Cycling before breakfastFitter through fasting training?

Konstantin Rohé

 · 28.10.2022

Cycling before breakfast: Fitter through fasting training?Photo: Markus Greber
Exercising in the morning before breakfast: We clarify when and whether it makes sense to exercise before breakfast.
Out on the road bike with a growling stomach - how useful is exercise before breakfast? Is it worth defying the feeling of hunger? TOUR clarifies the five most important questions about fasting training.

Are fasting training and fat metabolism training the same thing?

Fasting training takes place on an empty stomach in the morning after getting up - it is a forced form of fat metabolism training. The body should learn to draw more energy for the muscles during exercise from body fat and only later from carbohydrate (or glucose) stores, which only last for a limited time. Normally, fat metabolism is stimulated by longer training sessions in the low base range. It is crucial not to consume any carbohydrates in the last two hours before training. However, if the training lasts longer than one and a half hours, you should consume around 20 grams of carbohydrates per hour. This will keep you more efficient.

What are the benefits of road bike training on an empty stomach?

As the carbohydrate reserves are used up overnight, the body is forced to draw on its fat reserves immediately during exercise. So fasting training promotes the utilisation of fat as fuel - which helps in competition.

Can I lose weight by exercising before breakfast?

Yes, conditionally. Fasting training is primarily intended to burn fat more efficiently and not more fat overall. However, it can help you to achieve the slightly negative energy balance of 200 to 300 kilocalories per day that you should aim for when losing weight. Advantage: Compared to higher training intensities during sport, fasting training burns proportionately more fat. However, the body burns more fat and more energy overall during interval training. The bottom line is that a mixture of intensive units and time-limited fasting training at low intensity helps you lose weight.

At what pace and for how long can I train sober?

When training with depleted carbohydrate stores, the following applies: no longer than a maximum of one and a half hours and emphasise easy training in the lower basic range 1 at around 60 per cent of the body's capacity. Threshold power FTP or low Basic pulse. Eating a piece of fruit immediately before training makes it easier to start your sports session. The feeling of hunger usually disappears quickly on the bike when the fat metabolism kicks in.

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What are the dangers of sober training?

If the body is stressed for too long or too intensively on an empty stomach, there is a risk of hypoglycaemia. Do not complete such fat metabolism units more than once or twice a week! Important: a balanced and substantial breakfast after fasting training: carbohydrates for refuelling and protein for regeneration. If you are in poor health, for example immediately after a cold, you should not train on an empty stomach for the time being.

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