Fasting cardio; what are the benefits and harms? Do you want to run in the morning on an empty stomach? Find out all the pros and cons of this method of removing subcutaneous fat. Today, the debate about the effectiveness of fixed cardio is very active. There are many opinions on this, and today we will find out what is more, benefit or harm, hungry cardio.
Are there any benefits to fasting cardio?
It should say that if you follow specific rules for performing aerobic exercises on an empty stomach, you can achieve quite good results. If these rules are ignored, there is no need to talk about the benefits of fasted cardio, and you will only harm yourself.
Fasting cardio is known not only to nutritionists but also to athletes. Today, problems with excess weight are relevant, and people are looking for various ways to get rid of body fat. Hungry cardio has a vast army of followers and no fewer detractors.
Today we will consider this issue from a scientific point of view and not succumb to unnecessary emotions. Only in this way will we find the answer to the benefits or dangers of fasting cardio. In this regard, it should note that athletes use constant cardio and, as a result, gain a fat mass of no more than six percent. At the same time, preserving muscle mass and getting rid of only fatty tissue is essential.
What is called hungry cardio?
First, it is worth giving a precise definition of the term “hungry cardio” to know what we are dealing with. As the name suggests, this is a solid cardio workout. In this case, the term “hunger” should be understood as a temporary feeling of emptiness in the digestive tract.
Suppose you have eaten all day heavily and, in the evening, felt hungry and decided to do cardio. In that case, this is not the correct interpretation of this method of fighting fat. By scientific definition, fasted cardio means doing cardio while fasting your body for more than one meal.
Whether fasting cardio is beneficial or harmful is greatly influenced by two factors:
- Biochemical reactions in the body.
- Nutrients consumed and their amounts.
All the food a person eats in the digestive tract is broken down into molecules that enter the bloodstream and carry around the body. In this case, the insulin hormone is used as a transporter. The body produces it in response to food intake; its levels depend on the nutrients consumed. Thus, we can say that fasting cardio is possible only with a minimum concentration and activity of insulin. Scientists have established that insulin promotes fat accumulation by using excess nutrients, primarily carbohydrates and fats. Insulin also slows down the loss of adipose tissue. Based on these facts, it is safe to say that fat burning is slowed down or even impossible with a powerful insulin release.
Is fasted cardio effective for burning fat?
To begin with, the body uses particular substances- catecholamines to prepare fatty acids to get energy from them. In addition, there are two types of receptors in adipose tissue: alpha and beta. The first receptor type is intended for fat accumulation, and the beta receptors are responsible for reducing fatty tissue. Simply put, the fat synthesis will continue to be more active in those areas of the body where beta receptors predominate in adipose tissue.
For example, the hips and buttocks of women mainly contain alpha receptors, and they are the ones that slow down the reduction of fat in these areas. Those are the hardest for girls. At the same time, less fat is transferred to the forearms or, say, calves. It suggests that there are more beta receptors in these regions. If the body starves, the number of beta receptors increases throughout the body, and catecholamines can enter fat cells previously inaccessible to them.
How to do fixed cardio correctly?
Let’s figure out how to get only the benefits, not the harm, from fasting cardio. To do this, you need to follow a few rules. First, the duration of the exercise should not exceed one hour.
The intensity of your session is also significant. This parameter should be moderate. The more time you work at a slow pace, the more fat you can burn.
The exercise should only be done on days when you are fasting or in the morning when glycogen stores are empty after an overnight breakdown. It will force the body to look for other energy sources, fat. Follow these guidelines, and you’ll be sure to benefit, not harm, from fasting cardio.