Quote Originally Posted by KobyOne View Post
Damn! That’s great info 300, thanks bro. I am not a bodybuilder (I wish), but I am a boxer so cardio is a must for me. I don’t run so much anymore as I use my cardio time to do pads and bag drills. But doing heavy weights in the am and boxing in the pm is why I eat like a horse.

I do have another question for you; I workout in the mornings on an empty stomach (only a pre-workout drink) then have a shake loaded with Isolate and Glycogen after. Is this counter-productive? I heard that working out on an empty stomach will help on shedding fat too, but I don’t want my body to eat protein, like at all, so am I doing the right thing? I don’t eat a big supper either so I don’t know how much carbs or glycogen my body has stored up for my morning workouts. If necessary I will start having a breakfast before my workouts. What are your thoughts?I really appreciate your help.

KObyOne
The advice is general and it really doesn't matter whether you are a bodybuilder or not. For the most part the body responds the same way under given circumstances. I guess though that being a bodybuiler myself, some of my answers or tips seem to be geared towards the goals of someone in that niche. But it will work just the same no matter what you are trying to do.

As far as your question goes............... If you are weight training in the morning than I recommend that you eat a full breakfast.

Your body is going to burn anything and everything including protein. There is nothing to do about this. The idea you are thinking of involves bodybuilders doing cardio in the morning on an empty stomach to burn fat. Not weight training. In my personal oppinion, I do not believe that there is any merit to this so called myth or bro-logic. I have not seen any evidence to support this idea and at the current time think that it is BS. Losing fat works by calorie expenditure. That's it. SIMPLE right? Yes there are ways to trick your body a bit or drugs that can be used but beyond that it is as simple as calories in vs. calories out. The rest is hyped up magazine articles and guys who can't even begin to understand why they look the way they do.

Here's why you should eat the full meal:

In general biochemistry it is known that insulin and nitrogen uptake is not regulated by times or meal frequency but by what is consumed by a body coming out of a fasting state. The term breakfast is just that. Breaking the fast of night when you sleep.

So the first meal of the day now becomes a vital time to take advantage of nutrient uptake. After your first meal most meals following are at a 60-70% uptake or change in insulin and nitrogen retention. It does not matter if you take amino tabs every two hours or if you eat 10 meals, your body's uptake of nutrients will not change. It typically takes about 5 hours to reactivate nitrogen retention.

What does this mean to you? Simple. Eat a full meal containing protein, fat and carbs in the morning. This will give your body ample amount of nutrients to aid in your workout. Shakes even mass gainer varieties, tend to be depleted of things like phytonutrients that whole foods contain. I am not saying that shakes are no good but food is best when you can afford the time to eat it.

I recommend you allow at least 45mins. between your 1st meal and your workout. Being lethargic is no better than being hungry.

Hope this clears up any confusion.