.
the success of your cardio depends on the intensity of it moreso than the duration - i've known people to go to the gym and absolutely torture themselves for 40 minutes leaving a puddle of sweat and occasionally other bodily fluids in their wake and i've seen people come and park their fat arse on the exercise bike for 2 hours. you can probably guess who saw the most weight loss. there's an optimal fat burning zone and if you're not panting for breath then you're probably not in it.
I cant vouch for this more. This is the truth right here. God, i have thrown up from some of my more extreme cardio days, but the results are oh so worth the pain i felt from pushing myself to give my cardio workouts my absolute best. Also please take the time to learn and realize when you've simple pushed yourself TOO FAR. If you achieve it, then bask in your puddle of sweat and puke from your job well done, but also learn to listen to your body and achieve that safely. Always remember to keep yourself hydrated as well.
No. exercising whilst fasted doesn't burn more fat. it's all about overall intake during the whole day.
Sorry, but i am going to have to contest this. in the past it was popularly believed and advocated in fitness magazines all over that exercise, more specifically, cardio focused exercises, tend to burn more fat when in a fasted state. the idea was that with nothing else for your body to turn to, it would start breaking down and using up your fat reserves. at least that was the foundation that whole movement was built upon.
in recent years however, the other side has been speaking up against exercising on an empty stomach. Now really for every maybe 2-3 articles and research i could find done in favor of exercising on an empty stomach, i can find 1-2 of the opposition. Both sides make arguments which should be read by the individual trying to decide which method to use because which you choose should be decided by the results you want at the end of it all.
Do keep in mind that there are downsides to working out on an empty stomach though, the big one obviously being muscle loss because although the body may turn to your fat reserves and break them down for energy, it also turns to muscle and breaks IT down as well in order to fuel you throughout your workout. In my eyes that alone makes it not worth it. Also you only truly benefit from any exercise done on an empty stomach IF you can power yourself through it. By that i mean that working out on an empty stomach usually translates to a less intensified workout. You dont have the benefit of having something in your stomach to fuel you through that rigorous run, therefor you end up having a less intensity cardio workout and you end up burning less calories. In fact it makes no sense to torture yourself through that workout if you are burning less calories at the end of the day.
My personal experience:
on my weight loss journey i tried a lot of things in an effort to mix things up and find better and more effective ways to achieve my goals (That should be the most important thing you take away from all this by the way. The fact that trying out different things in order to find what works better for you, and mixing things up in general). I tried doing my cardio on an empty stomach and doing it in the mornings before eating anything, and let me tell you, that did not last long. Dont get me wrong, it did work for me. can i honestly say that i lost more weight that way? yes, oh God yes. i ate afterwards of course, i wasn't starving myself necessarily. The reason why it didnt last too long for me was the effects of using such a method. My cardio workouts were very intense to begin with, and they lasted an hour at least with no breaks, so when i started doing them without the usual help of having some food in me before the workout, i started to notice i was pooping out way too early and there wasnt as much intensity. my workouts were shit in comparison to when i ate, so i decided to just dig deep and just will my way through my workouts. it was hell because i already had to dig deep on a normal day, but to give as much intensity on an empty stomach required me to dig so deep i still don't know how i managed to do it. it was on a whole new level, and this is where those "effects" i didnt like started coming into the picture and ultimately made me stop exercising on an empty stomach and go back to previous methods.
The Effects: after somehow being able to still put out such intensity in my workouts on an empty stomach, i would feel very dizzy afterwards. It would range from "i just had to sit down it was that bad" to "PASSING OUT, YES". the human body is not meant to perform with such intensity with no real fuel, and when you push it to do what it's not built to do, i guess i should never have been surprised at those extreme effects i experienced. Yes i lost more weight during that small period, yes the scale showed the difference in progress, but i also felt the muscle i was losing when i went in for days i worked with weights. the point is, overall it worked for me at least, but the effects were not worth it for me or my personal goals so i stopped.
What's your opinions on elliptical machines in comparison to running outdoors? Looking at using it for days where I can't get outdoors and to give my knees a rest sometimes, not a replacement
I do this exact same thing. Do not even worry yourself about not running outside 100% of the time and taking a few days to run on an elliptical machine instead. I am also sure your knees appreciate that you are thinking about them. If and when the weather is lovely outside though, then you are better off going for a run outside instead, but even then, dont beat yourself too much over it.
And once last thing, nice job Minwu. #feelsogood
