So what about weight training while fasted? Won’t you fall-over during your first set of squats due to lack of anything resembling a calorie?
Just to prove it can be done, the video below is me training at 6am this morning. I didn’t eat before this session, nor did I eat after it.
Sounds hard-core on the muscles right?
This is where your intake of BCAA’s (that I mentioned earlier) is KEY to preserving your muscle-mass.
(that I mentioned
[HILARITY WARNING: Cass snapped me training fasted during a set of rope curls which finished off my back/biceps session. Yes, I make a face.]
6am: 5-15 minutes pre-workout: 10 g BCAA.
6-7am: Training.
8am: 10g BCAA.
10am: 10g BCAA.
12-1am: The “real” post-workout meal (largest meal of the day). Start of the 8 hour feeding-window.
I won’t have eaten until around midday…
One caveat however, I often use some form of caffeine supplement before i train (no sugar mind you). Currently I’m using a powerful product called USPlabs Jack3d. It’s been especially great for focus and endurance. Check it out if you feel you need a sprightly kick-in-the-arse for morning training. I wouldn’t use it at night however (especially if you’re overly sensitive to caffeine).
Unless of course you plan on dancing the night away with a pair of glow sticks until 3 am. You’ve been owned warned!
Editor’s Note: How’s your own training going? Fasting yourself into a lean-machine? Comment below.
Fasted training has been great so far no complains and not hard at all!!
So You say that a real fasted trainig is bad for the muscles? For me fasting is full abudence of food, but you take 30 gramm protein (BCAA) – I know this is the recommendation of the leangains protokol, but if someone doesn”t vant to spend on supplement?
To be honest, in my opinion money spent on a BCAA supplement is money very well spent. I think BCAA’s are a supplement that ought to be implemented regardless of whether or not you are fasting and they are really one of the more affordable supplements on the market.
This is true. Xtend is VERY cheap for what you get.
Not saying it’s bad at all, but you need to be using BCAA’s so that your body doesn’t use your muscle as fuel post-workout.
Hey. I been training fasted for a few months now and I feel my workouts are more efficient than when I had eaten prior to working out. Prior to working out, I just take oneMega Men multivitamin pill that has BCAA in them. Nonetheless, while BCAA helps as far as providing some energy, I do not think one will lose muscle if they just workout fasted without taking a BCAA prior or after working out. The reason I say this is because, men back in the old days, when supplements were nonexistent, would workout and build muscle(and lose fat). Plus, I worked out the other week without taking a multivitamin and felt fine. So my question is do you think without using the BCAA supplements, a person will lose muscle?
I think it’d definitely put you in a high-risk category.
I wouldn’t try it myself. If you feel like testing it over a month, feel free to do so and report back :)
All signs point to muscle-loss if the body has been hammered by weight-training and then forced to hunt for ‘repairing’ nutrients. They need to come from somewhere!
I agree Clint. That is why I take a multivitamin prior to orking out and eat a big meal afterwards. Nonetheless, it would be interesting to find out though because I believe as long as you get their nutrients after the workout, then their wont be muscle loss.
Clint,
Pretty impressive that you can make it from 6am to noon without eating. I usually have no problem fasting when I sleep in, but when I wake up early, I’m usually starving by mid-morning if I haven’t eaten. As for working out in a fasted state, I do it all the time and as long as I’m well-rested, I don’t have any problems.
Alykhan
It’s all a ‘programmed’ response that your body has adapted to over years and years of feeding it at this time.
Once you start fasting each day for maybe 2 weeks, it becomes easier and easier until you just don’t feel hungry in the AM anymore.
I hopped on the BCAA bandwagon as well over the past few months. It’s hard for me to quantify any impact, but I certainly feel stronger during my fasted workouts.
I guess if you’re training fasted, and you’re sparing your strength and muscle, they are doing the job :)
I only drink a cup of black coffee 15 to 30 min before my fasted workouts. So far so good. If that starts to change I know what I will do now so thanks for the info!
Thank you for this post it was very well written
Scott
http://www.fitforfaithministries.com