Opinions differ when it comes to cardiovascular training!
I’ve read multiple studies on cardio!
We all agree that cardio after your weight lifting workout is best since you are using carbohydrates (or glycogen ) as fuel while you are working with weights.
The first 20 min of cardiovascular training uses mostely carbohydrates or glycogen before entering any kind of fat burn.
That means that if you are doing cardio right before lifting you are not as strong as you were if you would be doing cardio after your lifting workout!
Pretty much you are running out of fuel ( as I like to say), or glycogen!
You are also more likely to burn muscle since there is no glycogen left for lifting = body turns muscle into glycogen!
What about cardio on an empty stomach?
Well, you should not eat right before your cardiovascular session…
Wait at least 60-90 min before cardio!
However I do not agree with cardio on an empty stomach first thing in the morning!
Studies (researched by accredited scientists not body builders) have shown that even though you are burning a small fraction more body fat while doing cardio on an empty stomach, you are burning much more muscle !!!
It is rather logic if you think…
You are coming out of a 6-8 hour hunger period ( our body loses muscle while we sleep due to not food intake, that’s why body builders get up at night and eat), and instead of feeding that muscle you are using empty glycogen stores to burn more muscle!!!
What about if you are using amino acids or BCAA’s?
Yes, they are designed to protect the muscle fiber , but it’s not enough!
BCAA’s don’t have glycogen!
The theory of cardio on an empty stomach first thing in the morning comes from professional body builders taking testosteron supplementation!
This prevents muscle breakdown and increases fat loss!
We Ladies and Gentelmen are in over the counter supplements and food!
My opinion?
For people that need a dramatic weight loss quickly, overweight clients, someone to get that excess weight of to make a certain date it is completely appropriate to do cardio on an empty stomach!
For someone that needs to build muscle, or needs to hold on to their muscle this will be a NO NO!
Each of us is completely different!
What works for one person may not work for another…
For me? I work very hard to gain muscle…
There is no way I will sacrifice my hard earned muscle and burn it!!!
I eat breakfast at 4:30am so I can do cardio at 6am!
Or I eat breakfast at 5am so I can do cardio at 7:30am, depending on my day 🙂
You can do your own research!
Don’t get your research from muscle magazines and body building subscriptions!
The IDEA has done some amazing studies on this and other subjects!
Archives
All posts for the month August, 2012
Hi everyone, I like to thank Freddie’s Nutrition in giving me the opportunity to be part of his commercial advertising and behalf of the Las Vegas Figure & Bikini Team. Thank you again Freddie!!!!! Love the commercial!!!!!
Client – Olivia
Starting weight: 164
Starting Body Fat%: 34%
Before & After Body Composition
Before I decided to join Angela and Claudia’s Group Figure and Bikini Training, I attempted SEVERAL diets. Pretty much every crash diet imaginable. It even became sort of a joke among friends to say, “What diet is Olivia doing now?!” I even tried good ol’ working out and (what I thought was) healthy eating. However, I would work my butt off with no change…I even watched my weight climb back up!
So, here I was 26 lbs. heavier after dropping 40 lbs. on HCG. Fatter than ever…no hope…almost accepting that this was how I was going to live the rest of my life….blood pressure meds, too tired to play with my 2 young daughters…not exactly the role model I was expecting. At my lowest weight (post kids), I was still embarrassed to wear tight clothing. I was skinny fat. Muffin top. Jelly belly…you name it! On top of all of this, I knew that I had a very unhealthy relationship with food.
Then, I stumbled upon a picture….I never knew how much that picture would impact my life. What picture you ask???? It was the advertisement for Angela and Claudia’s 12 week transformation. I carried the LVAC magazine (which still sits on my nightstand for motivation) with me for about a week before calling. I spoke to Angela to get the details and knew right away that I had to find any way possible to get in that gym and get with these girls….I just knew there was something amazing there!!!
This whole journey has completely flipped my life around. I’ve learned how to eat properly and enjoy….YES, enjoy it! I’ve learned how to work-out (and not feel intimidated by fit people in the gym). I’ve learned to watch my body shrink instead of getting hung up on the numbers on the scale. Most importantly, I was becoming the role model that I wanted to be for my girls.
Not only did I find a community that accepts me, encourages me, and challenges me, but I found new goals….better goals. Although I know that I have so much more that I want to achieve, I am going to also take the time to enjoy all the steps this far. I look forward to…and completely trust my trainers…and my new extended family to help me become my best!!! It’s wonderful to know that I have all this….from my 12 week transformation!!! Angela and Claudia ROCK!!
Depending on your genetics your body will hold fat in different areas!
A lot of times it doesn’t seam to come of where we want it …
If you are like me and your body is holding on to abdominal fat ( stored energy), it will take extra time to trim that part down!
Clients with larger midsection and smaller arms and legs have a hard time building while trimming down that part!
And it is a little easier for men than for women to do so!
The reason for this is testosterone and muscle!
Men have greater amount of muscle, are lower in body fat to begin with and have ( much) higher testosterone levels!
Plan of action:
I will ask my female clientele what is more important to them to do first….?
Lowering abdominal fat, or gaining leg muscle?
The answer is always lowering abdominal fat!
Which means lower all carbohydrates and fat intake!
Cutting all sugars (including fruit) and alcohol completely !
Lowering overal caloric intake!
Once abdominal fat is gone, increase clean carbs slightly ( while monitoring body fat), increasing overal caloric intake!
It is a step by step process…
So what about woman that are endomorph build?
Small upper body, small waist, big butt and legs…?
Overtraining legs in low weight, high reps to
Break down excess muscle!
Density training to take care of intramuscular fat tissue, while keeping the diet low in fat, starch, and calories especially on leg days!!!
Lower back fat has a lot to do with alcohol intake!
Don’t want love handles?
Stop those cocktails 😉
As in everything we do, it takes time for change!!!
Whether it is gaining muscle, losing body fat, changing genetics….
Positive about this is that it can be done 😉
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Thank you!
