Fasting & Training?

[AdelV]

I'm wondering who does this? I'm thinking 16/8, but how it affected their training?

I've been doing it weekends only, and it's felt easy.

I'm just worried about losing strength etc

 

[Jeremyk1]

I never eat anything before training. Literally any amount of food feels like it slows me down. I just take my morning supplements with a preworkout shake and get to it. I don’t think it’s great for everyone, most people I know prefer eating before training. In theory, it makes sense. No blood supply or energy going to breaking down food leaves more for the workout. Plus I think it has a favorable effect on neurotransmitters. More dopamine and norepinephrine versus serotonin with food. I’d say give it a go. If you don’t like it, try aminos, a protein shake, or small snack beforehand. You’ll just have to try it and see.

 

[Hbbhhbbh]

Ive trained fasted for 90% of my training over the years, I can’t eat anything before training. I do use hbcd/eaa though and I feel it’s night and day from when I I used nothing at all throughout the workout.

 

[Jstrong20]

Did it for a few years and training and gains were fine. You get used to it or at least I did.

 

[Smont]

I don't see anything Wrong with training fasted if that's what you wanna do, and it does work. But training with a few meals in you and having available amino acids and carbohydrates before during and after your workout makes a big difference over training Fasted in the long haul. If the goal is maximum muscle growth do not train fasted. If the goal is to get good workouts have decent results and it's what you enjoy doing then do it fasted. I didn't have time to get a meal in before the gym today so I mixed 15gm of eaas, 8 gm creatine and 45gm of carbs from dextrose up and drank it during my workout

 

[ZLB70]

I’m forced to workout in the mornings before work and fasted 85% of the time and it’s worked decently well for me over the years.

 

[Smont]

One problem with training completely fasted and no intra workout nutrition is your muscles need amino acids. So if you don't have amino acids available in your bloodstream during the workout, your body's gonna break down muscle tissue and leach the amino acids from there. That's going to hinder growth and recovery.

But assuming you ate before bed and trained first thing in the morning, there's probably some available

 

[Resolve10]

Most of the worry for strength loss and things of that nature are in your head.

Type of training and the demands of it can be impacted by fasted training, but the vast majority of type of weight related training most people do are going to be minimally impacted here. With adequate meals between training sessions you should be good to go.

There may be specific cases where it could be impacted, but for most people it is in there heads (especially if you are not in a deficit).

 

[AdelV]

Yeah, currently I can eat in any 8 hour window. I have to work out what's best, maybe 12-8pm and no fasting weekends.

In future when I change jobs, thats when it will be difficult because Ill have to train morning, or after work!

Its hard to fit my daily food into 3-4 meals as im not a big eater.

I noticed fasting even 2 days a week, it really helped me trim some weight. I fasted the 3rd night for Monday but it affect my training maybe due to low calories for 3 days in a row.

 

[GreenMachineX]

I trained fasted for about a year and didn't make much gains at all. Unsure if it was because I just wasn't fully awake or if it was the lack of caloric energy.

 

[Jeremyk1]

Glycogen stored in muscles is the first and most efficient source of energy the body uses during strength training with those same muscles. Fasted = less glycogen in muscles = more reliance on less efficient energy pathways = less strength and endurance at the end of sets. I think that's just the way it is.

I’m not sure I agree. Especially if someone is training very early, getting in one meal will have an effect on blood sugar, but likely very little impact on glycogen. Glycogen refills over time, one more meal probably won’t affect it. If someone trains later in the day, sure getting more meals in could make a difference, but if you’ve had 24 hours of refueling, one more meal won’t make or break a training session.

 

[Resolve10]

Yeah, currently I can eat in any 8 hour window. I have to work out what's best, maybe 12-8pm and no fasting weekends.

In future when I change jobs, thats when it will be difficult because Ill have to train morning, or after work!

Its hard to fit my daily food into 3-4 meals as im not a big eater.

I noticed fasting even 2 days a week, it really helped me trim some weight. I fasted the 3rd night for Monday but it affect my training maybe due to low calories for 3 days in a row.

I think fasting is good for those who like to have bigger meals so you can condense it or when you like to not have tiny meals and still lose weight. I definitely can't follow an IF template during times when I need large amounts of calories.

I trained fasted for about a year and didn't make much gains at all. Unsure if it was because I just wasn't fully awake or if it was the lack of caloric energy.

If you went a full year and didn't make gains I'd wager there were a lot more things at play than just simply the fasting. Plenty of people have followed an IF style eating for awhile now and still made gains. Idk if I'd personally say it is optimal for gaining, but it isn't black and white as making gains or no gains.

Glycogen stored in muscles is the first and most efficient source of energy the body uses during strength training with those same muscles. Fasted = less glycogen in muscles = more reliance on less efficient energy pathways = less strength and endurance at the end of sets. I think that's just the way it is.

