Morning Cardio

[Kerensky]

I've been reading a lot on bb forums about morning cardio. As of now, I think I will switch my cardio session from night to morning and see if THAT will help me get better results. Just some light 3-4 mph jogging/walking for 30 min (length of a TV Show) every morning should be good for me. It won't eat up muscle since I'm doing light intensity cardio.

Plus I hope this will make me more awake/focused/energetic at school. I'll update you guys on my progress with this, but I was wondering who else does this and which one you prefer.

 

[semag]

sounds good.

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

There's been studies proving that morning exercise helps jump start the bodies metabolism. Similar studies have proved that late day/night exercise impedes sleep effectiveness.

 

[Fitch]

Originally posted by Francisco d'Anconia
There's been studies proving that morning exercise helps jump start the bodies metabolism. Similar studies have proved that late day/night exercise impedes sleep effectiveness.

You can not base evidence on one study.

I have seen multiple studies concluding that excersise in the morning is counter-productive to the body. One Reason: One has just woken up, thus the body is not "ready."

Note: This is ONLY one of the many "reasons."

 

[Kerensky]

Originally posted by Fitch
You can not base evidence on one study.

I have seen multiple studies concluding that excersise in the morning is counter-productive to the body. One Reason: One has just woken up, thus the body is not "ready."

Note: This is ONLY one of the many "reasons."

He clearly says, "studies." Plural. More than one.

I have seen the studies you talk about too Fitch, but that is for HIIT in the morning. Being "ready" has nothing to do with it. It's about burning through muscle like butter since that is where your energy will come from. However, low-intensity cardio is fine and won't eat away at your muscles.

I intend to try out morning cardio anyways, since cardio at night isn't showing the results I want. Thanks for mentioning the lack of sleep efficiency Francisco. That's another thing I was going to ask about.

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

No problem, and thanks for explaining that to Fetch. I've been reading his posts and even though there is some good information contained in them, it looks as if he's trying to make a name for himself and get some social proof through the forum. It's funny to watch but hey, the information isn't that bad...

 

[vanwilder]

run in the morning without eating first and you wil make better progress.

the only con to this is it may be hard on your body..

i have used this method and i was very impressed with the results

 

[Kerensky]

Originally posted by vanwilder
run in the morning without eating first and you wil make better progress.

the only con to this is it may be hard on your body..

i have used this method and i was very impressed with the results

Thank you kind sir for the input. I wanted to actually know if this worked, and yes I will be running first thing after washing my face in the morning.

 

[vanwilder]

no problem, and just if you want to try something else, it is called HIIT, which means high intensity interval training. for example you sprint for 30 secs and jog for 30. you can pick what ever time you like, but instead of just running, this will give you something to vary it up with once in a while . good lukc with your cut

 

[Fitch]

Originally posted by Kerensky
He clearly says, "studies." Plural. More than one.

I have seen the studies you talk about too Fitch, but that is for HIIT in the morning. Being "ready" has nothing to do with it. It's about burning through muscle like butter since that is where your energy will come from. However, low-intensity cardio is fine and won't eat away at your muscles.

I intend to try out morning cardio anyways, since cardio at night isn't showing the results I want. Thanks for mentioning the lack of sleep efficiency Francisco. That's another thing I was going to ask about.

I know how to read. He read a group of studies supporting his assertion. I have read "studieS" from both sides. In sum, they admit the study which I STATED has -- at LEAST -- some truth.

Furthermore, being "ready," is a FACTOR; so yes, it has something to do with it.

 

[harwell]

Originally posted by vanwilder
run in the morning without eating first and you wil make better progress.

the only con to this is it may be hard on your body..

i have used this method and i was very impressed with the results

I second that...

 

[harwell]

Originally posted by Fitch
Furthermore, being "ready," is a FACTOR; so yes, it has something to do with it.

What's your body not "ready" for?? When is your body ever not ready for exercise after good night's sleep (assuming no injury)?

 

[MindOverMatter]

Doing cardio in the morning is a great way to burn fat...AND muscle.

As you know, cortisol is a body chemical responsible for breaking down protein in the muscles so it can be used for energy.

Cortisol levels normally rise and fall during the day in what is called a diurnal variation, so that cortisol is at its highest level between 6-8 A.M. and gradually falls, reaching its lowest point around midnight.

What does that mean? It means that if you do cardio in the morning, you are burning stored calories for energy, but a lot of those calories come from your protein stores in your muscles!

now, if you are just interested in losing weight and being skinny (and don't care if you lose muscle mass), morning cardio is the way to do it.

but if you just want to burn fat and preserve muscle mass, HIIT cardio late in the evening is the most efficient way to do it. You can find more information concerning cortisol, cortisol levels throught the day, and cortisol testing in these textbooks:

Cahill, Mathew. Handbook of Diagnostic Tests. Springhouse Corporation, 1995.
Jacobs, David S. Laboratory Test Handbook, Fourth Edition. Lexi-Comp Inc., 1996.
Pagana, Kathleen Deska. Mosby's Manual of Diagnostic and Laboratory Tests. Mosby, Inc., 1998.

 

[harwell]

Originally posted by MindOverMatter
What does that mean? It means that if you do cardio in the morning, you are burning stored calories for energy, but a lot of those calories come from your protein stores in your muscles![/i]

I thought the goal was to burn stored calories...

Yes i agree that you will be burning some muscle for fuel (which I believe can be truly minimized if your going about it properly), but i think that's where cardio ALONG with working out is essential.
Working out with some good weight will definitely help keep muscle loss to a minimum.

You may not be losing as much muscle working out in the evening, but at the end of the day after eating several meals, your body is full of fuel (glucose) ready to burn, meaning that's what your gonna be using for energy, not your stored fat...

I guess it all depends on your goals though. If your training to stay at your peak as an athlete then I definitely would do everything i could to prevent muscle loss. I myself and trying to reach a lower body fat and then pack on some good weight, so a small muscle loss isn't an issue.