Fasted Cardio: Why You SHOULD Do It To Lose Fat Faster (And How To Do It)

When it comes to how to lose fat as fast as possible, then it’s often wise to include some form of cardio for fat loss in your routine to speed up the process. But, to lose fat fast, many suggest performing your cardio on an empty stomach – or in other words “fasted cardio” often first thing in the morning. But what exactly are the fasted cardio benefits? Does fasted cardio work in terms of fat loss and weight loss? What fasted cardio results can you expect to see after implementing it? And how do you do fasted cardio in the first place? Well, in this video I’ll answer all those questions.

The basic theory behind fasted cardio being superior for fat loss is the fact that research has shown that when exercising in a fasted state, your body preferentially burns more fat for energy since your insulin and glycogen levels are low during this period. Whereas when you eat before you exercise, your body now tends to preferentially use more carbs and less fat for energy when compared to if you were fasted. And this is mainly what led people to believe that performing your cardio in a fasted state would speed up fat loss to an even greater degree. However, although it’s true that you burn more fat during a fasted cardio session, it’s vital that you take into consideration the post exercise period and what happens to your body after the session. Because research has shown that although you may have preferentially burned more fat during the fasted cardio session, your body eventually compensates for this by burning more carbohydrates for the rest of the day. So by the end of it, you’ve essentially burned the same amount of fat as you would have had you eaten before your cardio.

But with that being said, there are some fasted cardio benefits that explain why so many people use it in their routines to lose fat. First off, it often indirectly reduces your calorie intake and makes it easier for you to eat at a calorie deficit since your meals are pushed closer together throughout the today. Secondly, getting your fasted cardio workout done first thing in the morning as opposed to waiting later in the day when you’ll be more likely to skip it often helps with consistency and adherence.

Now as for how to do a fasted cardio workout, you’ll want to mainly stick to low to moderate intensity cardio sessions lasting less than an hour long. HIIT fasted cardio should be used sparingly as it requires a lot more time to recover from and depletes your glycogen to a greater extent which can be detrimental especially if you’re going to be lifting weights later on in the day.

But all in all, although fasted cardio doesn’t have any magical fat loss effect in of itself, it may be useful for its indirect benefits. And for an all-in-one science-based program that combines all these little details into a step-by-step plan for you to build muscle and lose fat as quickly as possible, then simply take the starting point quiz below to determine what program is best for you:

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STUDIES:
Fasted cardio fat and carbs utilization:
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Fasted cardio reduces daily calorie intake:
Keep fasted cardio workouts less than an hour:

[DendyJungle]

The fact you look at scientific studies to back up your claims instead of just going by your own experiences... You're on another level compared to other fitness youtubers. Thanks

[ridewherever]

I feel like every god damn gym i see on YouTube is 20, 000 times better than my local gym..

[narta]

16-hour fast (skip breakfast) then a healthy lunch + an afternoon workout has given me the best results. I do this three to four times a week. I’m averaging a weight loss of about one pound per week. It’s been a lifestyle change. No counting calories. Just being mindful of what I’m eating and the portions. Calories in, calories out.

[alexanderpolski]

Not having to take a shit before a workout is good enough benefit for me to workout fasted

[BeefPapa]

23 hour fasting and morning cardio every other day. So far so good.

[MsHellfe]

3:57 Jeremy likes to spend his evenings liking his own picture on insta, lol

[onsenguy]

I love doing fasted cardio. Otherwise I feel bloated. When I have absolutely nothing in my stomach while working out I feel lean and energetic.

[dra]

Just wanna thank you for your content. As a woman, it's hard to find a male perspective on health and fitness that isn't aggressive or overly biased and opinionated or toxic in some way. Watching your videos has been not only properly educational but also calming and reassuring.

[damianmccoy]

I personally can't workout on a fast. I had too many close calls with low blood sugar and almost falling out. Its not for everyone.

[tlh]

Fasted cardio always works for me. Blasts stomach fat. Not sure why. The science will eventually catch up to personal experience.

[B.E.R.T.]

I’m actually on the 2nd week of a 20:4 intermittent fast… and have a caloric goal of 1, 500 of clean eats. No sugar. Only water. When I get home from the office I do a mild 12-15 mile bike ride through downtown. (12 to 16 mph pace) I do that fasted then get home and eat.
And am actually coming in even lower than 1, 500 calories a day. More like 1k (with the workouts)
My energy and concentration at the office have been through the roof! No more brain fog or groggy feelings… just go go go.
Sleep is a lot better and dreams have gotten extremely vivid. So that’s cool.

No cravings, not hungry till my 4 hr window.

Currently at 205lbs, 5’-7”, 40 years old… I’ll check back and give an update in about 6 months. (Goal of 165)

Thank you for the awesome videos! Subscribed!

[twoblocksdown]

Big respect to you from Russia 🇷🇺, Jeremy

[benya]

Almost broke my fast, but seeing this video makes me stick to it! Thanks, Jeremy! Your videos are a gem 😊✨

[phrexusdocena]

One of my favorite channels along with Brix Fitness and AtlhleanX!

[yaseencr]

Perfect timing. It's ramadan & we are fasting for a month. The video will help a lot.

[TheHenrimengo]

I maintain a medium cardio during my early morning fasted gym session. So far so good and I do perform just as good as if I was fed. Thx Jeremy you rock!!

[TheChnecht]

it's like you and jeff are the all knowing titans of fitness youtube and vitruvian physique being the also well studied but crazy god

[mattdawg]

I do fasted cardio because I feel like I have more energy, even though my glycogen levels are low in the morning. I’ve tried cardio with something on my stomach but I struggle to get through it and I feel sluggish. Fact is fasted cardio helps me to lose weight, and I can only speak from my own experience. Everyone’s body is different so applying a cookie cutter approach is limiting. You have to do what’s best for you.

[natureswaylawncare]

I work out at 5:30 Monday- Thursday and always start with cardio. Some of my friends think I’m crazy that I work out on an empty stomach but I can’t do it any other way.

[zakariee]

We want push pull legs science explained pls