LeanGains feeding window, myth, choice or is there strict science behind it?

[Maorispirit]

So I've been reading Martin Berkhan's LG guide; feeding only during the specifically set "window" and I had a few specific questions on the subject.

Let's take this example for instance:

6 AM: 5-15 minutes pre-workout: 10 g BCAA.
6-7 AM: Training.
8 AM: 10 g BCAA.
10 AM: 10 g BCAA
12-1 PM: The "real" post-workout meal (largest meal of the day). Start of the 8 hour feeding-window.
8-9 PM: Last meal before the fast.

I understand the idea of training starved, and preventing the break-up of muscle by consuming BCAA's (although proven to be controversial & unnecessary??) followed by not eating all the way up to 12-1, but my question is, what is the significance of doing this, OPPOSED to the following:

Waking up, having a light breakfast of let's say half a cup of rolled oats & green tea to get most of your daily carbs in before your workout so you can burn it off & move on to using your fat as energy throughout the day. Then upon arriving home, drink a whey protein shake (Optimum Nutrition).

What is the correlation between training fasted aside from being a preference and having those small amounts of food in before/after your workout?

I would even go as far as drink 10g of BCAA an hour after the protein shake if I won't be eating anytime soon, in order to prevent the break-up of muscle (which is again, controversial to my understanding but still on topic)

My overall misunderstanding of LG is what is the exact science behind having the feeding window of lets say starting from 12-1 and finishing it at 7-8, opposed to just having your calorie intake throughout the day in the manner you want it the most?

Another example:

If I would to continue with a small carb intake before gym @6am, followed by whey protein post workout @8am and bcaa shake an hour after, followed by a decent, ~800 lunch, perhaps a light snack in between lunch/dinner and then finish up my dinner with another ~800 or w.e amount of calories I'd need for the day.

In other words, if I break it up where I find myself energetic and not starved throughout the day doing something that works for me while maintaining my proper calorie intake, opposed to doing a strict starvation and eating only during the leangains allowed "feeding window" would I be getting different results?

I've tested LG but I don't like the diet approach, but I would be ready to do it if it had a specific idea of why it works. Is it just better timed meals? Is it magic? Why does Lean Gains work opposed to following your own diet? What is so special about it? Why can people go on it and in twelve weeks look shredded?? I need help understanding that as I'm hovering with extra BF right now and I need to burn that off while maintaining the most muscle. LG seems to be the main ad for this campaign.


Will rep anyone who can help me out on this, thanks!

[falldown09]

So I've been reading Martin Berkhan's LG guide; feeding only during the specifically set "window" and I had a few specific questions on the subject.

Let's take this example for instance:

6 AM: 5-15 minutes pre-workout: 10 g BCAA.
6-7 AM: Training.
8 AM: 10 g BCAA.
10 AM: 10 g BCAA
12-1 PM: The "real" post-workout meal (largest meal of the day). Start of the 8 hour feeding-window.
8-9 PM: Last meal before the fast.

I understand the idea of training starved, and preventing the break-up of muscle by consuming BCAA's (although proven to be controversial & unnecessary??) followed by not eating all the way up to 12-1, but my question is, what is the significance of doing this, OPPOSED to the following:

Waking up, having a light breakfast of let's say half a cup of rolled oats & green tea to get most of your daily carbs in before your workout so you can burn it off & move on to using your fat as energy throughout the day. Then upon arriving home, drink a whey protein shake (Optimum Nutrition).

What is the correlation between training fasted aside from being a preference and having those small amounts of food in before/after your workout?

I would even go as far as drink 10g of BCAA an hour after the protein shake if I won't be eating anytime soon, in order to prevent the break-up of muscle (which is again, controversial to my understanding but still on topic)

My overall misunderstanding of LG is what is the exact science behind having the feeding window of lets say starting from 12-1 and finishing it at 7-8, opposed to just having your calorie intake throughout the day in the manner you want it the most?

Another example:

If I would to continue with a small carb intake before gym @6am, followed by whey protein post workout @8am and bcaa shake an hour after, followed by a decent, ~800 lunch, perhaps a light snack in between lunch/dinner and then finish up my dinner with another ~800 or w.e amount of calories I'd need for the day.

In other words, if I break it up where I find myself energetic and not starved throughout the day doing something that works for me while maintaining my proper calorie intake, opposed to doing a strict starvation and eating only during the leangains allowed "feeding window" would I be getting different results?

I've tested LG but I don't like the diet approach, but I would be ready to do it if it had a specific idea of why it works. Is it just better timed meals? Is it magic? Why does Lean Gains work opposed to following your own diet? What is so special about it? Why can people go on it and in twelve weeks look shredded?? I need help understanding that as I'm hovering with extra BF right now and I need to burn that off while maintaining the most muscle. LG seems to be the main ad for this campaign.


Will rep anyone who can help me out on this, thanks!

Hello Maori.

Excellent post. No, LG is by no means magic. I tried it out for a while and I did like the results but I got tired of having to eat only during specific times. I found it very inconvenient. I enjoy my life more when I can eat whenever I feel like eating. I've since just reduced my calories below maintenance and kept up with my weight training routine and have had the same results as when I was doing the IF. The question is never really whether or not something works, but rather, whether or not it works for you. Just try it out, if you like it and get good results well there ya go. Martin even states on his site that LG isn't the only avenue for achieving your goals, it's just one method that may yield positive results. There's a lot of people on this site that are completely shredded and natural lifters who've never done the LG approach.

[JensOfSweden]

Well fasted training is the ****.

Once you get used to it, the increased catecholamines in your blood will make you **** **** up in the gym. You're focused, pumped and don't tire easily, ie not loaded with serotonin(tiredness)-boosting carbs.