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SUMMARY First and foremost, it is shortsighted to enhance fat loss is flawed even when
look solely at how much fat is burned examining its impact on the amount of
THIS ARTICLE WILL REVIEW THE
during an exercise session. The human fat burned in the exercise session alone.
EFFICACY OF A COMMON FAT
body is very dynamic and continually True, multiple studies show that con-
BURNING STRATEGY EMPLOYED
adjusts its use of fat for fuel. Substrate sumption of carbohydrate before low-
BY BODYBUILDERS, ATHLETES, intensity aerobic exercise (up to
utilization is governed by a host of
AND FITNESS ENTHUSIASTS factors (i.e., hormonal secretions, en- approximately 60% Vo _ 2max) in un-
BASED ON CURRENT RESEARCH. zyme activity, transcription factors, trained subjects reduces the entry of
THIS STRATEGY IS TO PERFORM etc), and these factors can change by long-chain fatty acids in the mitochon-
CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE the moment (27). Thus, fat burning dria, thereby blunting fat oxidation
EARLY IN THE MORNING ON AN must be considered over the course of (1,14,18,28). This is attributed to an
EMPTY STOMACH. THE THEORY days—not on an hour-to-hour basis—to insulin-mediated attenuation of adi-
GIVEN FOR THIS STRATEGY IS get a meaningful perspective on its pose tissue lipolysis, an increased
THAT A SHIFT IN ENERGY UTILIZA- impact on body composition (13). As glycolytic flux, and a decreased expres-
TION AWAY FROM CARBOHY- a general rule, if you burn more sion of genes involved in fatty acid
DRATES OCCURS, THEREBY carbohydrate during a workout, you transport and oxidation (3,6,15). How-
ALLOWING GREATER MOBILIZA- inevitably burn more fat in the post- ever, both training status and aerobic
TION OF STORED FAT FOR FUEL. exercise period and vice versa. exercise intensity have been shown to
mitigate the effects of a pre-exercise
It should be noted that high-intensity
meal on fat oxidation (4,5,24). Recent
interval training (HIIT) has proven to research has shed light on the com-
common fat burning strategy
Copyright Ó National Strength and Conditioning Association Strength and Conditioning Journal | www.nsca-lift.org 23
Cardio After an Overnight Fast and Fat Loss
fasted for 12–14 hours before exercise It should also be noted that consump- more experienced trainees (12,16,22,31).
and for the duration of training. Results in tion of food before training increases It is estimated that nonplasma fatty acid
the low-intensity trials showed that the thermic effect of exercise. Lee et al. utilization during endurance exercise is
although lipolysis was suppressed by (19) compared the lipolytic effects of approximately twice that for trained
22% in the fed state compared with the an exercise bout in either a fasted state versus untrained individuals (24,32).
fasted state, fat oxidation remained or after consumption of a glucose/milk Hurley et al. (17) reported that the
similar between groups until 80–90 (GM) beverage. In a crossover design, contribution of IMTG stores in trained
minutes of cycling. Only after this point 4 experimental conditions were stud- individuals equated to approximately
was a greater fat oxidation rate observed ied: low-intensity long duration exer- 80% of the total body fat utilization
in fasted subjects. Conversely, during cise with GM, low-intensity long during 120 minutes of moderate-
moderate-intensity cycling, fat oxidation duration exercise without GM, high- intensity endurance training.
was not different between trials at any intensity short duration exercise with The important point here is that IMTG
time—this is despite a 20–25% reduction GM, and high-intensity short duration stores have no bearing on health and/or
in lipolysis and plasma Free fatty acid exercise without GM. Subjects were appearance; it is the subcutaneous fat
concentration. 10 male college students who per- stored in adipose tissue that influences
More recently, Febbraio et al. (9) formed all 4 exercise bouts in random body composition. Consequently, the
evaluated the effect of pre-exercise order on the same day. Results showed actual fat burning effects of any fitness
and during exercise carbohydrate con- that ingestion of the GM beverage strategy intended to increase fat oxida-
sumption on fat oxidation. Using resulted in a significantly greater excess tion must be taken in the context of
a crossover design, 7 endurance- postexercise oxygen consumption the specific adipose deposits providing
trained subjects cycled for 120 minutes compared with exercise performed in energy during exercise.
at approximately 63% of peak power a fasted state in both high- and low-
Another factor that must be considered
output, followed by a ‘‘performance intensity bouts. Other studies have pro-
when training in a fasted state is its
cycle’’ where subjects expended 7 duced similar findings, indicating a clear
impact on proteolysis. Lemon and
kJ/(kg body weight) by pedaling as thermogenic advantage associated with
Mullin (20) found that nitrogen losses
fast as possible. Trials were conducted pre-exercise food intake (7,11).
were more than doubled when training
on 4 separate occasions, with subjects The location of adipose tissue mobi- while glycogen depleted compared
given (a) a placebo before and during lized during training must also be taken with glycogen loaded. This resulted
training, (b) a placebo 30 minutes into account here. During low-to- in a protein loss estimated at 10.4% of
before training and then a carbohydrate moderate intensity training performed the total caloric cost of exercise after
beverage every 15 minutes throughout at a steady state, the contribution of fat _ 2max. This
1 hour of cycling at 61% Vo
exercise, (c) a carbohydrate beverage
as a fuel source equates to approxi- would suggest that performing cardio-
30 minutes before training and then
mately 40–60% of total energy expen- vascular exercise while fasting might
a placebo during exercise, or (d)
diture (30). However, in untrained not be advisable for those seeking to
a carbohydrate beverage both before
subjects, only about 50–70% of this maximize muscle mass.
and every 15 minutes during exercise.
fat is derived from plasma Free fatty
The study was carried out in a double- Finally, the effect of fasting on energy
acids; the balance comes from intra- levels during exercise ultimately has an
blind fashion with trials performed in
muscular triglycerides (IMTG) (30). effect on fat burning. Training early in
random order. Consistent with previous
research, results showed no evidence of IMTG are stored as lipid droplets in the morning on an empty stomach
impaired fat oxidation associated with the sarcoplasm near the mitochondria makes it very difficult for an individual
consumption of carbohydrate either (2), with the potential to provide to train at even a moderate level of
before or during exercise. approximately two-thirds the available intensity. Attempting to engage in
energy of muscle glycogen (32). Similar a HIIT style routine in a hypoglycemic
Taken together, these studies show
to muscle glycogen, IMTG can only be state almost certainly will impair
that during moderate-to-high intensity
oxidized locally within the muscle. It is performance (33). Studies show that
cardiovascular exercise in a fasted
state—and for endurance-trained indi- estimated that IMTG stores are ap- a pre-exercise meal allows an individual
viduals regardless of training intensity— proximately 3 times greater in type I to train more intensely compared with
significantly more fat is broken down versus type II muscle fibers (8,21,31), exercise while fasting (25). The net
than that the body can use for fuel. Free and lipolysis of these stores are max- result is that a greater number of calories
fatty acids that are not oxidized imally stimulated when exercising at are burned both during and after
65% Vo_ 2max (24). physical activity, heightening fat loss.
ultimately become re-esterified in ad-
ipose tissue, nullifying any lipolytic The body increases IMTG stores with In conclusion, the literature does not
benefits afforded by pre-exercise consistent endurance training, which support the efficacy of training early in
fasting. results in a greater IMTG utilization for the morning on an empty stomach as