Does Working Out In The Morning Burn More Fat? The Answer

Yes, you can lose more weight by working out in the morning.

This has been confirmed through several studies that compared the results of fat burned by people who trained before noon and later in the day [1].

But it gets even more interesting when you compare the results of training on an empty stomach, which seems to have a positive effect on the fat loss over six weeks [2].

The fasted exercise groups lost more fat than the eat-before group, and they had more stable blood sugars as well.

Essentially, when you start training, you’ll use up your blood glucose and glycogen reserves.

The first thing your body will try to do is replace that lost energy from the food in your stomach. 

But when you train before you eat breakfast, then your body is forced to access fat reserves for energy.

Now, some people will tell you that you’ll lose twice the fat if you exercise before eating breakfast. But I wouldn’t advise using that as a general guide.

Your fat-burning processes are very dependent on your base metabolic rate, age, gender, health, and overall fitness levels [3].

And you also need to be careful with what types of exercises you do first thing in the morning.

“Heart and metabolic rates are loosely related because cardiovascular exercise can boost metabolism.”

- Johnathon Andrew, Writer at sfgate.com

Over the years, I’ve developed a morning routine that should help most people squeeze out those fat cells.

Here’s what I recommend for my weight loss clients.

Start with a simple plyometric warm-up routine for five minutes.

This will involve some jumping jacks, body weight squats, jump squats, and lunges. The idea is to kickstart your body and mind and start to use up some of the remaining blood sugar.

Next, you have two options.

Either, go for a 15-20 minute run where you alternate between jogging and sprinting.

By alternating your heart rate and getting into some higher rates, you can boost your metabolism and burn more fat [4].

Alternatively, if you’re trying to gain some muscle tissue and tone up a bit, then try to do 20-minute high-intensity interval training.

You’ll need a few weights, a jump rope, and a yoga mat, and the idea is to have a few workouts that you do at maximum intensity for short bursts of time.

This can burn significantly more body fat, especially after an overnight fast [5].