1.  This has nothing to do with an empty stomach but everything to do with the morning. In general, we all know that “stuff” happens. You never know what your energy level or level of desire may be in the afternoon. If you plan, schedule and commit to morning workouts, whatever happens after that… it’s done. Period. So don’t overlook this very important point reason, which is a sense of accomplishment.

2.  Your body will be forced to look for energy when you work out in a fasted state. It’s trying to wake up too, so it will do what’s most convenient, which is to burn fat, because there aren’t a lot of stored glycogen reserves lying around. Your glycogen levels in your liver should be pretty low. During your exercise you will burn fat and sugar, fat may be burned at a higher pace. (It should be obvious that your style and intensity of exercise has everything to do with this as well. You can’t just go to the gym and chat for 60 minutes fasted and expect to burn fat.) We like High Intensity, Limited Time. In-out, when most people are still sleeping.

3.  In general, high levels of serum insulin promote eating (food cravings) and fat storage. Insulin should be at its lowest when you wake. So working out in the morning not only optimizes your fat burning but helps re-sensitize your insulin signaling as well. Remember, we want our hormones to work for us not against us. So deplete the glycogen (sugar) and prime the Growth Hormone. This is the key.

4.  You get to eat a nice healthy meal afterward and not feel guilty. In fact, you should only feel guilty if you skimp. Don’t pick, especially if you are exercising at a high intensity. Have a nice meal with lean protein meat, eggs, veggies, and a small amount of berries if you wish, along with some good fats. Remember your muscles will be like a built in ‘Fat Burning Flack Jacket,’ so feed them!

5.  Working out fasted in a morning routine allows you to save time by keeping your workouts short. Since you will run out of energy quicker, don’t do a long, wear-yourself-out routine. Warm-up, do weight resistive exercise at an intense level for you. Then, if you have a little in the tank, you can end with some more moderate movements for a bit. 30-40 minutes max. Some of our workouts are 15 minutes total.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Tags: workout routine