Pros & Cons to cardio first thing in the morning

There is no right answer. Lots of people do fasted cardio. I do it on the weekends.

Ultimately, you have to find what works best for you and your time and body. As long as you aren't noticing any negatives keep doing it. In the end whatever your goal is it boils down to diet and exercising consistency.

 

Drink water

 

Everybody is different. The only thing the same is: DRINK LOTS OF WATER!!!!!

 

On an empty stomach, look into taking a supplement ketone. It provides faster burn of fat and
Is a natural occurring element that happens in the liver that burns fat when there are no carbs to burn. If you do not eat, take this before your walk

 

When I'm on Army time I almost exclusively work out at zero dark thirty with nothing in my stomach, and tend to feel a lot better the rest of the day.

At home though, it's usually not in the schedule, so it's a light breakfast, lots and lots of water, then I skip lunchtime to try to run around 1PM, then come back and eat a little.

Lately I've been eating smaller dinners, and then doing 5-8 miles of intense mountain biking at 730-830PM. Which is great because you're pushing when your body is tired from the day, but the downside is not being able to settle after and fall asleep easily.

Cardio with no food in your body is good for fat burn, but as mentioned about, water plays a big part here in both hydration and energy.

 

It has been proven that fasted cardio is of negligible benefit. Interestingly, there have been studies that have shown people with little stamina or small blocks of time can reap similar benefits from cardio that is broken up throughout the day vs. that which is done all at once. I don't care to test that, but it is worth mentioning, especially for the novices out there.

I have been running and lifting for 22 years, very rarely in a fasted state, and have maintained my fitness and body fat levels even now that I'm starting on the backside of the hill...whatever that means. Only problem I've had running soon after dinner is I tend to get "lights" in my eyes and a little sleepiness, usually around the 15 minute mark, from the oxygen being diverted to the digestive tract. Clears up pretty quickly and I always plow through. Again, worth mentioning. I look at it as accidental hypoxic training, but some may find it weird and uncomfortable. I'm used to it after all this time, and it's really only an "issue" if I'm a bit too close to dinner.

Of course, if it makes you feel good to get up in the morning and go for it, by all means, do it!! I am admittedly NOT a morning person.

 

Depends. On a vigorous bike ride without nutrition, it’s a guaranteed way to bonk. Ask me how I know.....

 

Correct.
Recent research has clearly proven that doing cardio fed or fasted has the exact same effect. In fact, there was a slight benefit in fat oxidation when fed.
But for G's sake, drink any fluid before doing cardio. being dehydrated will surely kill any benefit from doing cardio.

 

May kill you as well! A lot of people do not realize how much water you lose during even a shorter run, especially in the heat.