Morning Cardio on an empty stomach? Be sure not to burn muscle!

Re blogged from - SOURCE : bodyproud


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Health and Fitness Tip of the Day - January 30th, 2009

Morning fasted state cardio is a common technique used by physique competitors to drop body fat. While this technique can be very effective when used properly, it can also result in significant muscle loss if done incorrectly.

Durning the hours when you're sleeping and no calories are coming in, your blood sugar levels drop and your cortisol levels increase in response. First thing the morning, your cortisol levels are generally the highest they will be all day. One primary function of cortisol is to trigger your body to switch to stored sources of energy when your circulating glucose levels drop. The problem with this is that cortisol can trigger both fat and muscle protein to be burned for fuel, depending on the energy demand.

Beginning a cardio session first thing in the morning when your cortisol levels are already at their highest can result in significant amounts of muscle protein to be burned for fuel in addition to body fat.

There a few simple things you can do to prevent muscle loss during morning cardio sessions without affecting the fat burning results from your training.

1. Drink 1 scoop of Whey Protein with water 15 mins prior to your morning cardio session.
This one scoop of protein first thing in the morning will immediately begin dropping cortisol levels and reduce the risk of burning muscle. This infusion of protein and amino acids will not reduce the effectiveness of your fat burning, but can definitely help you save your muscle.

2. Drink a fast digesting amino acid drink such as XTEND by Scivation during your cardio session.
XTEND is a blend of the amino acids Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine along with other nutrients that helps increase endurance and recovery. This steady stream of amino acids will also prevent cortisol elevation from reaching levels that can result in burning muscle.

3. Limit the duration of fasted state cardio sessions. By keeping fasted state cardio sessions to below 30 mins, you can significantly reduce muscle burning. I recommend using short 20 minute interval cardio sessions for morning fasted state cardio, followed later in the day by a longer duration steady state cardio session.

4. Be sure to get in your post workout nutrition IMMEDIATELY following any morning fasted state cardio session. Post workout nutrition should include a combination of complex carbs and protein to get blood sugar levels back to normal and to kick start the recovery process from your training.

It's important to remember that the goal of morning fasted state cardio is to kick start your metabolism first thing in the morning. It's NOT the amount of calories you burn during this cardio session that matters. The important thing is the elevating effect of the morning cardio session on your metabolism throughout the day after your training session.

Train smart, as well as hard, and you'll get the best possible results!