Working out on empty stomach

[axismundi]

It's just a preference... you can do it with or without, whatever works best for you... if you look at how the body evolved, it's used to working hard all day and not eating, then sitting down after a day on the hunt, eat heavy, and go to sleep... if it worked for thousands of years for evolution, working out on an empty stomach is fine now too, of course if you want to eat go for it... personally, if I even just drink 20 ounces of protein before working out, I want to vomit every 2 minutes.

 

[stevesmi]

Why? Because the standard response on internet message boards says not to?

This has been debunked about as often as the need to eat every 2-3 hours or the "fact" that the body can only process 30g of protein at a time.

I recommend not listening to the broscience and going off of actual science instead.

I've worked out without eating and it wasn't pretty.. I had no energy and I was weak.

when I was a powerlifter and didn't eat cause I was trying to lose a pound or two before the meet to make weight we would all weigh in and then pig out to get energy back.

it makes a huge difference.

if you are building muscle you need to be eating every 2 hours and can never go on an empty stomach regardless. poll people at the gym and 99.9% of the weightlifters eat before and after their workouts.

runners are a different story as i wrote above

 

[75th]

if you are building muscle you need to be eating every 2 hours and can never go on an empty stomach regardless.

Not only has that been proven false many times over, but studies actually show that your insulin responds negatively when you eat that often. Not only that, but as you eat more often your body produces for lepitin, which actually makes you hungrier as opposed to reducing your appetite.

poll people at the gym and 99.9% of the weightlifters eat before and after their workouts.

Hence the term "broscience." They are only doing it because other weightlifters or people on message boards told them to. There's absolutely no science to back it up, whereas many studies (a few that I posted above) shows that it's actually favorable to work out in a fasted state.


If you tried it once and didnt like it that's fine, but dont say people "shouldnt" do it based only on what other internet message board posters say. Science > message board posters simply repeating what they've heard.

I'd recommend talking to SouthernLord. I turned him onto this idea a few months ago. Like you, he tried it once before and hated it. Fast forward to today - he sent me a message the other day saying that he would be a much happier man if his schedule allowed him to work out fasted exclusively.

BTW, neither SL or I do cardio or endurance work. Bench, squats, deads, and pullups. As I mentioned above, I have no problems hitting new PRs every week whilst training after being in a fasted state for 15 hours.

 

[stevesmi]

where do you get the energy to do weight training if you do not eat?

explain it further.

I've done that more then once and it wasn't purposefully.. it was just in a situation where I was away from home and decided to go to the gym or forgot to take food with me that day. it did not go well.. everytime I had crappy workouts. I felt so freakin hungry during the workout that I just quit and went and bought a wrap. i just felt blah

this is an interesting theory but I am curious as to what benefits weight training on an empty stomach vs. eating complex carbs that are easy to digest there are. I will say that certain foods screw you up more then an empty stomach.. like fast food, fried food, fatty foods, sugars.. so eating those would probably be worse then empty stomach. but for me a raw sweet potato, maybe an apple/banana.. brown rice. those are solid foods to eat before.

I kinda see what you are saying in that eating the wrong foods are worse then empty stomach. but I dont see how empty stomach is good vs. complex carbs

your muscles need nourishment and they need a lot of water. I drink a ton of water before, during and after.

 

[stevesmi]

personally, if I even just drink 20 ounces of protein before working out, I want to vomit every 2 minutes.

cause thats difficult to digest. go with complex carbs instead.

save that for after

 

[75th]

where do you get the energy to do weight training if you do not eat?

explain it further.

I've done that more then once and it wasn't purposefully.. it was just in a situation where I was away from home and decided to go to the gym or forgot to take food with me that day. it did not go well.. everytime I had crappy workouts. I felt so freakin hungry during the workout that I just quit and went and bought a wrap. i just felt blah

this is an interesting theory but I am curious as to what benefits weight training on an empty stomach vs. eating complex carbs that are easy to digest there are. I will say that certain foods screw you up more then an empty stomach.. like fast food, fried food, fatty foods, sugars.. so eating those would probably be worse then empty stomach. but for me a raw sweet potato, maybe an apple/banana.. brown rice. those are solid foods to eat before.

I kinda see what you are saying in that eating the wrong foods are worse then empty stomach. but I dont see how empty stomach is good vs. complex carbs

your muscles need nourishment and they need a lot of water. I drink a ton of water before, during and after.

Your body creates more than enough energy to workout without food. I stop eating at 8pm the night before, and tend to work out around 11am the next morning. I drink however much water I want and consume 10g BCAA about 15 mins prior to working out.

Your body doesnt need food (eg external sources of energy) before working out - it has more than enough stored away. Not only that, but studies show your blood sugar responds better and your body creates more GH when you work out in a fasted state.

Because of the insulin response, my pwo meal (and first meal of the day) usually takes care of 75-90% of my daily caloric intake (eg 1,400-1,700 calories).

Id challenge everybody in this thread to give this a shot for 2 weeks and report back. Try hitting a PR on squats or deads, too. You'll be surprised.

 

[stevesmi]

you are taking 10g BCAA and drinking water, so in turn you are not truely going in there fasted.

real fasting would be not eating or drinking anything before a workout. kinda like how muslims fast during ramadan, they do not eat or drink a thing during daylight.

as for what you are saying I dont disagree with the premise of avoiding food. I would avoid most foods before a workout. the worst thing that you can do is actually eat a protein bar, fatty things, sugars, caffeine etc. that would actually crash you hard during the workout. what I am saying is eat complex carbs like a raw sweet potato for example. so we are not that far off on this.

 

[75th]

you are taking 10g BCAA and drinking water, so in turn you are not truely going in there fasted.

real fasting would be not eating or drinking anything before a workout. kinda like how muslims fast during ramadan, they do not eat or drink a thing during daylight.

as for what you are saying I dont disagree with the premise of avoiding food. I would avoid most foods before a workout. the worst thing that you can do is actually eat a protein bar, fatty things, sugars, caffeine etc. that would actually crash you hard during the workout. what I am saying is eat complex carbs like a raw sweet potato for example. so we are not that far off on this.

We are far off. Theres maybe 5 calories in a serving of BCAA. Water contains no calories whatsoever. You're working out in a fasted state.

Eating complex carbs before your workout is the exact opposite of what you should be doing.

 

[stevesmi]

when i've trained without food:

1. I feel like crap and have no energy
2. i get really really hungry halfway through the workout
3. my lifts stink and i have less strength.

my workouts are 70 minutes plus I like to get in another 15 minutes of cardio. there is no way i could go that long without eating much less go into it with an empty stomach. after that workout I am starving, i just dont see how that is anything but catabolic.

its a great idea for someone trying to lose weight but not for a bodybuilder.

 

[75th]

after that workout I am starving, i just dont see how that is anything but catabolic.

its a great idea for someone trying to lose weight but not for a bodybuilder.

Ok. Science has proven that incorrect over and over again.

That's not even to mention the exemplary results of those who follow this type of strategy.