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Have you ever tried getting up first thing in the morning and exercising? If doing this burned additional fat, would you consider doing it? But what if you could burn more fat with morning cardio on empty stomach? To summarize, certain research indicates that fasted cardio and sometimes fasted exercises trigger additional elimination of fat. Debates do continue, however, as there are some who firmly hold exercise on empty stomach is not as intense owing to the lack of energy, and as such cannot be as effective. Some opponents even claim exercise on empty stomach could negatively impact your workout and lead to muscle loss. So, what is the truth?

The main argument for performing morning cardio is that your body has reduced glycogen (carb) levels meaning that you will burn fat faster. If you’ve ever heard trainers say that you need to perform 20 minutes of cardio before you start burning fat, this is the implicit reason why. If you eat first thing before exercising, your body’s glycogen stores will be full and you will have to burn through those before beginning fat burning. Of course, this theory doesn’t just apply to morning cardio. If you do cardio exercises or weight lifting after fasting (going between 3 and 4 hours between meals) you will receive the same fat elimination advantages. In theory, mornings work best because your body has had all night to deplete glycogen.

But as with any study, absolutes can rarely be trusted without bias. There are a few general questions about the effectiveness of fasted cardio. Some people theorize that whether you burn glycogen or burn fat, you’re still burning calories. The simple equation for weight loss is to burn more calories than you eat. So, fasted cardio is not going to give you better results than any other exercise. Other people think that glycogen does not lessen when you are asleep. They wonder if the body is able to use glycogen when it is asleep and not in motion.

Additionally, some people just naturally struggle to exercise first thing in the morning. Convenience can be a big deterrent. Right after the birth of my child, I did not do morning cardio for a long time because my body wanted more sleep. Even now, I don’t perform strength training in the morning. Muscles are tighter in the morning, and for many people there simply isn’t I can perform cardio more readily since I get a nice warm-up from taking my dog for a walk around the neighborhood.

There are a couple myths about fasted workout that must be addressed. One of the myths is that you will not be able to work out intensely if you have not eaten. The reason this is important is that more intense exercise results in EPOC and a significant calorie after burn effect. This is the principle behind high intensity interval training workouts (HIIT). That being said, from a personal standpoint, I sprint just as fast in the morning as I do at night. There is no change in intensity, even on intermittent fasting days. There’s even a theory that fasted workouts can be more intense due to the fight or flight reaction. Basically, the body shifts into a higher gear to give you the additional energy you need to complete the exercise.

Another myth of morning cardio is the risk of muscle loss. I completely disagree with this as well. Many bodybuilders ensure they have plenty of protein and carbs in their systems to provide their bodies will muscle building nutrients. But, these people generally eat all the time, so they are never in a position to workout without having eaten. However, there’s no reason for this type of calorie injection prior to working out. As long as you’re adequately nourished over the course of the day and continue lifting heavier weights, you won’t lose muscle. If you start to plateau and find that you lift less and less, then muscle loss might be a concern. If you’ve recently lost a lot of weight in a short amount of time, this is more likely to be the cause of muscle loss than fasted workouts or morning cardio.

While the results of current studies on exercise on empty stomach remain inconclusive, there’s no reason why you should not give fasted cardio a try. You could accelerate the rate at which you burn fat. At worst, you’ll continue to burn calories that you would have burned by exercising at a different time of day. Your exercises will not be any less intense, and you will not decrease your muscle mass. I just started doing cardio on empty stomach like I used to do. It’s definitely a great way to start the day.