November 2001

The question-of-the-month for November comes from Paul in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, who asks about pre-workout food intake and training on an empty stomach.  His question is: 

Dear Mike:

My question regards pre-workout food intake.  I get up and get to the gym first thing in the morning and it's tough to get a meal in.  Can I work out on an empty stomach?  If I need to eat beforehand, what and how much of an interval before I hit the gym? 

Dear Paul:

Thank you for your great question.  This is one of the most important issues when it comes to gaining muscle.  Eating before lifting weights is a NECESSITY.  Training on an empty stomach (i.e. first thing in the morning before eating) will cause your body to dip into protein stores for energy.  As all of you know, muscle is made up of protein.  Therefore, if you lift before eating, you will burn muscle.  Obviously, this is not what we want to do.  So, yes, make sure you eat before training.  What should you eat?  I recommend eating a meal that consists of 65% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 5% fat 45-90 minutes before training.  Experiment with this time frame to find out what works best for you.  Some people need more time after eating than others.

On the other hand, I do recommend doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.  This is the best way to burn body fat.  I have seen some studies that say doing cardio in this manner can burn 400%-600% more body fat than doing cardio after having a carbohydrate meal.

What if you train in the morning and don't have time to do both your workout and cardio?  Your best option would be to eat in the morning and then train (as I recommend above).  You would then do your cardio last thing at night before going to bed (i.e. you would not eat anything after doing your cardio). 

You may also want to check out the June 2000 Question-of-the-Month where I give a sample pre- and post-workout meal.

Good luck and keep training hard.  Thanks again for your question.

As always, don't forget to visit the Past Qs & As and my Training Tips section for more great tips and training info.

Until next month, train hard and stay healthy.

Mike Francois

Do you have a training question for Mike?  If so, visit our Ask Mike section and submit your question.

Note: Before embarking on any nutrition, supplementation, and/or training program, consult with your physician or other licensed health-care professional.