Strength training first or cardio on empty stomach first?
I’m a light weight body builder who has always done cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Did a 1/2 marathon last year and was very successful. Now going back to body building but I want to change my workouts. I would like to strength train 1st thing in the morning and do cardio later in the afternoon. Will I see the same success?
1. Never workout or run on an empty stomach. Period. Always be sure to have something 1-2 hours beforehand that will stick with you to give you the energy needed.
2. Depends how far you want to go between bodybuilding and running. You can be mediocre at both or fantastic at one- there really isn’t an in-between.
Success determines what your goals are- but lifting first is always a good idea. Especially in the mornings when you are rested up and ready to go.
Hi Brenda. That’s really a tough question to answer categorically (re “the same success”). It depends. As far as your question goes regarding the ORDER of exercise, strength training first may actually afford you at least the ability to perform better (give better effort) since you will not be pre-fatigued from a cardio workout first. But even that answer is NOT true for everyone. Each person, each athlete is different, so you may wish to experiment a bit to see under which method you think or feel you’re getting your best workouts.
As far as exercising on an empty stomach, in my opinion – not good. I ALWAYS ask my athletes (and regular clients for that matter) to have eaten something a bit before their workout (how soon before is a personal preference) so that they have the energy to perform.
I hope that this helps.
LaRue, CSCS
www.lecfitness.com
[email protected]
Hello Brenda,
Working out on an empty stomach as a bodybuilder.. probably not a good idea.
Feed your body first after you wake in the morning, let it settle and hit the weights hard!
Your cardio is pirmarily for fat and weight control (cardiovascular benefits as well).
If youre running marathon/s etc….why bodybuild?…counter-productive.
Bodybuilding as you know is an extreme sport…even nutritionally.
Sincerely,
Michael
To eat or not to eat is a personal decision. I would suggest something light and easy to digest in the form of protein.
As for the order of exercising I don’t think it matters as long as your are not getting fatigued on either end, I would pay close attention to over training symptoms as well, make sure you get adequate rest.
There are a body of experts who will tell you that during a base building period; say your “off season” and pre-season time that exercising to build a foundation on an empty stomach will help you become more efficient at burning fat.
That said, it implies that you need to do that so that your endurance is better and those doing it are reaching for long distance experiences where they want to have to take in less food and avoid stomach issues along the way.
It doesn’t sound like that’s a good fit for you.
If you did well with your race, and it sounds like you did, are moving back into a body build focus, I’d recommend fueling for both. Now that you have the foundation, you’d tend to risk loss of lean without proper fueling.
A little time off or easy period makes sense also if the race was a new reach for you. Allow your body the recovery it needs, then fuel it sensibly for workouts and you can observe the results and tweak where necessary!