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Suzzette Martinez

Professor Briones

English 1302

23 February 2022

“Is Morning Cardio More Efficient on an Empty or Full Stomach?”

Introduction

Let’s face it everyone has worked out in the morning on an empty stomach. It’s not

always the best experience but bearable. Most people can swear by never eating before a

workout, but many can not workout on an empty stomach. This experiment is testing whether or

not working out on an empty or full stomach provides for the best and most efficient workout in

the gym.

Day 1 2/1/2011

On day 1 of the experiment, the subject started off by going to the gym after waking up

and eating breakfast at around 10 am. The subject started off the day by walking for about ten 45

minutes on the treadmill at an incline of 2. The materials needed for this workout were tennis

shoes, gym clothes, a towel, and a treadmill. After the workout, the subjects took notes

throughout the day to write about how they were feeling from the workout. The subjects stated

that immediately after the workout they felt physically tired, but mentally ready to continue with

the day to see what results the subject would have with the experiment.

Day 2 2/2/2022

On day 3 of the experiment the subject woke up around the same time as day 1, 10 am.

However this day, the subject did not have enough time to eat breakfast before going to the gym
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to do cardio. Because of this, there was a change in how the workouts were performed. The

subject started off the workout on the stair master for a total of 15 minutes. Throughout the

workout, the subject experienced nausea and a slight headache, as well as feeling heavier on the

machine with noticeably less energy. This could be a result of the subject working out on an

empty stomach. During and after the workout, the subject felt tired, heavy, and not energetic at

all. After the workout of cardio, the subject headed home and got something in the test subject’s

stomach. There was a big concern from the subject not about the experiment, but how they

would feel physically and mentally after working out on an empty stomach to only then eat after.

However, it was very evident how that wasn’t the case. The subject could describe the feeling in

the same way as day 1, very mentally stimulated and focused throughout the early day. However,

after consuming a not so nutritious lunch, the subject did notice they felt tired and not eager to

get things done for the rest of the day.

Day 3 2/3/2022

For day 4 of the experiment, there were some slight alterations to the schedule, instead of

waking up at 10 AM the subject was bright and eager to awake by close to 9 AM. This could be

noted as a positive change and can attribute it to waking up having a meal and doing cardio on

previous days. Day 4 breakfast was made and consumed all before 10 AM. Once arrived at the

gym, the subject conducted a more intense cardio workout that involved a little weight lifting.

The subject compensated for fatigue due to the added weights and shortened the workout to just

under 40 minutes. The subject describes although very physically tired, both the body and mind

felt sharp and as if they were more in sync throughout the day. However, the subject noted less

saturation with the normal diet consumed throughout this day and this could most probably be
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noted to adding some weights to the cardio session for that morning. That along with how much

earlier the subject woke up could most probably be the reason the subject was in need of more

nutrients. As a result of the subject needing more nutrients throughout the day, there was more

food required for the day, and dinner for day 4 was not the best choice for the intended results.

Day 4 2/4/2022

The night before day 5, the subject was determined to wake up early and have a good

breakfast before heading to the gym. However, because of the dinner, the subject had the night

before the subject did not feel too eager when oot came time to wake up. The subject stated in a

notebook “I do not wanna get up today, my stomach hurts.”(Martinez 4). However, the subject

was strong and disciplined enough to stick to the experiment. The stomachache the subject woke

up to in the morning of day 5 resulted in the subject taking long too to get out of bed which left

no time for the subject to grab breakfast before heading to the gym. The subject proceeded to go

out to the gym and started the workout the same as day 3 on the stair master for 15 minutes. The

workout started off hard and the subject was feeling tight in her claves from the previous days.

After the first five minutes, it was noticed that the workout became easier once the subject was a

little more warmed up. However, after a couple of minutes, the subject began to feel nauseous

and lightheaded once the workout started to get hard. After 15 minutes on the Stairmaster, the

subject decided to walk/run for 20 minutes. Throughout the workout, the subject felt very tired

and out of breath and once the subject got off the treadmill the subject was eager to get home to

make something to eat. Once the subject was done with the cardio for the day, the subject was

eager to make a good breakfast that would satisfy her muscles and stomach appropriately. The

subject made a very balanced meal with various amounts of protein, carbohydrates, and
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vegetables. After the breakfast subject felt confident they would feel energetic and focused

throughout the day. The subject was able to tackle some homework for the day, babysit, and even

make dinner for the subject’s family at the end of the day.

Day 5 2/5/2022

On day 6 the subject was fast to wake up bright and early at 9 am. The subject had felt

amazing from the day before and felt full of energy and confidence. The subject made a

nutritious breakfast that was a well-balanced light breakfast with fruits and protein, drank some

tea, and headed to the gym at around 10 am. At the gym, the subject started off again with the

Stairmaster and had no desired time to be on it but felt excited to get the workout started. For the

first five minutes, the subject felt tight around her calves but that seems to be normal when it

comes to the Stairmaster. The subject felt tired and fatigued but full f energy and determination

to keep going. The subject was able to complete 25 minutes on the stair master. A whole ten

extra minutes than the subject had done before. After the stair master, the subject felt so great

that they decided they wanted to do some HIIT workouts with light weightlifting incorporated.

Hitt workouts are high-intensity workouts and stand for high-intensity interval training. The

subject did 20 minutes of that and felt great after the workout. After the gym, the subject wasn’t

feeling too hungry so the subject is just hydrated and ate fruit until about 2 hours after the gym

when the subject made lunch. The subject made a very nutritious meal with lots of protein

desired amounts of carbs and lots of veggies. After lunch, the subject felt sharp and eager to stay

active for the rest of the day. The subject finished all their homework for the rest of the week,

took their brother on a walk, and made dinner again for the subject and the rest of the subject’s

family.
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Conclusion

There were many things that contributed to this experiment but the main factor was how

our bodies would perform during cardio on an empty stomach. It was apparent in this experiment

that the subject did not always eat breakfast before performing cardio but when the subject did

there was a noticeable improvement in how the subject performed in the gym. In conclusion, the

subject would ultimately perform better in the gym when breakfast had been consumed

beforehand.
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Works Cited

Martinez, Suzzette “Journal.” February 2022 pg1-5.