Running in the morning?

blueshoe

Senior member
Mar 6, 2005
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Is it a good idea to go for a run (2 or 3 miles) before eating breakfast in the morning? I've heard that you burn more fat this way...but only from one person.

So is this better for you, or worse?
 

daveymark

Lifer
Sep 15, 2003
10,573
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depends on what your targeted results are. for fat burning, it's better to not eat. for endurance/training, well...you wouldn't be asking this question if it was for endurance/training.
 

daveymark

Lifer
Sep 15, 2003
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Originally posted by: Alprazolam
Haven't been any significant results showing that it actually is better.

Dr. Mel Siff, Author of Facts and Fallacies of Fitness and moderator of the Supertraining Yahoo forum, included a brief section in his book called "Slim Before Breakfast." He quoted a study lending support to the a.m. cardio theory. Dr. Siff wrote;

"A study carried out at Kansas State University (Wilcox, Harford & Wedel Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, 17:2, 1985), indicates that a kilogram of fat will be oxidized sooner when exercising in the fasted condition in the morning than when doing the same exercise in the afternoon. By measuring respiratory gas exchange, caloric expenditure, and carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism, these researchers showed that the mass of fat burned during aerobic exercise amounts to 67% of the total energy expenditure achieved when the same exercise is done later in the day or in the fed state."

the above was from a fitness webstie, i forget which one


OTOH there are other studies saying muscle is negatively affected when doing cardio in a fasted state. There are theories supporting both sides. I tend to lean toward the idea that cardio in a fasted state is a good way to burn fat. Combine this with wieght resistance training, and the muscle loss argument does not become as much of a problem.
 

fool10

Member
Jun 1, 2003
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You do burn more fat in the morning. From what I heard it is because it speeds up your metabolism early in the morning and keeps it elevated during breakfast and possibly lunch. If you have the time, I would reccomend it.

-fool
 

daveymark

Lifer
Sep 15, 2003
10,573
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Originally posted by: fool10
You do burn more fat in the morning. From what I heard it is because it speeds up your metabolism early in the morning and keeps it elevated during breakfast and possibly lunch. If you have the time, I would reccomend it.

-fool

yep. metabolism drops and is at its lowest during sleep, so If you do cardio at night, you will notice less results
 

Koing

Elite Member <br> Super Moderator<br> Health and F
Oct 11, 2000
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Do it if you can wake up. Your body's carb sugar levels will be at their lowest. You run like this and you will lean out faster.

I ran 6x a week for 6 weeks in the morning and got ripped. I ran a good 45minutes and felt wrecked when I got home and had to nap :p. This was in my holidays when I was studying so no work.

Koing
 

JDrake

Banned
Dec 27, 2005
10,246
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Originally posted by: Koing
Do it if you can wake up. Your body's carb sugar levels will be at their lowest. You run like this and you will lean out faster.

I ran 6x a week for 6 weeks in the morning and got ripped. I ran a good 45minutes and felt wrecked when I got home and had to nap :p. This was in my holidays when I was studying so no work.

Koing
What if you don't want to get skinny?
 

SVT Cobra

Lifer
Mar 29, 2005
13,264
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Definately yes, I do it when cutting, and it works well. Eat a good dinner the night before (with carbs so your body can store them), wake up, drink a protein shake, make sure you are well hydrated, go running, come back and eat a good breakfast.

It definately speeds up your metabolism and gets you going for the rest of the day.
 

yobarman

Lifer
Jan 11, 2001
11,642
1
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Originally posted by: joedrake
I wouldn't
you're gonna be starving when you get home

The whole point is that its before breakfast... he'd eat when he gets home.
 

Koing

Elite Member <br> Super Moderator<br> Health and F
Oct 11, 2000
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Originally posted by: joedrake
Originally posted by: Koing
Do it if you can wake up. Your body's carb sugar levels will be at their lowest. You run like this and you will lean out faster.

I ran 6x a week for 6 weeks in the morning and got ripped. I ran a good 45minutes and felt wrecked when I got home and had to nap :p. This was in my holidays when I was studying so no work.

Koing
What if you don't want to get skinny?

I think the OP wants to lean down and this would work if he can do it in the mornings.

He won't get too skinny, he'll lean down if he does this.

Koing
 

hookinitup

Member
Jan 26, 2005
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was talkin about exersize with a colleague of mine today who is an ex-olympian (competed in track events...dunno which ones exactly, but i know one of them was the hurdles). he said if u eat food make sure u allow 2hrs prior to running. ofcourse this differs some what from person to person...but it's a general rule. best practice to run before eating anything...but make sure u r well hydrated.
 

