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hey fellas.....I am a bit confused about this one, after watching some youtube videos some people are for working out on empty stomach.....some say it increases growth hormone...others say its ok if you have body fat...not ok if you are skin and bones....which I am not, got plenty of stomach mid section fat!
should I just do whatever makes me feel best and forgot about rules?
cheers fellas.
A lot of BroScience is out there - I don’t know if working out on an empty stomach really brings any benefits, but if it does, it’s probably quite small.
If being hungry while you work out makes it torture to work out, is that worth a hypothetical 0.5% benefit to muscle growth? If you’re trying to become a pro bodybuilder (in which case, you need to be about 14 years old, so you can hit your natural limit by the end of high school) then maybe it’s worth it. If you’re a pro athlete, it’s probably worth it. But if you’re 20+ years old and are not a professional athlete, then who cares about such a minor, trivial edge? It might not even be a real edge, it could just be Bro Science.
For what it’s worth, sumo wrestlers train for 4 hours in the morning, on an empty stomach, then eat a huge meal of chanko nabe, and nap for a few hours. It helps them gain weight more easily - but if you don’t want to get fatter, maybe it’s best not to be ultra hungry while working out, and overeating afterwards.
I workout on an empty stomach every morning. Hasn’t hindered gains to my knowledge or limited weight loss or anything. Not sure that it’s helped either, nor do I think it honestly matter.
Totally depends on your metabolism, imo. I burn calories lightning fast and and my blood sugar gets very low, no way I'm lifting heavy without something in my stomach. Some people swear by it though
I have to eat a lot before the days I work out. when I'm at a lower weight my lifting suffers. in terms of gains though if I lift big after and eat big it's fine.
Personally I don't eat until noon, because that's when I get hungry. I always lift on an empty stomach because I don't have digestion slowing me down. Because of this, my workouts are better. The other thing there is you're not actually using the food you eat right before you lift anyway. It takes energy from your body to process it and it doesn't become usable for almost three quarters of a day or so.Quote:
Originally Posted by joelander
I also look at nature concerning this. Most animals hunt on an empty stomach. Most wild tribes of people do as well. It's only recently in evolutionary terms that we always have food on demand. When the stomach is empty and the body isn't digesting, your senses are sharper, your head is clearer and all of your energy can be put into the task at hand, whether it's chasing down the animal you just hit, or throwing the iron around.
Way back when I would always eat before training. It wasn't until a few years ago I realized I actually performed better without a stomach full of food.