It’s long been a question among exercise professionals – should you
exercise before breakfast, or is it better to get some calories in
before you work out? Recent research suggests that exercise before
breakfast can have some benefits – especially for men.
Researchers
in New Zealand, led by Associate Professor Dr Steve Stannard, worked
with two groups of novices for a month. The subjects pedalled up to 75
minutes a day, with some of them eating a high-carbohydrate breakfast
first, while others training with their stomachs empty. Researchers then
conducted blood tests to assess the effects of the training and the
eating protocols on their fitness and weight loss.
So was exercise before breakfast beneficial? What the researchers found
was that those subjects who trained without having breakfast first had a
greater ability to store glycogen – an advantage for athletes. They
also had a greater ability to burn fat. Researchers concluded that because the subjects who trained without
eating breakfast were stressing their bodies a bit more during training,
they showed a faster rate of adaptation, and consequently improved
performance levels.
Interesting as this research is, it does need to be put into the context of other findings. For while it appears that training in a glycogen-depleted state can have benefits for endurance athletes, it does not help athletes who are strength training.
To maximize the benefits of strength training it is essential that your body has sufficient fuel to work out effectively – working out without sufficient calories in your body will comprise your workout, and will therefore actually reduce its effectiveness.
Similarly, for competitive endurance athletes who need to train hard, the positive adaptations that can occur from working out on an empty stomach are likely to be offset by the diminished performance during the training session. Therefore it is recommended that athletes in training use this method judiciously, perhaps once a week.
Finally, as Dr Stannard noted, these findings only apply to men – women should eat breakfast before a workout, as they tend to get more from exercise if they take a moderate amount of carbohydrates before they start working out.
The bottom line? For men whose main aim is to lose weight, performing their cardio workouts on an empty stomach can have positive adaptations and increase weight loss. However, for all others, this technique should be used with caution.
Source Netfit
Interesting as this research is, it does need to be put into the context of other findings. For while it appears that training in a glycogen-depleted state can have benefits for endurance athletes, it does not help athletes who are strength training.
To maximize the benefits of strength training it is essential that your body has sufficient fuel to work out effectively – working out without sufficient calories in your body will comprise your workout, and will therefore actually reduce its effectiveness.
Similarly, for competitive endurance athletes who need to train hard, the positive adaptations that can occur from working out on an empty stomach are likely to be offset by the diminished performance during the training session. Therefore it is recommended that athletes in training use this method judiciously, perhaps once a week.
Finally, as Dr Stannard noted, these findings only apply to men – women should eat breakfast before a workout, as they tend to get more from exercise if they take a moderate amount of carbohydrates before they start working out.
The bottom line? For men whose main aim is to lose weight, performing their cardio workouts on an empty stomach can have positive adaptations and increase weight loss. However, for all others, this technique should be used with caution.
Source Netfit
No comments:
Post a Comment