Kadarin

Lifer
Nov 23, 2001
44,296
16
81
Originally posted by: Koing
Do it if you can wake up. Your body's carb sugar levels will be at their lowest. You run like this and you will lean out faster.

I ran 6x a week for 6 weeks in the morning and got ripped. I ran a good 45minutes and felt wrecked when I got home and had to nap :p. This was in my holidays when I was studying so no work.

Koing

The US Army follows this school of thought as well. Run first thing in the morning after formation, then have breakfast. It works extremely well.
 

ValkyrieofHouston

Golden Member
Sep 26, 2005
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No, you will burn muscle if you do this. You need to eat before your run, but done run right after you eat. Give yourself at least 30 minutes after your meal then do your run. You need carbs for run and some protein. Google is your friend...:)
 

SVT Cobra

Lifer
Mar 29, 2005
13,264
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Originally posted by: ValkyrieofHouston
No, you will burn muscle if you do this. You need to eat before your run, but done run right after you eat. Give yourself at least 30 minutes after your meal then do your run. You need carbs for run and some protein. Google is your friend...:)

Wrong, thats for someone training, not just tryng to burn fat. That's why I reccomend only a protein shake, but even then it does not matter. Your body is in a different state first thing in the morning, and if you use your advice and go use google, you will see that it hardly matters.
 

eits

Lifer
Jun 4, 2005
25,015
3
81
www.integratedssr.com
Originally posted by: blueshoe
Is it a good idea to go for a run (2 or 3 miles) before eating breakfast in the morning? I've heard that you burn more fat this way...but only from one person.

So is this better for you, or worse?

yes. that's the best time of the entire day to run, biologically. it's better for you.
 

SWScorch

Diamond Member
May 13, 2001
9,520
1
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If you can wake up enough and aren't too hungry to do it, go for it. It won't hurt you, and no, you won't burn muscle. As far as I know, you have to be running serious mileage to burn muscle (I'm talking 50+ miles). Also, running in the morning tends to cut down injuries as your body is well-rested and your joints and cartilage haven't squished or worn out from the daily activities.
 

glenn beck

Platinum Member
Oct 6, 2004
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Originally posted by: SWScorch
If you can wake up enough and aren't too hungry to do it, go for it. It won't hurt you, and no, you won't burn muscle. As far as I know, you have to be running serious mileage to burn muscle (I'm talking 50+ miles). Also, running in the morning tends to cut down injuries as your body is well-rested and your joints and cartilage haven't squished or worn out from the daily activities.

not true it goes by how long you have ran usually anything past 45 minutes and you start to lose muscle. I can't run in the morning everytime I have tries midway I have to take a monster crap.
 

SWScorch

Diamond Member
May 13, 2001
9,520
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Originally posted by: glenn beck
Originally posted by: SWScorch
If you can wake up enough and aren't too hungry to do it, go for it. It won't hurt you, and no, you won't burn muscle. As far as I know, you have to be running serious mileage to burn muscle (I'm talking 50+ miles). Also, running in the morning tends to cut down injuries as your body is well-rested and your joints and cartilage haven't squished or worn out from the daily activities.

not true it goes by how long you have ran usually anything past 45 minutes and you start to lose muscle. I can't run in the morning everytime I have tries midway I have to take a monster crap.

are you sure about that? I run 8-10 miles a day and lift twice a week and since I started lifting I've gained weight and muscle mass. I was under the impression that muscle is the absolute last thing your body will use for fuel, after blood sugar, liver glucose and fat. And I know for a fact that glucose (in the blood and liver) provides enough fuel for 2 hours of running, hence "the Wall" that many marathoners hit when their body runs out of sugar to metabolize. But, I've never actually researched this whole thing so I I'm just going by stuff I've heard.
 

JS80

Lifer
Oct 24, 2005
26,271
7
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Originally posted by: ValkyrieofHouston
No, you will burn muscle if you do this. You need to eat before your run, but done run right after you eat. Give yourself at least 30 minutes after your meal then do your run. You need carbs for run and some protein. Google is your friend...:)

Misinformation FTL...Google doesn't always give you the right answers. You have to use edumucation and logic to come to the right conclusions.


You will burn the MOST fat (% wise - fat to carbs ratio) during which the most time has surpassed since you've last eaten, which is when you wake up before breakfast. When you eat, your insulin level rises, and when that happens your body will use carbs more than fat.

However, it's much harder (physically and mentally) to exercise in the morning because (obviously) you have to have energy (=carbs). Some people may be better off eating a little bit because they will be able to last longer and even though they'll burn a less percentage of fat they will work out longer and burn more fat quantity.

If you have the discipline to do it, exercise before breakfast.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
72,342
32,889
136
I walk four miles before breakfast most Summer mornings. It is too hot later in the day.