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What should I eat before morning cardio?

Zalman1504 Posts: 8 Joined: 2008/01/14	2008/01/23, 06:07 PM Well there are topics everywhere saying that performing cardio on a empty stomach (in the morning) is a BAD idea, because you risk losing lean muscle. Others say it's just fine. Should i eat something before I do my 45 min. of cardio? Recently iv'e decided to eat sliced ham about an hour before the cardio workout, it contains only 50 cals. 0 carbs but 8g of protein. So is that a good idea ? I'm 6 ft 160 lb. I don't want to lose any muscle , I just want to get rid of the fat. I have about 14% body fat. I would like to get under 10%.:big_smile:
SFGiantsMVP Posts: 1,533 Joined: 2005/12/04	2008/01/23, 07:44 PM I would as I do eat a regular meal and this way you have allot of energy to really do some cardio! I mean come on what kind of workouts are people getting on an empty fuel tank. If you eat right you'll train right and to burn fat you must train hard not walk for 45 minutes on a empty stomach! Onces your done with a good cardio secession don't eat for about 45 minutes to an hour! I just don't get these empty stomach workouts or maybe it's just me but I need fuel to be able to get in there and push hard! -------------- Knock-Um Down & Keep-Um Down!
SFGiantsMVP Posts: 1,533 Joined: 2005/12/04	2008/01/23, 07:45 PM I forgot to add I eat my meal anywhere from 1 hour to 2 hours prior! -------------- Knock-Um Down & Keep-Um Down!
Zalman1504 Posts: 8 Joined: 2008/01/14	2008/01/23, 11:25 PM Well thanks for the advice, but then it gets me thinking...won't you just burn off what you just ate? My cardio sessions are similar to HIIT. Morning I do 45 min(10 min at 4mph, 10 min 5mph, 10 min 4mph, 10 min 5mph, last 5 min at 6mph), then in the afternoon 1-hour of steady cardio right after weight-lifting. I guess i'll eat some protein in the morning along with a cup of tea. Doesn't tea contain antioxidants? That should help prevent muslce loss, right? Thanks!
SFGiantsMVP Posts: 1,533 Joined: 2005/12/04	2008/01/24, 12:19 AM Thats nothing close to HIIT, with some fuel for energy you can work up to HIIT with a 1 minute 3.5 - 1 minute 8 and higher I go as high as 11 a times! Don't get caught up in the thinking of burning off what you just ate you need to think larger like total calories burned in a whole day and total taken in! Then it gets bigger with total taken in per week and burned per week! -------------- Knock-Um Down & Keep-Um Down!
SFGiantsMVP Posts: 1,533 Joined: 2005/12/04	2008/01/24, 12:27 AM By the way that way too much cardio your going to burn all your shit up! Eat like a man not just a slice of Ham! Do yourself a favor and start using fitBuddy and search the forums! -------------- Knock-Um Down & Keep-Um Down!
yessicarathsak Posts: 249 Joined: 2007/09/20	2008/01/24, 09:06 AM If you eat before cardio, you do burn what you just ate, causing more calories to be burnt. However, if you don't eat before cardio you burn more stored fat. You also run the risk of burning muscle too though, if you are burning more than you have stored in your body. I personally eat after, because I have problems running with any food on my stomach, and I don't have problems with doing HIIT and other cardio without food. Some people can't do intense cardio workouts without having fuel on their stomachs though, so you have to figure out how you perform both ways I guess.
bb1fit Posts: 11,105 Joined: 2001/06/30	2008/01/24, 10:22 PM Folks, it is not what you do in 30 minutes of cardio that decides what fuel you burn. You have no control over that to any extent. It is what you do between workouts, over days, weeks, months that will determine how much fat you lose. Don't fret over the small stuff. -------------- Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer
SFGiantsMVP Posts: 1,533 Joined: 2005/12/04	2008/01/24, 11:52 PM Thanks Ron as this is what I was saying because I know for me I never burn the weight off as fast as some think! I burned 55 pounds off and this took me 12 months! Then it took me about 2 years to put 20 more back on in muscle! Thats 3 years! -------------- Knock-Um Down & Keep-Um Down!
jaerose Posts: 1 Joined: 2011/03/07	2011/03/07, 04:27 PM ============ Quoting from Zalman1504: Well thanks for the advice, but then it gets me thinking...won't you just burn off what you just ate? My cardio sessions are similar to HIIT. Morning I do 45 min(10 min at 4mph, 10 min 5mph, 10 min 4mph, 10 min 5mph, last 5 min at 6mph), then in the afternoon 1-hour of steady cardio right after weight-lifting. I guess i'll eat some protein in the morning along with a cup of tea. Doesn't tea contain antioxidants? That should help prevent muslce loss, right? Thanks! ============= Without knowing what your exact goals are it's difficult to give advice (especially since this is a very old thread). At a glance, I'd say you are far and away going overkill on the cardio. If your goal is to have a muscular physique (think sprinter instead of marathoner) then you need to dial back the cardio big-time and increase the intensity of your lifts. You shouldn't be doing 1 hour and 45 minutes of cardio if you want to have a lean AND muscular physique. HIIT is rotating a short period of near maximal effort with a rest period of 2-3 times the length of your max effort time (so if you do a 1 minute sprint then you should have a 2-3 minute "rest" or recovery period...and you can do shorter sprints as well like 30 second sprint and 90 second recovery). Basically, HIIT should be no longer than about 20 minutes and I would do that first thing in the morning and then lift in the evening at least 6 hours later. If you want to do another HIIT session immediately after lifting, then that's your option, but you're already leaving zero room to add to your workout regimen.