You aren't going to be suddenly lacking glycogen in your muscles due to most traditional fasted training plans. Even more so considering most people probably don't train in ways that even need to worry a ton about fast glycogen replenishment or in ways that are even really taxing that in a session (I am sure someone can point out specific cases, but based on the vast majority of training you will see most people doing in real life and on the forums).

I’m not sure I agree. Especially if someone is training very early, getting in one meal will have an effect on blood sugar, but likely very little impact on glycogen. Glycogen refills over time, one more meal probably won’t affect it. If someone trains later in the day, sure getting more meals in could make a difference, but if you’ve had 24 hours of refueling, one more meal won’t make or break a training session.

Ya pretty much this. There are other considerations to keep in mind with training at different times of day and early training can be tougher regardless of feeding status, but I think a lot of people make a much bigger deal out of this than they really need to when I see how sporadic they are in so many other areas of their regiments.

 

[Hyde]

Never train totally fasted if you can avoid it and results are the highest priority. This is if maximum output is desired for traditional weight training. You will tolerate more volume & recover faster eating a Rice Krispies bar on the way into the gym and drinking some carbs & salt throughout than not. Even if it feels heavier in the stomach, you will have more staying power. Having aminos present will further aid recovery.

It doesn’t need to be heavy or complex or expensive. It’s just about having blood sugar available when you need it.

If you are training for under 45 minutes, very abbreviated training, it probably doesn’t matter at all. But I have never trained that way, even when rest periods were very short, so I have no experience there.

 

[Dustin07]

I've been loving full 24-36+hr fasts with zero negativity on my strength
however I found IF / 16/8 to be problematic because I couldn't fit enough carbs in pre-workout with that window in my lifestyle.
so for me, fasting on rest days is a good solution I'm playing with.

 

[rob112]

I’ve trained early most of my life and just get nauseous if I eat too close to training. I drink BCAAs and feel fine. That said when I get a day off work and go afternoon having had eaten and digested some food is nice too.

Keep in mind I’m a normal dude with life constraints. If you have no constraints you can do whatever is optimal for you.

 

[Dustin07]

I’ve trained early most of my life and just get nauseous if I eat too close to training. I drink BCAAs and feel fine. That said when I get a day off work and go afternoon having had eaten and digested some food is nice too.

Keep in mind I’m a normal dude with life constraints. If you have no constraints you can do whatever is optimal for you.

I'm the opposite in that if I don't have some hydration and calories in me preWO at 5am I'll puke.
But the normal dude stuff... yeah, that creates some learning in regards to the fasting world. I'd way prefer IF that allowed a feeding window of say 9am to 5pm, but since wife and I don't dinner until 7pm most nights... no bueno.

 

[Resolve10]

I’ve trained early most of my life and just get nauseous if I eat too close to training. I drink BCAAs and feel fine. That said when I get a day off work and go afternoon having had eaten and digested some food is nice too.

Keep in mind I’m a normal dude with life constraints. If you have no constraints you can do whatever is optimal for you.

Ya when fasting style diets first became a big craze I think it did a good job of helping some people become less worried about not making gains or having to eat when they train super early in the morning. Allowing people to find something that keeps them consistent is great.

I'm the opposite in that if I don't have some hydration and calories in me preWO at 5am I'll puke.
But the normal dude stuff... yeah, that creates some learning in regards to the fasting world. I'd way prefer IF that allowed a feeding window of say 9am to 5pm, but since wife and I don't dinner until 7pm most nights... no bueno.

I don't see why you couldn't just to 9-7, I doubt a 2 hour difference is making you lose some magic.

 

[Dustin07]

Ya when fasting style diets first became a big craze I think it did a good job of helping some people become less worried about not making gains or having to eat when they train super early in the morning. Allowing people to find something that keeps them consistent is great.



I don't see why you couldn't just to 9-7, I doubt a 2 hour difference is making you lose some magic.

To be honest that's pretty dang close to my normal life lol. But I do tend to do breakfast around 6-7 then additional carbs at 9-10 if I'm doing a lunch session.

 

[Resolve10]

To be honest that's pretty dang close to my normal life lol. But I do tend to do breakfast around 6-7 then additional carbs at 9-10 if I'm doing a lunch session.

Ya I am probably 9-10 to 7-8 on most days right now just kind of depends on the day.

 

[Dustin07]

Ya I am probably 9-10 to 7-8 on most days right now just kind of depends on the day.

I might be in my own head about it, but I feel like if I can start carbing up around 6-7am with a second feed 1-2hrs PreWO then an 11:30am lunch session goes really well. or a 3-4pm after work session. But if I try lifting a lot earlier or later than that window my sessions are a bit rougher.