It's actually the exact formula to help decrease bodyfat and maintaining muscle.....
Straight from 'Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle' (which I personally think is the Lean Machine Bible):
Early morning fasted cardio: A simple method to increase the fat burning effects of
your cardio by up to 300% Any time of day that suits your schedule is a good time for cardio. The important
thing is that you just do it. However, many bodybuilders and fitness models believe that
early morning fasted cardio burns more body fat. Although this is still controversial, the
evidence is strong and there are many reasons to consider doing cardio first thing in the
morning on an empty stomach. The argument in favor of fasted early morning cardio goes
something like this:
1. After an overnight 8-12 hour fast, your body's stores of glycogen are depleted and you
burn more fat when glycogen is low.
2. Eating causes a release of insulin. Insulin interferes with the mobilization of body fat.
Less insulin is present in the morning; so more body fat is burned when cardio is done in
the morning.
3. There is less carbohydrate (glucose) in the bloodstream when you wake up after an
overnight fast. With less glucose available, you burn more fat.
4. If you eat immediately before a workout, you have to burn off what you just ate first
before tapping into stored body fat (and insulin is elevated after a meal.)
5. When you do cardio in the morning, your metabolism stays elevated for a period of
time after the workout is over. If you do cardio in the evening, you burn calories during
the session, but you fail to take advantage of the "afterburn" effect because your
metabolic rate drops dramatically as soon as you go to sleep.
6. Morning cardio gives you a feeling of accomplishment and makes you feel great all day
by releasing mood-enhancing endorphins.
7. Morning cardio "energizes" you and "wakes you up."
8. Morning cardio may help regulate your appetite for the rest of the day.
9. Your body’s circadian rhythm adjusts to your morning routine, making it easier to
wake up at the same time every day.
10. You’ll be less likely to "blow off" your workout when it’s out of the way early (like
when you’re exhausted after work or when friends ask you to join them at the pub for
happy hour).
11. You can always "make time" for exercise by setting your alarm earlier in the morning.
A common concern about doing cardio in the fasted state, especially if it’s done
with high intensity, is the possibility of losing muscle. After an overnight fast, glycogen,
blood glucose and insulin are all low. This is an optimum environment for burning fat.
Unfortunately, it may also be an optimum environment for burning muscle because
carbohydrate fuel sources are low and levels of the catabolic stress hormone cortisol are
high. It sounds like morning cardio might be a double-edged sword, but there are ways to
avert muscle loss.
All aerobic exercise will have some effect on building muscle, but as long as you
don’t overdo it, you shouldn’t worry about losing muscle. It's a fact that muscle proteins
are broken down and used for energy during aerobic exercise. But you are constantly
breaking down and re-building muscle tissue anyway. This process is called "protein
turnover" and it’s a daily fact of life. Your goal is to tip the scales slightly in favor of
increasing the anabolic side and reducing the catabolic side with nutrition just enough so
you stay anabolic and you maintain muscle.
Morning cardio is still controversial in academic circles, but in my book, it’s a
sure-fire way to double or even triple the fat burning effects of your cardio. Ask any highlevel
bodybuilder or fitness model when they do their cardio and the chances are good
that they’ll tell you they’re working up a sweat before breakfast early every morning.
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He goes into a lot more detail on the subject, but you get the idea.....
2009-03-03T21:34:03