Fasted cardio is one of the best tools for rapid fat loss. Here’s how…
Have you heard about the latest fat loss trend? All the influencers are talking about it so you better pay attention, because you know how reliable the influencers are right? They’re about as reliable as a two-dollar steak is tender! If I could only add a shaking my head emoji here right now…
Anyway, we’re getting off track. What I’m talking about here is how to lose fat with fasted cardio. I’ve been doing this longer than most influencers have even been alive! And now I’m going to share with you what has all-of-a-sudden become a fashionable thing in the fitness industry.
Anyway, we’re getting off track. What I’m talking about here is how to lose fat with fasted cardio. I’ve been doing this longer than most influencers have even been alive! And now I’m going to share with you what has all-of-a-sudden become a fashionable thing in the fitness industry.
But before I get there, I ALWAYS recommend you work out in a fasted state. I don’t care if it’s a beefcake workout, hot yoga, cardio or freakin Jazzercise. The benefits you obtain from this model of training is well worth the small sacrifice of not eating before you exercise.
Although there are more benefits associated with fasted cardio, we are going to stick to the subject at hand and just focus on fat loss. Uncommon to what some experts say, it DOES lead to faster results. It’s really just common sense.
If you have some form of calories in your gut, your body will resort to using them for energy during your workout. If your belly is empty, your body will tap into stored fat for energy. By working out fasted every day for multiple weeks, you will become fat-adapted where you are burning fat more efficiently all day long.
Now do you see how this works? It’s a two-fold benefit that you cannot deny. On that note, let’s get down to some key steps to burn fat and extra pounds that snuck up on you over the past few months or years.
5 Tips to Burn More Fat with Fasted Cardio
Tip #1: Forego any food and calories before your workouts
The whole idea of doing fasted cardio is to NOT have any intake of food or calories before you work out. Eating a banana a half hour beforehand doesn’t count. Neither does drinking a noxious beverage that rhymes with “hater aid.”
You want to be “running on empty” to capitalize on the fat-burning results. Some people like to drink black coffee or caffeinated tea before they do fasted cardio. Personally, I’m not a fan. Something about drinking a hot beverage doesn’t resonate with me.
Plus, it can stimulate your digestive tract in an uncomplimentary way, causing you to run to the bathroom instead of on a treadmill. You do not need any disturbances or interruptions to crop up, especially a “bathroom incident.” Just my two cents…
TIP #2: Work out first thing in the morning
In order to really capitalize on fasted cardio, you want to stretch the fast time as long as you can. Working out in the afternoon after 4 hours of fasting is OK. I’d put that at about a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. But working out first thing in the morning after 12-plus hours of fasting is about an 8 or 9.
After 12 hours, your stomach is definitely going to be empty and you will really maximize your workouts. You won’t have any heavy feeling in your gut and your ability to breathe will be off the hook. And, you’re natural ability to burn fat will be starting to escalate.
Plus, there are a few other metabolic processes that you should be aware of. For you gents out there, your testosterone levels experience a spike at around 4:30 am. Secondly, HGH starts to really climb after 12 hours of fasting. Lastly, your hunger tends to be lowest at about 8 am in the morning.
By working out after 12 hours of fasting early in the morning, you will have a golden opportunity to capitalize on all of the advantages just mentioned. This translates to a higher fat-burning effect while having sufficient HGH and T levels to drive your workouts.
TIP #3: Drink plenty of water
You can literally go days without eating. But you can’t go very long without water. As soon as you wake up, start drinking water and continue to sip it during and after your cardio sessions.
During the night you naturally become dehydrated because you are not drinking water while you sleep. And, you likely get up to pee once or twice because of the fluid intake you had the day before, which compounds the effect.
As long as you drink water before, during and after your workouts, you will be fine. And don’t listen to the fear mongers who say you need electrolyte formulas or fancy energy drinks during your workouts. That only applies if you are doing lots of sweating for 90-plus minutes.
If you ARE worried though, just add some good-quality sea salt to your water and you’ll be fine. The rule of thumb is 1 tsp per liter of water.
TIP #4: Eat a Big Meal
Don’t chintz on the meal you eat the night before you work out. Make sure it is on the robust side because you are not going to work out for 12 hours. I feel hunger is an emotion and it can be tamed.
But if you are new to the game of fasted workouts, you might get skittish and be tempted to eat something before you exercise if you did not have a big enough meal the night before. So focus on having a good amount of complex carbs, quality protein and healthy fat.
A good meal example would be baked salmon with steamed broccoli, a sweet potato, a salad with your choice of veggies and four coconut date rolls. This is a combination I’ve had in the past and it has worked to perfection for me.
A meal of this magnitude will also top off the glycogen stores in your body so you will have plenty of usable carbohydrates to pull from. This will come in handy when you’re doing higher intensity exercise. More on that later.
But I am going to warn you about something. A lot of people who act like they know what they’re talking about when it comes to fasting, recommend eating until 8, 9 or even 10 o’clock at night. At that point, you can swipe left and get them off your phone screen.
Ideally, you never want to eat past 7 pm. Your body works on circadian rhythms, and late-night eating is THE worst thing you can ever do to yourself. It interrupts the release of HGH when you sleep, so your recoveries will be compromised.
Secondly, your pancreas is not able to release insulin as well as it does earlier in the day so you put yourself into a fat-storage mode. Lastly, it disturbs the regulation of the hormone called ghrelin. This causes your hunger to be higher the next day and you will have the tendency to overeat.
All of these outcomes can have a deleterious effect on your fat-burning. Especially if you want to burn fat quickly. Overall, I suggest you finish as early as possible the day before. Ideally, somewhere between 5 and 6 pm would be perfect. Then you can work out at 5 or 6 am the next day and still get to work by 8!
Tip #5: Perform HIIT to boost your progress
I mentioned above that you want to have adequate glycogen storage to do fasted cardio. Glycogen is the stored form of carbohydrates. When you are ripping as hard as you can, your body pulls from your stored glycogen to produce effort. This is what happens when you are huffing and puffing, and going at a fast pace.
When you are working out at a lower effort, you are primarily using stored fat. Remember, you are on an empty stomach here. Your body will shift back and forth from burning a higher amount of glycogen to a higher amount of fat.
This translates to a best-of-both-worlds scenario where you burn more stored fat while working out and you get a higher boost in metabolism when you are done. Also, you won’t have that bowling ball in your stomach feeling that you get when you eat or drink calories before a workout.
Start with a light warm-up, then simply alternate back and forth from a high to low intensity.
Summing it all Up
If losing fat is a major priority, then you definitely want to incorporate fasted cardio into your weekly regimen. A good plan is to follow a 16/8 time-restricted eating protocol where you eat two meals a day with no snacks or caloric beverages in between.
Work out first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and break your fast after you get to 16 hours. Aim for three cardio workouts per week on alternating days and backfill with two to three strength training workouts on other alternating days.
You will be one fit sonofagun in no time at all! And I will happily be held responsible for all the looks of admiration you get from your friends, family, peers and co-workers.
This is Kevin David Rail, signing off!
P.S. If you have not done so yet, make sure to download the My Inferno Body app, which comes with workout and exercise libraries, pre-made programs, fasting protocols, gut health guides and a signature cookbook. All bases are covered to push your health and wellness to the next level!
