A very good read on the importance of moderation and incremental change for sustainability: http://www.cbass.com/biggestlosers.htm
Better late than never, but sooner is best. The importance of exercise, and how little of it is actually required if sufficiently intense: http://www.cbass.com/neuromuscular.htm
Much of the broscience behind having to do (at least) 3 sets per exercise stems from research conducted by Richard Berger in 1962. Ralph Carpinelli assesses Berger's study in considerable detail and arrives at a different conclusion: http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/36/5/319.full I touched on Carpinelli's assessment of Berger's study earlier in this thread with another link. However, this review gets more into the details of it and is worth reading for anyone who spends time working out. The flow chart of cross-referencing by researchers is particularly noteworthy and revealing. And thus, "conventional wisdom" was born.
Getting back to the original premise of this thread which has some people leaning towards working out in a fasted state is the way to go. We discussed some products which can be used to try an overcome the lack of performance that comes along with that. My personal experience with this has been that I just can't get in a mental place to have a good solid workout when I'm starving, and I really don't like the amped up feeling which comes from using some supplements. In fact they make it worse in my case. I hate the itchy type jitters. Maybe they work for others, but not me. We can all find articles supporting the varying points of view on this and I'm not here to be critical of what works for others. I just lean, no pun intended, towards having something in your gut before going into battle. Here's an article that I like. It's specifically targeting cardio, but I take it in application towards any type of rigorous workout. https://biotest.t-nation.com/articl...cebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=article Here's some more info that comes along with an ad for a protein product which I'm not currently using and not at all hyping, but it also has some useful info. https://biotest.t-nation.com/products/mag-10 And lastly, T-Nation is a pretty good site all things considered. Worth a look around.
Starving? I doubt if you should ever be "starving." Could you provide a bit more context? I'm sure others here know more about this stuff than I do, but you'll probably have to be more specific to get them to chime in. For example, I like to work out in the afternoon and will have had my last (light) meal at least 3 hours before the workout. I'll have clear fluids (green tea, water) but no solids after that meal, which is always a homemade shake and an apple. I seem to be at my best with this regimen. Of course, I don't do any supplementation apart from a little whey isolate, a multivitamin and some fish oil, so you will probably get the kind of information you're looking for from someone else. Just curious, though. By "starving," do you mean first thing in the morning without having had anything to eat before a workout? If so, perhaps you feel that way because your blood sugar is at its lowest at that time. It doesn't take much elevate it and feel better. Perhaps there are some benefits to working out in a truly fasted state, but you won't likely be at your strongest to do your best lifting, so you will probably be making a trade off. As for T-Nation and several sites like it, my personal and biased opinion is that it is the Internet equivalent of the kind of magazines I wish I had largely avoided years ago. It is replete with broscience and product. I have come across an occasional good article, but there appears to be little or no quality control of content. Again just my opinion.
^ Addressing your critique of T-Nation, I don't disagree. That site, like this site and every single other web site onthe net is 90% baloney and 10% useful content. We have to dig for it. Just how it is. Now for the fasted workout. First some history. Last summer, just about this time of year, I found myself stalled out. I was reasonably in shape, but still had a good 30 lbs. of excess weight I wanted shed. I wanted a leaner look. Coming across this thread and a couple other places I decided that I'll go to the gym in a fasted state. Nothing to eat before hand and I mean nothing. First thing in the morning about an hour after waking up. Well, that was a disaster. This I tried some of the suggested BCAA supplements. Hated it. Just jittery on top of air headedness. After about a month of that I started eating one hard boiled egg prior to the workout. Little better, but not much. Weeks went by and I was losing weight to the tune of about 6 lbs. per month. I like that but I was weak as hell. Earlier this year I tried the afternoon workout. Fantastic, night and day. One issue. The gym is too damn crowded and I mean jammed packed. Just not my thing. I'm back to a workout which is now more mid morning, about 3 hours after waking up. I eat a bowl of oatmeal with a teaspoon of honey about 1.5 hours before gym time. I follow that with some fruit about a half hour later and a tablespoon of natural, low sugar peanut butter. Hydrate with about 2 bottles of water. I take about 20oz. of water laced with fresh squeezed lemons and oranges that I make. This works better, but still no where near an afternoon workout. I'm thinking of just working out at home, but I like the gym. I enjoy the atmosphere and access to all the equipment. I'm pretty much where I want to be weight wise. 6'5" and 220. 215 would be about perfect, but I'm good where I'm at. Strength and endurance continue to improve, albeit it slowly. At this age any progress is good progress. It's just that I know I could do more in the afternoon, but there's just too many people. Other gyms in the area are actually more crowded. I'll keep plugging away in the A.M. for now.
As I've noted in the past, I'm also not a fan of working out in the morning. I used to go on Saturday mornings when I worked out 3 times a week, but can now comfortably avoid it because of my reduced frequency. I don't think my workout would go as well if I ate so close to it as you do in the mornings, so I guess we're different in that way. I hope others will join into the discussion to share their views and alternatives, so that we might both learn something. You and I have opposite problems. Your gym is packed in the afternoon, whereas attendance in my gym has waned in the afternoon hours. I work out before the prime time after-work crowd comes in, but even so, there are fewer people in the gym now than there were a couple of years or so ago at the same time. And I don't like it. Attractive women in tight clothing are far more motivating than any personal trainer can ever hope to be. Of course, I don't like crowding, and I especially hate waiting for equipment as everyone else does, but that has seldom ever been a problem. And I don't hesitate to let someone know I'll be butting in during their break between sets if they are using a piece of equipment for any length of time. If attendance doesn't improve, I'll likely be joining another gym when my membership is up for renewal next March. Too bad, because it's one of the better gyms in town. I think a couple of new, more upscale gyms with newer equipment might have taken some of its business. As I said, you and I have opposite problems.
One thing we can agree. If a hottie bent over doing barbell rows doesn't get you motivated, you might want to check your pulse. Chances are you're dead. I'm going to try and rearrange my schedule to get my workouts in mid afternoon, like about 2-3 pm. I only do some part time consulting now days, project management type stuff for heavy industry. I'm concluding one project and think I'll lay off the rest of the summer and early fall. That'll free me up for a workout any time I please. Tired of the corporate B.S anyway. Shit never changes.
Essence of Training: http://www.mikementzer.com/essenceart.html A good article written in 2001 by Richard Winett, whom I have referred to previously in this thread.
Well boys, bad news. I sit here in my hospital bed writing this. Went to workout this morning and about ten minutes in I get a sudden tightness in my chest, instantly out of breath and my heartbeat goes through the roof. I stop, try to gather myself and it's taking everything I got to stay upright. Long story short I end up in the ER. Turns out I'm having a Afib attack. Got me back in rhythm after a couple hours of modern medicine. Meeting with cardiologist tomorrow. I'm guessing my workouts are going to change. Sucks getting old. Beats the alternative and for a few minutes there I thought it was time to cash in.