Okay, I admit it–I’ve read BFL before. Out of everything I read, one idea emerged as being particularly interesting. Phillips says that to maximize fat loss, we should do 20 minutes of oscillating-wave-intensity cardio…but the key to burning fat is to not eat for one hour afterwards. Is that really true? Will that help maximize fat loss, or will it just burn muscle?
(I’ve read Nelson Montana’s earlier article against using cardio to burn fat, but I wondered if Phillips’ approach was correct or not since it’s a short-term burst of effort, followed by an alleged fat-burning recovery hour, and not a lengthy, sustained, muscle-burning effort. T-mag has indeed supported the idea that shorter, more intense cardio activities are actually anabolic, as opposed to the catabolic longer runs. Does this apply to Phillips’ approach?)
I don’t have research data on that particular
question but I would not believe this theory
regarding timing of food intake. I’d expect
that calories in the hour after exercise
either give the same effect as the same calories provided later (if total calories
for the day are the same) or there would be
an advantage – preferential use by muscle –
if the calorie intake were timed after the
exercise. That is just my guess.
In my opinion, if you are just talking about post-workout nutrition after a light cardio session then it is fine to wait an hour. In a fat-loss phase, I would only be concerned about taking a post-workout drink immediately after exercise if I had done resistance training and was looking at building (or at least maintaining) lean body mass.