Is Cardio First Thing In The Morning Good?

When I do cardio I am usually doing so with the intention of burning fat, and I think most people would say the same. There is some debate amongst gym goers about when the best time to do your cardio is. After you lift weights? Before dinner? Many people believe that the best time to do your cardio is first thing in the morning. This seemed to make sense to me, since this is when most people would have the least food in their system. Some people have said to me that they don’t get the same level of performance if they do it first thing. I wasn’t sure, so I thought I’d do a little digging to find out for sure.

So, is cardio first thing in the morning good? There’s a couple of answers to this. Yes, doing cardio at any time during your day is going to be beneficial. Specifically, performing your cardio first thing in the morning in a fasted state will burn more fat during the workout than if it was done later in the day after you have eaten one or more meals. However, in the long run, the calories-in, calories-out school of thought holds that the time of day will not make a difference in your results as long as the calories are restricted.

It feels more effective and I have always been a fan of this cardio at this time of day. There are a number of benefits from doing cardio in the morning before you eat, read on and we’ll discuss those.

Is It Good To Do Cardio In The Morning On An Empty Stomach?

When you work out first thing in the morning, assuming you have not consumed any calories and had a full night’s sleep, you will have depleted glycogen in your blood. This means that you will be burning more fat per calorie, but you will feel more sluggish and will probably work out at a lower intensity than if you did it later in the day after feeding.

There are some other benefits to working out in the morning. Especially if you haven’t eaten since a sensible dinner time of no later than 7 pm, or 11-12 hours before your morning workout.

After this amount of time has passed since your meal, you are truly in a fasted state. Your insulin has dropped way down, and the world-famous ketones have kicked in! This means that you are now burning fat primarily for fuel instead of carbohydrate as blood glycogen. Which in turn means that you will be burning primarily body fat during your workout.

Here are some of the advantages of fasted morning cardio versus fed morning cardio:

Fasted Morning Cardio	Fed Morning Cardio
Burn more fat per calorie	Burn calories from food and fat
Empty Stomach, feel lighter	Work out with higher intensity
Exploit low insulin level	Lower your blood sugar faster
Metabolic Boost for the day	Metabolic boost for the Day

What Are The Benefits Of Fasted Cardio In The Morning?

Doing your cardio in a fasted state, which you would certainly be in after 12 hours without food, more of your calories burned will come from fat deposits on your body.

Also, when you exercise with food in your system you are more likely to feel some stomach discomfort, especially when you are engaging in more vigorous exercise.

In general, working out in the morning has a number of positive points, regardless of whether you are fasted or not. These include a number of psychological as well as physiological benefits. Improved mood, better digestion, and lower blood pressure are just a few of many.

Why Cardio In The Morning Is Better

“Better” is a pretty subjective term. Some of the benefits of morning cardio are a matter of personal preference, and for the most part doing cardio is great for you no matter when you do it during your waking hours.

This being said, some of the advantages reported by those who prefer a morning cardio session are:

• Feeling energized throughout the day
• Improved Mood
• Feeling of accomplishment to start the day
• Reluctance to cheating on your diet because your workout will be “wasted”
• Get it out of the way as soon as possible (like doing homework as soon as you get home from school)

Is Fasted Cardio Better Than Fed Cardio In The Morning?

You may be able to workout with more intensity if you eat breakfast before your morning cardio. This way you will get the intensity benefits of fed cardio, and the metabolic benefits of exercise for the whole day.

Of course, frosted flakes and milk might not be a good idea before a run, but a protein shake or some eggs might give you a welcome energy boost to help you crank it up a notch.

Regardless, many people find that cardio on an empty stomach is more enjoyable and that the immediate fat burning benefits make it a preferable choice. After all, most people are pressed for time in the morning, and who wants to go running with a full belly?

What If I’m Doing Intermittent Fasting (IF)? Is Morning Cardio Good Then?

Intermittent fasting has become very popular in recent years, with some high-profile Hollywood actors attributing their movie physiques to this dietary practice. It involves restricting all eating to a specific window of time each day. The format can vary, but it’s usually a 8, 6, or 4 hour window. This means that the individual will be fasting for 16, 18, or 20 hours each day. In this case, the morning may be mid-fast for them. So doing cardio in the morning will help you burn more fat, make you feel energized, and supercharge your metabolism for the rest of the day.

Another consideration is that in this case, exercise may be more difficult in the afternoon before your first meal as you will have been without food for a long time and may feel lower energy. However, this is when insulin is at its lowest and you can burn more fat.

Many people who practice intermittent fasting report feeling very energized and have no problem getting through their workout, others prefer to have their first meal before doing any strenuous exercise. It’s really matter of choice for the individual.

Related Questions:

Is it better to lift or run in the morning?

When you’ve decided to make a morning workout a part of your regular routine, the choice between whether to do cardio or weights is obviously a matter of personal preference according to your goals. Assuming that you are doing both weight training and cardio during the same days, most would agree that it would be better to do the cardio in the morning on an empty stomach, and the weight training later in the day after a one (or a few) meal(s). This way, you can get the maximal fat burning potential from your cardio, but get a stronger performance with the weights.

Is lifting in the morning bad?

Lifting weights in the morning is a not bad. It is actually a good idea because it gives you a metabolic boost for the rest of the day, more so than cardio. Also, your testosterone levels peak in the morning after your body has regenerated it during your night’s sleep. You may be able to tap into that to get a better performance in the gym than you might have later in the day. However, you my need some planning depending on you personal situation with work etc. For instance, a heavy leg day before going to work if you’re a construction worker going up ladders and such might not be a great idea. But in most cases, lifting weights is the morning is a great idea.