I know its recommended to use MAG-10 for fasted cardio, but would BCAA before hand help too? Iv also read on here that fasted cardio is a waste and should be avoided.
Really, if you are eating something it isn’t fasted. There are plenty of people including top bodybuilders who do morning cardio either fasted or with some BCAAs.
I don’t know what Biotest recommends put something with carbs may blunt fat loss during cardio, if fat loss is your goal.
[quote]ESPguitarist1990 wrote:
I know its recommended to use MAG-10 for fasted cardio, but would BCAA before hand help too? Iv also read on here that fasted cardio is a waste and should be avoided.[/quote]
BCAA’s are fine.
Plenty of people do fasted cardio and get results. Try it and see if it works for you.
Low intensity stuff is usually fine rather than HIIT
It’s kind of fallen out of favour in recent years, but fasted cardio used to be a staple.
I think the supposed muscle wasting properties of fasted cardio (and even just traditional cardio in general) are way overblown and probably only a concern if you’re training like a marathon runner.
Ya. I read quite a bit of articles on how and why you should stay away from it, but to me it just made sense to do? My biggest “concern” is the muscle loss. I dont plan on doing fasted cardio to the point where i cant breath. Just steady uphill/downhill walking for 40 minutes or so.
Would BCAAS be a good thing to use? or should i just fly solo.
[quote]ESPguitarist1990 wrote:
Ya. I read quite a bit of articles on how and why you should stay away from it, but to me it just made sense to do? My biggest “concern” is the muscle loss. I dont plan on doing fasted cardio to the point where i cant breath. Just steady uphill/downhill walking for 40 minutes or so.
Would BCAAS be a good thing to use? or should i just fly solo.[/quote]
I’d just fly solo. BCAAs spike your insulin which’ll blunt fat loss. Probably not to any significant degree, but not much point, IMO.
[quote]Yogi wrote:
[quote]ESPguitarist1990 wrote:
Ya. I read quite a bit of articles on how and why you should stay away from it, but to me it just made sense to do? My biggest “concern” is the muscle loss. I dont plan on doing fasted cardio to the point where i cant breath. Just steady uphill/downhill walking for 40 minutes or so.
Would BCAAS be a good thing to use? or should i just fly solo.[/quote]
I’d just fly solo. BCAAs spike your insulin which’ll blunt fat loss. Probably not to any significant degree, but not much point, IMO.[/quote]
I would rather have a small insulin spike (yes, SMALL) from what? 10-20g of BCAA? Then nothing. But, that is me.
Also, that is just one aspect, your overall diet (daily and weekly) is way more important.
[quote]JFG wrote:
[quote]Yogi wrote:
[quote]ESPguitarist1990 wrote:
Ya. I read quite a bit of articles on how and why you should stay away from it, but to me it just made sense to do? My biggest “concern” is the muscle loss. I dont plan on doing fasted cardio to the point where i cant breath. Just steady uphill/downhill walking for 40 minutes or so.
Would BCAAS be a good thing to use? or should i just fly solo.[/quote]
I’d just fly solo. BCAAs spike your insulin which’ll blunt fat loss. Probably not to any significant degree, but not much point, IMO.[/quote]
I would rather have a small insulin spike (yes, SMALL) from what? 10-20g of BCAA? Then nothing. But, that is me.
Also, that is just one aspect, your overall diet (daily and weekly) is way more important.[/quote]
yeah, I think either way has merit and there’s probably very little difference between the two in the grand scheme of things
[quote]outlaws wrote:
Low intensity stuff is usually fine rather than HIIT[/quote]
Agreed on this point. Fasted low intensity probably won’t cannibalize your muscle at all, i.e. a light walk.
If we’re talking about a fast jog, running, HIIT, sprints etc, I personally would rather side with caution and if trying to lean up, use something like MAG-10, aminos or worst case 15-25 grams of whey isolate for some insurance.
Insulin is simply the transporter that shuttles nutrients, it doesn’t blunt fat loss just because it’s present. Blunting fat loss would require being in a surplus of calories or the insulin being accompanied by the presence of a high amount of glucose/carbs.
Everyone has to understand that in order for fat to be utilized as a direct energy source, there has to be a high presence of oxygen and also time, which is why fat is our primary source of energy utilized while we sleep.
During something that’s high intensity, fat cannot be a direct energy source because as soon as the activity goes anaerobic and energy is needed immediately, our body switches our system towards blood glucose that’s present and once that’s depleted glycogen.
I guess high intensity is relative; for example even moderate intensity in heavy resistance exercise can be far beyond 100% VO2 max. But in the context of walking/running, fat burning is maintained up to quite high intensity, even competitive marathon running speed.
Agreed on the time aspect and indeed all your points: fat burning has been found to be at about the same rate at 20% V02 max as at 80% VO2 max, with a somewhat greater rate (nothing to write home about though, as personal opinion) at for example 50% than either of those. However, I think it’s majoring on a minor or is even irrelevant to worry about that: the day has 24 hours and the fat loss will be relative to the caloric balance and whether the body is net burning protein or building it. Not whether specific hours of the day were a particular way.
In other words, I just don’t think that avoiding calories before aerobic exercise gives a special benefit if the day comes out the same total and the diet is done comparably well.
Can it work successfully? Sure!
As to whether it might be better to have MAG-10 immediately before, or spike afterwards, I don’t know. It seems a fine point, when it comes to moderate aerobic exercise. Not critical, for sure.