but what it really comes down to is not so much how you do it, just that you do it. thanks for the help.

yeah, i think so. some guys swear they can't lose bf without cardio. i believe anyone who can get from say 8%bf down to contest shape without cardio is probably genetically blessed....i don't know.

 

[healingtouch]

Well am sure these details are going to help me immensely as I was in a sort of despair to find the answer to the same question. Being loaded with responsibilities and work I hardly could manage time for the exercises and therefore I always had to think of doing the same at the night hours but then I usually became so tired! Now I feel I can do better if I can follow the guidelines as described here.

 

[doug1]

Well am sure these details are going to help me immensely as I was in a sort of despair to find the answer to the same question. Being loaded with responsibilities and work I hardly could manage time for the exercises and therefore I always had to think of doing the same at the night hours but then I usually became so tired! Now I feel I can do better if I can follow the guidelines as described here.

sometimes it can be tough, don't confuse tired with exhaustion, cardio twice a day six days a week can quickly run into exhaustion, don't be afraid to take a night or two off from it, like a thursday after starting up and going hard at it from mon am.