What happens in my body if ?

[Deins Drengers]

I woke up, had breakfest and then did not eat for 10hrs only drink water ( being busy and financial stuff ) and at the evening at our Uni we took a circuit training session which was kinda intense for 50 mins.

 

Yep, i felt tired before and more tired after. I could feel that i have decreased energy levels. But later that evening i was eating a lot at home. And I was told that if i am on an empty stomach then the workout was a waste - is it true ?

 

Basically - what happens in your body when you train on an empty stomach ? Was this workout really a waste? ( If i ate a lot at the evening )

 

Thank you !

[Karl-Erik Karlsen]

That depends on your goals and on your combination of nutrition and training strategies. So it's not easy to say "yes" or "no" to that, in my opinion. But the short and simplified version would be, that:


-If your goal is fat loss and you are willing to sacrifice some muscle, working out fasted is alright. Also, if your workout is not very intense, it shouldn't be a problem.

-If your goal is to build more muscle, then it's not a good idea to work out fasted.


During and after the workout, your body will start needing protein to repair the damage the workout does to the muscles - and this is your chance to eat protein and build new, bigger muscle. Also, when you are working out, the body uses stored energy and if you don't have more energy coming in through food, it will also over time start to fuel the training by using stored protein - which means it will to some degree eat it's own muscle to be able to move.

Therefore, working out on an empty stomach will probably cause you to lose some muscle. There could be other benefits, but generally it is a good idea to eat 1-2 hours before training so you have available nutrients when you start training - and then eating some more right after training to make sure your body has everything it needs to make the most out of the training. This is a good time to eat more carbohydrates also, since the body after training is better at storing the energy where it should go (muscles, not fat).


Working out is never a waste, although how much you benefit from it when fasted, will depend on your goals.