Fasted cardio still seems to be a popular topic in the health and fitness space.
Many claim it is entirely useless.
Others say it is the key to losing body fat.
So which is it? Let’s find out together.
FASTED CARDIO: WHAT IS IT?
Fasted cardio is exactly what it sounds like. It is cardiovascular activity in a fasted state. Wake up, don’t eat, do some cardio. That’s what it is.
A common misconception, though, is that fasted cardio is moderate to intense cardio in a fasted state. This is never a great idea. When you wake up and your body is fasted, it has almost no quick energy to tap into for something that intense, and that can cause you to pass out. Not good.
Most fasted cardio is done at a very low-intensity state like walking and climbing the stairmaster.
FASTED CARDIO: WHAT DOES IT PROMISE?
The idea behind fasted cardio is that when doing activity in a fasted state, your body doesn’t have any readily available energy, so it is forced to tap into stored body fat.
While this may be true, we’re talking about a very minor difference in fat burned. To add to that, research shows that although the body may burn a bit more body fat during a fasted cardio session, a fed cardio session burns more calories during and after the session, which may contribute more to fat loss. And that leads us to the next thing we need to discuss.
THERE ARE MANY MOVING PARTS
You see, the processes behind fat loss can be oversimplified at times. It’s super easy for us to say that it all comes down to calories in vs. calories out, which it does, but there are a lot of behind the scene elements that influence calories in vs. calories out.
Hormones, stress, sleep, and more all influence the amount of calories we store and calories we burn. The reason I bring this up is because although fasted cardio may burn a teenie bit more body fat during the session, it’s not the magic fat loss solution.
In order to lose body fat, you need to make sure you’re creating an environment where you’re burning more calories than you are taking in.
If you do fasted cardio, but you’re not tracking your food intake and you’re overeating, you’re not going to lose fat.
If you do fasted cardio, but you’re losing sleep and chronically stressed, your body will be more prone to storing fat and you won’t lose fat.
Fasted cardio is a tool that can be used to get the last bit of fat off when all other resources have been utilized. It is a tool, but it should be a last ditch effort tool.
So, if you want to do fasted cardio, that’s fine. Just make sure you’re taking care of these big rocks first. And I’m willing to bet money that you’ll hit your goal just by focusing on these big rocks.
Lift weights. Lifting weights, building muscle, and getting stronger all send a signal to your body telling it to burn more calories throughout the day.
Manage stress. This looks different for all of us. I like to pray. Some meditate. Some go for a walk. Find a healthy way to decrease your stress.
Get quality sleep. Too many of us are wired and tired. Before bed, (at least 1 hour before) go through a nighttime routine to let your body know it’s time to wind down. Make sure your room is cool and dark.
Track your food intake. You won’t know what’s going on with your calories in vs. calories out until you track your food.
Fasted cardio can be a beneficial tool, but only when the big rocks have been addressed. 99% of the time, fasted cardio isn’t needed at all to lose fat.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam is a fitness professional, baseball fan, and cookie fanatic based in Fort Collins, Colorado. After hanging up the cleats, he found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. As an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, he is constantly moved to help people improve in all walks of life.
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