fasted or not?

[hjs]

Thanks for all the replies -- seems like a contentious subject. Personally I'm going to stick with eating breakfast and then exercising 3-4 hours afterwards, which, from experience, is when I feel best. If there are fat-burning benefits to be gained from fasted workouts, I might just be willing to forego them based on what I'm reading.

If you wait that long before you exercise and are on weight, why indeed not eat? Training fasted in the morning only makes sense if you train right away or if you want to get lower in bodyweight.

[MarkEg]

Thanks for all the replies -- seems like a contentious subject. Personally I'm going to stick with eating breakfast and then exercising 3-4 hours afterwards, which, from experience, is when I feel best. If there are fat-burning benefits to be gained from fasted workouts, I might just be willing to forego them based on what I'm reading.

If you wait that long before you exercise and are on weight, why indeed not eat? Training fasted in the morning only makes sense if you train right away or if you want to get lower in bodyweight.

Agreed -- weight loss is not my aim. Looking for condition and tone so I'm going to continue eating first. In fact, if anything, I sometimes struggle if I have NOT eaten.

[Hillclimber]

Recall reading years ago that pro cyclists included fasted workouts - to the point of bonking - in the pre-race training season because, among other benefits probably included somewhere above, it promoted increased mitochondria. (Presuming we all know about those little buggers.)

This from
http://gih.diva-portal.org/smash/get/di ... TEXT01.pdf

"Study IV: The expression of PGC-1α and related genes were examined after exercise performed with low (LG) and normal (NG) muscle glycogen in well-trained cyclists. PGC-1α expression increased approximately three times more after LG compared with NG. This finding suggested that low glycogen exercise is a potent inducer of mitochondrial biogenesis in well-trained individuals."
(- PGC-1a is a precursor to mitochondria growth, apparently)

Damien