Is it good to exercise on an empty stomach?

Many people decide to exercise on an empty stomach for different reasons. Some do it due to lack of time, others because they think it is actually more beneficial. And this is when we ask ourselves, is it really good to exercise on an empty stomach?

As has been demonstrated through different studies, exercising on an empty stomach can offer us some advantages. But to enjoy these benefits, certain conditions must be met. If not done correctly, exercising on an empty stomach can cause some problems.

To know if exercising on an empty stomach really interests us or not, the first thing we need to be clear about is how the body obtains energy. When exercise is demanding, the body gets that energy through glycogen and the fat stored in the body.

When we exercise before breakfast, many hours have passed since the last food intake. This means that glycogen stores are really low. This causes the body to have to rely on fat to move, which is why many people want to exercise on an empty stomach to consume stored fats more quickly.

Advantages of exercising on an empty stomach

The information we are going to present below has been obtained through various studies. Through them, we have been able to verify that fat burning is much higher when exercising before breakfast.

With these studies, it has been verified that exercising on an empty stomach directly helps reduce body fat. This is because the body obtains that energy directly from fat and not from glycogen.

For example, through the study conducted by the University of Cambridge, it was found that athletes who exercised before breakfast experienced a 20% greater fat loss than the loss that occurred when exercising after breakfast. This was a finding that caught the experts' attention and has since been corroborated through our studies.

Other studies have demonstrated that exercising on an empty stomach forces the body to burn fat out of habit. Thanks to this habit, fat loss is much more effective when exercising on an empty stomach, that is, there is an improvement in metabolic efficiency.

But as we have been able to verify, exercising on an empty stomach not only helps burn fat much more easily. It also helps improve insulin sensitivity, while it is being investigated whether helps increase the secretion of the growth hormone. This last section is still under study, although the initial data obtained indicate that it could be a reality.

Disadvantages of exercising on an empty stomach

Not everything can be advantages when it comes to exercising on an empty stomach, and we will demonstrate this throughout this section. According to the latest data obtained from various studies, we can conclude that exercising on an empty stomach is accompanied by a much lower performance. For this reason, experts recommend not doing too much exercise on an empty stomach or after going many hours without eating. At most, moderate exercise should be done.

When we exercise without glycogen, we can see how two negative consequences occur, which we show below.

Firstly the process called gluconeogenesis is activated. For this process to occur, the body obtains proteins from the muscles, which it breaks down to then produce the glycogen it needs to continue functioning properly. This means we are burning muscle fat and as you can imagine, that is not desirable for many people. When muscle fat is burned, what happens is that the muscles weaken and lose size. When that happens, the muscle not only loses elegance, it is also much more prone to injuries such as tears or other injuries.

Secondly, there is a higher risk of the dreaded collapse occurring. When the body begins to collapse, what occurs are side effects. For example, cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, confusion, and in the worst cases even loss of consciousness can begin to appear. If the exercise is too intense and the body is not prepared, these symptoms can put the athlete's life at risk.

To avoid reaching those limits, it is recommended to practice exercise on an empty stomach in moderation. Not forgetting that burning fat is not synonymous with losing weight. It is important to keep that detail in mind because many athletes can become frustrated when they do not see the expected results after the effort. We mention this because weight is not lost only by exercising, but also through diet. If more calories are consumed than burned, then the body will always tend to gain weight.

Exercise on an empty stomach always with moderate intensity

After seeing the pros and cons of exercising on an empty stomach, we can realize that if practiced, it should always be done with moderate intensity. Exercising on an empty stomach helps lose weight, as long as it is done correctly.

As has been demonstrated through different studies, exercising on an empty stomach can yield positive results as long as the physical activity is of moderate or low intensity. If the intensity is high, the results will not be as expected and the risk of health problems will be very high.

One thing is clear, if as an athlete you plan to make a high effort, the best thing you can do is have breakfast and then exercise. With food intake, the body will have more energy and consequently, the body can be pushed much harder. Even when the goal is to lose weight, it is recommended to have breakfast, even if the number of calories consumed is not very high. This way, the body will be better prepared for exercise. Remember, the real trick to losing weight is to exercise and have a proper diet.