Hey what's up guys, Sean Nalewanyj here of EliteImpactLabs.com and today I just want
to talk a little bit about how to structure your pre-cardio meal to maximize your losses
in body fat.
So the question of what to eat before cardio is usually met with a pretty wide variety
of answers.
Some will recommend performing your cardio on a completely empty stomach, others will
tell you to consume some protein but no carbs, while others will say that a small meal containing
both protein and carbs is going to be ideal.
But what’s the real answer here?
Well, the real answer here is that there really is no “best” answer.
In fact, there’s really no need at all to worry about the specific foods or liquids
that you consume leading up to your cardio workout.
The human body is a highly complex and dynamic machine, and trying to influence the type
of fuel that it uses during exercise, whether it be carbs or fat, is honestly just a waste
of your time and your effort.
For example, fasted cardio makes sense in theory because it would seem logical that
the body would be forced to break down more stored fat for fuel since there is no food
in the stomach.
However, as I talked about in a previous video lesson, the research has shown that fasted
cardio does not result in a greater amount of net fat loss, and that it may actually
may be inferior since it decreases the thermic effect of exercise and often reduces training
intensity as well.
Another example is consuming a protein shake only and no carbs and the logic here being
that your body will spare more muscle and turn to fat since no carbs are present for
energy, but this is also wrong because if your body does require carbohydrates for fuel
during your cardio sessions, it's simply going to turn to its glycogen reserves, which is
the stored form of carbohydrates in your muscles and your liver.
On top of this we also know that the type of fuel that is used during your cardio sessions
is not necessarily indicative of its overall effects on your bottom line fat loss.
For example, low intensity, long duration cardio burns a greater percentage of fat during
the actual session in comparison to high intensity, low duration cardio, which mainly uses carbohydrates.
However, high intensity, low duration cardio results in a significantly greater amount
of total net fat loss due to the longer lasting effect that it has on your resting metabolic
rate.
So when it all comes down to it, fat loss is dictated by net energy balance which is
calories consumed versus calories burned and NOT by nitty-gritty details such as the specifics
of your pre-cardio meal.
So the answer here is actually very simple and that is to eat whatever you want and spaced
as far or as close to your cardio session as you want, based on what maximizes your
own personal performance, your stomach comfort during the actual workout and your overall
motivation and how it fits into your meal plan.
If that means a simple whey protein shake 1 hour before, fine.
If it means a solid meal of cottage cheese and fruit 2 hours before, fine.
If it means a full on plate of chicken and rice an hour before, fine.
It’s a highly individual thing and it's going to vary quite a bit from person to person,
so it really just comes down to your own individual preference.
Just remember, fat loss is the result of the cumulative effect of maintaining a net calorie
deficit over time and not by what happens in short blocks of 20 to 45 minutes a few
times per week.
When it comes to your fat burning nutrition, focus on the big picture.
As long as your pre cardio meal fits into your overall diet as a whole, the specifics
of that meal are really just a non-issue.
So I hope you found the information in this video lesson useful today.
If you did enjoy the video, as always, please make sure to hit the Like button, leave a
comment and subscribe to stay up to date on future video lessons and also make sure to
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Thanks again for watching this video.
I appreciate all the support and I'll talk to you again soon with more free tips.