I’ve gotten a bunch of really great questions recently, and I noticed a theme.
A lot of them have this undercurrent of “am I doing this wrong?” 🧐
I get it! There’s so much conflicting information out there on the internet, and it gets a lot more clicks to talk about how “You’re ruining your gains if you…”
That’s why we’re here. To help you sort the helpful advice from the overblown hyperbole so you’re not constantly second guessing yourself. Fitness should be something you can feel good about.
Let’s get into it. 💪
“Is strength training on an empty stomach pointless?”
Haley asks:
I’ve been doing all this reading about best practices and everybody says to eat at least a carb-heavy snack or light meal 30 minutes to an hour before strength training. But my schedule is such that I need to workout first thing in the morning before I can have breakfast. I take a medication that I have to wait for at least 30 minutes (preferably an hour) before I can eat anything, and that is the time I have for my workout.
Is strength training on an empty stomach pointless? I know strength training on an empty stomach is better than not strength training at all, but how much am I hurting my results by not eating first?
Great question, Hayley – and the short answer is: nope. You’re not ruining anything.
The biggest factor here is what your overall nutrition for the entire day looks like. If you’re getting adequate protein, calories, and fiber, then you’re basically checking off every box already.
The idea that you have to eat before a workout is pretty overblown. Your body has glycogen stores from yesterday’s food that it can absolutely use to fuel your A.M. strength training session. For most people, training fasted works just fine!
Now, if you feel terrible – low energy, dizzy, super hungry – then yes, let’s problem-solve (maybe some liquid carbs and protein before you head out, or see if we can shuffle the schedule a bit.)
Takeaway: for most people, meal timing around your workouts is a minor factor. Focus on getting solid nutrition in across the day, workout hard when it fits your schedule, and you’re good to go. 💪
“What am I sacrificing by splitting my workout up across the day?”
This was another great question I got from several different folks. The idea being if you don’t have time to do a workout all at once, does it still count if you break it up?
Short answer is: YES!
There’s solid research showing that accumulating your training volume throughout the day (a set here, a set there) produces similar strength and muscle-building results compared to a single traditional session, as long as the total volume and intensity are matched. (i.e. you do the same amount of challenging stuff in total.)
The one thing I see trip people up: intensity. It’s hard to go in cold and push yourself hard, safely. Give yourself a minute or two to warm-up before you do your work set so you can challenge yourself and feel good.
Takeaway: Splitting your workout up across the day is absolutely a viable strategy. Heck, we have many clients that squeeze in a single set of pushups, squats or lunges when they can and it makes a HUGE difference. Make sure you still feel warmed up and challenge yourself. Dial those pieces in, and you’ll get great results.
Hopefully, these answers show you that there are many ways to fit strength training in to your life – and they are all great!
You’re not doing it wrong. It doesn’t have to look like a traditional 60-minute gym session to work. It just has to work for you. 🙌
You got this,
– Matt
P.S. Ready to make a change in your fitness? Our coaches are here to help. ❤️
