Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have seen many a coach and “influencer” advocate that fasted cardio in the morning burns more fat.
And to say that it has been widely “discussed” in the fitness and health industry is an understatement.
On the one hand, there’s evidence to suggest that performing cardio in a fasted state burns a greater percentage of calories from fat compared to doing cardio in a fed state.
Yet on the other, there’s evidence that doing “fed” cardio burns more calories overall.
But before you decide it’s a toss-up and move on to more pressing matters, take off your armchair physiologist hat and look at things practically:
Which do YOU think burns more fat?
The cardio that gets done first thing before your day unravels in a frenzy of kids and 4-alarm fires at work?
Or the cardio that’s going to “get done later once things calm down.”
It’s no surprise that doing your cardio first thing—before the day gets started—means it’s far less likely to get skipped.
And getting your cardio done in the AM can also delay that first meal by a few hours—time that might otherwise have been spent eating, right?
All good things for fat loss.
But here’s the biggie that very few people remember to talk about—it encourages CONSISTENCY.
Getting up in the morning and doing cardio on an empty stomach may not sound like your idea of fun, but its hidden power is that it’s simple, easy to schedule, and makes positive, beneficial behavior a priority—all vital traits of an effective, consistent habit.
Cause with nearly everything related to diet, nutrition, and lifestyle, what ultimately matters most is making positive action a consistent part of your daily routine.
So fasted or fed—the only way to reap the benefits of cardio is to actually get it done.
And first-thing and often fasted seems to work well for many people.
Looks like this debate is damn near settled.
– Coach Bryan