Empty stomach workout is something which most people try for maximum fat loss results , but they don't know the details of how our body works in that condition.
Most people prefer to go for long cardio and jogging sessions as well as proper weight training sessions immediately after they wake up , just thinking that if they workout on an empty stomach they can lose fat fast as compared to working out in the evening when we have consumed 2-3 meals since morning.
Well , they are partially right and partially wrong as well. I will explain how , but for that we need to understand a bit about the composition of PROTEIN.
WHEN IS PROTEIN CONSIDERED AS A COMPLETE PROTEIN SOURCE
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Amino acids are responsible for the proper synthesis of protein compounds. It is amino acids only which stimulate protein absorption in our muscles tissues.
A complete protein is one which has all the EAA - Essential amino acids and BCAA - Branched chain amino acids.
There are a total of 9 EAA (Essential amino acids) which should be present in our protein source are responsible for the potential up to which we can build muscle and also mainly responsible for the protein muscle synthesis. I won't go in depth about the essential amino acids in this article , as my focus for this article is on Branched chain amino acids.
There are 3 BCAAs - L-Leucine , L-IsoLeucine and L-Valine.
Branched chain amino acids are mainly responsible for our muscle's growth and recovery and should be present in our meal's protein specially in the breakfast , pre-workout and post-workout meal. I will explain why.
When we workout , glucose from our muscles (which is stored as glycogen) is depleted which means while working out some muscle tissues are lost during workout , which needs to be repaired immediately after our workout. Since Branched chain amino acids are responsible for muscle recovery , the protein source which we take in post workout should contain BCAA in it.
The composition of BCAA should be , L-Leucine : L-Isoleucine : L-Valine should be 2 : 1 : 1.
If you take a close look on the box of protein supplements , all of them have BCAA in it and in this ratio itself ( 2 : 1 : 1 ). Apart from whey protein source , other lean protein sources which have BCAA are Egg whites , Chicken breast , Fish , Dairy products. All these products have a considerable amount of branched chain amino acids in them which when consumed before and after workout gives the best results.
ROLE OF BCAAs IN EMPTY STOMACH WORKOUT
As i told you above , working on an empty stomach depletes your muscle from glycogen resulting in weakening the muscle tissues , can be prevented if you consume a source of Branched Chain Amino Acids before your empty stomach morning workout.
Branched Chain Amino Acids will fill up your muscle tissues with glucose and will prevent them from getting depleted during your workout. In fact , for weight training it is suggested to have a meal an hour before your workout , so consuming a source of Branched Chain Amino Acid will also provide you with sufficient energy for your workouts as well.
Now many of you will think that , a proper meal should give us energy for our workout how can BCAA provide us with energy if we just take BCAA supplement instead of a meal. Now if we are getting enough glycogen in the muscle , then that glycogen is enough for our muscle endurance and will still give our muscle enough energy to power up our workout session , even on empty stomach.
HOW TO CONSUME BCAAs FOR MORNING WORKOUTS
Now as far as morning sessions are concerned , to workout on an empty stomach , you have to consume a source of Branched Chain Amino Acid before your workout. You can do that in different ways with different sources of BCAA.
Let me explain you an another term called Biological Value , which is the proportion of the protein absorbed from the food we eat , the more the biological value of the protein source , the more and better it will absorb.
First , you can consume a scoop of BCAA supplement in water before your workout. Since it has the best biological value for amino acids , you can consume it 15 minutes before your session.
Second , you can consume a scoop of your whey protein supplement before your workout , which already has BCAA is the right ratio i.e., 2 : 1 : 1. You have to take your scoop of whey protein supplement 30 minutes before your workout session , as its biological value is more than taking BCAA supplements (though biological value of protein taken from whey protein supplements is the highest , for amino acids , BCAA supplements would be the first in the list).
Third , you can consume a source of lean protein , like , egg whites , chicken breast , fish , etc. Protein taken from these foods have lower Biological Value as compared from Whey & BCAA supplements , therefore these foods have to be consumed 45 - 50 minutes before your morning workout.
An ideal amount of BCAA to prevent muscle loss in a morning workout is 5 grams. In many cases people don't prefer taking supplements , so if you are consuming egg whites before workout , make sure to eat 5 egg whites in the morning , as each egg white contains 1 gram of BCAA.
DOES EMPTY STOMACH WORKOUTS HELP?
Since we haven't eaten anything in the past 8 hours approx , while we are sleeping , our body is in catabolic state which means it has a tendency to lose body fat and body muscle both. That is why we consume BCAA to prevent our muscle mass and lose body fat.
Morning workout sessions are helpful to lose great amount of fats while you have to focus on preserving your muscle mass as well , as they are your primary motive.
For people who just want to reduce their body weight (who are not concerned for gaining muscle) , you can go for your cardio , swimming and cycling sessions without consuming any BCAA meal of any kind , just keep in mind to consume some BCAA source (egg whites or chicken) in breakfast to prevent the excess muscle loss which can happen if you continue the habit of not eating , daily.
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